In general, the Subjunctive I (present subjunctive) is used mostly for the so-called quotative or indirect speech (indirekte Rede). It is heard or seen less and less frequently in modern German, with the important exception of news stories on radio and TV and in the newspaper. Sometimes the Subjunctive II is also used for indirect speech, usually when the Subjunctive I form is not obviously different from the indicative form.

Recognize it when you see it!Since the Subjunctive I is encountered primarily in a passive way — in print or in TV/radio news, it is not necessary for most German-learners to learn how to produce it. It is more important to recognize it when you see it or hear it, because the subjunctive is sending a message you need to understand.

What message? Generally the Konjunktiv I is telling you that someone said something that may or may not be true. For instance, in a news feature a newspaper may report what someone said, using the Subjunctive I: "Der Nachbar sagte, die Dame lebe schon länger im Dorf." The normal present tense conjugation is "die Dame lebt," but the subjunctive form "die Dame lebe" tells us that this what someone said. The reporter/newspaper is not (legally) responsible for the truth of the statement. When you read the news in German or hear it on the radio, this so-called "indirect speech" (indirekte Rede is a form of indirect quotation that says in effect, that's what we were told but we can't vouch for the accuracy of the statement. The other terms sometimes used for the Subjunctive I also say something about its use: the "quotative," "indirect discourse," "indirect speech."

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