In German, the subjunctive 1 with "sei" is used to express indirect speech, doubt, wishes, and hypothetical scenarios.
The conjugation of the verb in the subjunctive 1 with "sei" follows a specific pattern, with the second person singular form (du) being "seist" and the third person singular form (er/sie/es) being "sei."
German
English
Ich wünsche mir, dass du glücklich seist.
I wish that you be happy.
Subjunctive 1 With "Sei" for Indirect Speech
We use the subjunctive 1 when we want to rephrase what somebody said. You will likely find it in writing, like an indirect quote in a newspaper.
It is almost always used in the third person singular. We form the subjunctive 1 by removing the final "-n" from the infinitive.
German
English
Er sagt, er wolle uns helfen.
He says he wants to help us.
Sein is the only verb where all persons are used:
- ich sei
- du sei(e)st
- er sei
- wir seien
- ihr sei(e)t
- sie seien
German
English
Er sagte, sie seien im Kino.
He said they were at the cinema.
Quiz
1/3
Choose the correct form to express the subjunctive: Ich habe ihn angerufen, ___.
0
correct answers.