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The special subjunctive is used primarily in written and oral news reports for indirect quotes (1). It also appears in directives or expressions of good will (2).
1) Der Politiker sagte, er sei nicht mit dem Gesetz zufrieden, aber er habe doch dafür gestimmt. 2) Lang lebe der König! |
The politician said he wasn't satisfied with the law, but he had voted for it anyway. Long live the king! |
The special subjunctive uses the infinitive stem of the verb for all of its forms, with the same personal endings as those of the general subjunctive. Often it looks exactly the same as the present tense, in which case the general subjunctive is used instead. Its er / sie / es form is always distinctive, however, and thus appears most frequently.
| Singular | Plural | Singular & Plural |
|---|---|---|
| ich spreche | wir sprechen | |
| du sprechest | ihr sprechet | Sie sprechen |
| er spreche sie spreche es spreche |
sie sprechen |
The verb sein does not use an -e ending on the ich and er / sie / es forms.
| Singular | Plural | Singular & Plural |
|---|---|---|
| ich sei | wir seien | |
| du seiest | ihr seiet | Sie seien |
| er sei sie sei es sei |
sie seien |