Reporting What Someone Said – Indirect Speech in German

Hello! My name is Alex, and I’m here to help you understand one of the trickiest parts of learning German: indirect speech. It’s about reporting what someone else said, not what you said yourself. It’s very common in conversations and the workplace.

Basically, when you tell someone about something someone else said, you don’t use the exact words they used. You change them slightly. This change is called “Indirekte Rede.”

The Basics

The most important thing to change is the verb. If the original sentence uses “sagen” (to say), you change it to “nehmen” (to take). This is the core rule.

Example:

John Doe says: “Ich gehe ins Kino.” (I am going to the cinema.)

You report it as: Alex sagt, dass John ins Kino geht. (Alex says that John is going to the cinema.)

Notice how “Ich gehe” became “dass John geht”. “Dass” is a key word – it means “that.”

Time Words – Changing Time

Time words also change! If the original sentence uses “heute” (today), it becomes “gestern” (yesterday). If it’s “morgen” (tomorrow), it becomes “übermorgen” (the day after tomorrow).

Example:

Mary Carry says: “Ich lerne Deutsch heute.” (I am learning German today.)

You report it as: Alex sagt, dass Mary Deutsch gelernt hat gestern. (Alex says that Mary learned German yesterday.)

“Heute” changed to “gestern”. And “lernen” (to learn) changes to “hat gelernt” (has learned – past perfect tense).

Pronouns – Changing Pronouns

Pronouns (he, she, it, etc.) also need to change depending on the context. It’s not always obvious, but you’ll get used to it.

Example:

John Doe says: “Ich sehe Peter.” (I see Peter.)

You report it as: Alex sagt, dass John Peter sieht. (Alex says that John sees Peter.)

“Ich” changes to “John”.

A Few More Simple Examples:

• She says: “Ich bin müde.” -> Alex sagt, dass sie müde ist.
• He says: “Ich habe Hunger.” -> Alex sagt, dass er Hunger hat.
• They say: “Wir gehen spazieren.” -> Alex sagt, dass sie spazieren gehen.

Using It in a Work Context

Imagine you’re talking to your supervisor, Steven:

Steven says: “Das Projekt ist fertig.” (The project is finished.)

You could report it as: Alex sagt, dass Steven das Projekt fertig ist. (Alex says that Steven has finished the project.)

This is a very common way to update people on progress.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect right away. Practice makes perfect! Keep using these rules, and you’ll soon be reporting what others say with confidence.

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