solle

Solle is a German word with its primary significance in grammar. It is the Konjunktiv I (present subjunctive) form of the verb sollen, which expresses obligation, duty, or expectation. In indirect speech, solle is used to report someone’s statements or commands without quoting them directly. For example: Sie sagte, er solle pünktlich kommen. This construction is common in journalism, formal prose, and legal writing, where attribution of speech is needed without a direct quotation. The Konjunktiv I forms help indicate that the content comes from another source, rather than from the speaker directly.

In addition to its grammatical use, solle may appear as part of proper names or surnames in German-speaking regions, though such uses are not tied to a widely known person or place and are relatively uncommon. The word does not have a separate, widely recognized meaning outside its role as a verb form in standard Modern German.

Solle should not be confused with similarly spelled terms in other languages or with diacritically different place names, which have unrelated meanings or origins. For language learners, recognizing solle as a Konjunktiv I form helps distinguish reported content from direct quotation and from the indicative forms of sollen.