Sagen: to say, to tell
The German verb sagen means “to say” or “to tell.” It is one of the most common and important verbs in German for reporting speech, conveying information, and telling someone something.
Key Points:
- sagen is a strong (irregular) verb in German.
- The root changes from sag- in most forms to sag- plus endings, but the du and er/sie/es forms remain regular (no stem change).
- It takes a direct object in the accusative case when telling someone something (e.g., jemandem etwas sagen).
- When used with dass-clauses, it introduces indirect speech (e.g., Er sagt, dass …).
- The past participle is gesagt (used with haben).
Usage
- sagen … (jemandem) etwas — to say/tell someone something
- Ich sage dir die Wahrheit.* — I tell you the truth.
- sagen, dass … — to say that …
- Sie sagt, dass sie müde ist.* — She says that she is tired.
- sagen … zu … — to have an opinion about something
- Was sagst du zu dem Vorschlag?* — What do you say about the proposal?
- Quoting direct speech:
- Er sagt: „Ich komme später.“* — He says, “I’m coming later.”
Conjugate sagen in the present tense for 'du'.
du sagst
In the present tense, the pronoun 'du' takes the ending -st, so the correct form is du sagst.
Conjugation Tabelle
| Pronoun | German Conjugation | English | Example (German) | Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | sage | I say/tell | Ich sage dir „Hallo.“ | I say “Hello” to you. |
| du | sagst | you say/tell | Sagst du die Wahrheit? | Do you tell the truth? |
| er/sie/es | sagt | he/she/it says/tells | Er sagt, dass er kommt. | He says that he’s coming. |
| wir | sagen | we say/tell | Wir sagen euch Bescheid. | We will let you know. |
| ihr | sagt | you all say/tell | Sagt ihr etwas? | Are you all saying something? |
| sie/Sie | sagen | they/you say/tell | Sie sagen immer die Wahrheit. | They always tell the truth. |
Past Tense Conjugation (Simple Past / Präteritum)
| Pronoun | German Conjugation | English | Example (German) | Example (English) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | sagte | I said/told | Ich sagte ihr die Neuigkeiten. | I told her the news. |
| du | sagtest | you said/told | Sagtest du die Wahrheit? | Did you tell the truth? |
| er/sie/es | sagte | he/she/it said/told | Er sagte, dass er müde sei. | He said that he was tired. |
| wir | sagten | we said/told | Wir sagten nichts dazu. | We said nothing about it. |
| ihr | sagtet | you all said/told | Sagtet ihr eure Meinung? | Did you all give your opinion? |
| sie/Sie | sagten | they/you said/told | Sie sagten, sie kommen später. | They said they would come later. |
How do you ask 'Did you tell the truth?' in German using sagen and Präteritum for du?
Sagtest du die Wahrheit?
Präteritum for du is sagtest. The question is: Sagtest du die Wahrheit?
The Perfect Tense (Perfekt)
- Formed with haben + past participle gesagt.
- Example: Ich habe dir die Adresse gesagt. — I have told you the address.
Sagen vs. Erzählen
- sagen = to say/tell (focus on the words)
- erzählen = to tell a story/narrate (more detailed or longer)
Summary
- sagen is a fundamental German verb for expressing and reporting speech.
- It is irregular in the past tense (Präteritum, Perfekt) but regular in the present tense.
- Usage includes sagen + (jemandem) + etwas, sagen, dass …, and direct quoting.
Flashcards (1 of 12)
- Pronoun: ich
- English: I say/tell
- Example (English): I say “Hello” to you.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
