Berichtssätze
Berichtssätze are a grammatical construction in German used to report what someone has said or thought. They function similarly to reported speech in English. A Berichtssatz is typically introduced by a verb of saying, thinking, knowing, or perceiving, such as "sagen" (to say), "meinen" (to think/mean), "wissen" (to know), or "sehen" (to see).
The key characteristic of a Berichtssatz is the use of the subjunctive mood, specifically the Konjunktiv I.
Another common way to form Berichtssätze is through the use of "dass" (that). In this construction, the