er sagte, er sei

he said he was

→ er

phrase Uncommon #12,554

he said he was Used in reported speech. The German use of "sei" here is a subjunctive form, often translated as "was" in English.

GE: Er sagte, er sei krank.

EN: He said he was sick.

Er sagte, er sei mit Ihnen befreundet.

He said he was friends with you.

Er sagte, er sei noch nicht bereit.

He said he wasn’t ready yet.

Er sagte, er sei unzufrieden.

He said he was dissatisfied.

Er sagte, er sei aufgeregt.

He said he was excited.

Er sagte, er sei beschäftigt.

He said he was busy.

Er sagte, er sei glücklich.

He said he was happy.

Er sagte, er sei müde.

He said he was tired.

Er sagte, er sei sehr arm.

He said he was very poor.

Er sagte, er sei bereit zu gehen.

He said he was ready to go.

Er sagte, er sei ein guter Schwimmer.

He said he was a good swimmer.

Er sagte, er sei krank gewesen.

He said he had been ill.

— Frau ohne Gewissen (1944)

Er sagte, er sei nicht sehr glücklich.

He said he wasn't very happy.

Er sagte, er sei sehr reich.

He said he was very rich.

Er sagte, er sei arm.

He said he was poor.

Er sagte, er sei bereit.

He said he was ready.

Er sagte, er sei gerne hier.

He said he enjoyed being here.

Er sagte, er sei mit dir befreundet.

He said he was friends with you.

Er sagte, er sei aus Rache hier.

He said he was here for revenge.

— Bullet Train (2022)

Er sagte, er sei durstig.

He said he was thirsty.

Er sagte, er sei kein Kanadier.

He said he wasn't Canadian.

Er sagte, er sei nicht müde.

He said he wasn't tired.

Er sagte, er sei sehr hungrig.

He said he was very hungry.

Er sagte, er sei bereit zu reden.

He said he was ready to talk.

Er sagte, er sei farbenblind.

He said he was color blind.