Navigating the Murmur: My First Forays into Reporting Speech in German

Okay, so here I am, six months in Berlin, and honestly, the biggest hurdle hasn’t been the U-Bahn or ordering a Bier. It’s understanding what people actually say, especially when they’re talking about what someone else said. It’s completely different than just translating word-for-word. This whole “reporting speech” thing in German – indirekte Rede – is throwing me for a loop, and I wanted to write about it, not just for me to understand it better, but hopefully for anyone else feeling just as lost.

The Initial Confusion: “Er hat gesagt…”

The first time I heard someone use “Er hat gesagt…” it felt completely baffling. I was in the Kantine at uni, trying to order a Käsesemmel (cheese sandwich – delicious, by the way) and my classmate, Steven, was telling me about his friend, Markus. He said, “Markus hat gesagt, dass er eine Pizza bestellt hat.” My brain just short-circuited. I thought, “Wait, did Markus actually order a pizza? Or was Steven just repeating what Markus said?”

It took a few panicked Google searches (thank you, Duolingo!) and a very patient explanation from a tutor to realize what was going on. Essentially, when someone tells you what another person said, you don’t report the exact words. You report the meaning. And you need a little trick to do it.

Introducing the ‘Dass’ Clause – My New Best Friend

The ‘dass’ clause is the key. It’s like a little bridge between what someone said and what you’re reporting. After “Er hat gesagt,” you always use “dass.” Then, you put the original statement inside.

Let’s break it down:

• Original: Markus said, “Ich möchte einen Käsesemmel.” (I would like a cheese sandwich.)
• Reported: Er hat gesagt, dass er einen Käsesemmel möchte. (He said that he would like a cheese sandwich.)

See? It’s not about exactly repeating the words. It’s about conveying the idea.

My First Mishap – And the Gentle Correction

I tried to use this technique immediately with a friend, Lisa, who’d been talking about her grandmother. I asked her, “Was hat deine Oma gesagt?” She looked at me completely bewildered. “What did my grandma say? What are you talking about?”

It turned out I’d completely missed the ‘dass’ clause. The correct way to say it was: “Er hat gesagt, dass deine Oma gesagt hat, dass sie eine Gans gebacken hat.” (He said that your grandma said that she baked a goose.) Seriously, even that was a bit much for my brain at the time! Lisa patiently walked me through it again, and I realized I was trying to pack too much information into one sentence.

Practical Examples: Everyday German

Here are a few more simple examples that are actually useful:

• Original: “Ich bin müde,” said Alice.
• Reported: Sie hat gesagt, dass sie müde ist. (She said that she is tired.)

• Original: “Das Wetter ist schlecht,” said Thomas.
• Reported: Er hat gesagt, dass das Wetter schlecht ist. (He said that the weather is bad.)

• Short and sweet: “Ich habe Hunger,” said my colleague, Paul.
• Reported: Er hat gesagt, dass er Hunger hat. (He said that he is hungry.)

Don’t Forget the Verb Changes – It’s Not Just ‘Dass’!

Okay, this is the tricky bit. When you’re reporting something, the verb changes depending on the tense of the original sentence. It’s a whole other layer of complexity! For example, if the original sentence uses “sein” (to be), you often change it to “sein” again. Let’s stick with the pizza example:

• Original: Markus said, “Ich bin müde.” (I am tired.)
• Reported: Er hat gesagt, dass er müde ist. (He said that he is tired.) – Notice the “ist” changed from “bin”.

It gets even more complicated with past tenses, but don’t panic! Start with these basic examples and you’ll get the hang of it.

My Progress (Slowly But Surely!)

I’m still making mistakes, of course. I still stumble over the verb changes sometimes, and I definitely overcomplicate things. But I’m noticing a huge difference. I can now understand conversations about what other people said in the Kantine, and I can even report back what I heard (albeit with a little hesitancy!).

It’s a frustrating, rewarding process. Learning to navigate the murmur of German conversations – and understanding what’s being reported – is a vital step in truly connecting with the language and the people here. Weiter so! (Keep it up!)

Do you have any tips or experiences you’d like to share about indirekte Rede? Let me know in the comments!