sollen (Hearsay)

Is Said to: Sollen

Level 5

Sollen can mean is said to or supposedly: Hie soll ganz räich sinn. (He is said to be very rich.) You pass on a rumor without saying it is true.

How It Works

1. Passing on what people say
Put sollen in second place and the infinitive at the end. The speaker does not claim the fact is true:

  • Hie soll ganz räich sinn. (He is said to be very rich.)
  • Den neie Restaurant soll gutt sinn. (The new restaurant is supposed to be good.)
  • Muer soll d'Wieder méi schlecht ginn. (The weather is supposed to get worse tomorrow.)

2. About the past
For something that supposedly already happened, use a participle with hunn or sinn at the end. Sollen itself stays in the present:

  • Si soll gëschter ugeruff hunn. (She is said to have called yesterday.)
  • Gëschter Owend soll et virun engem Bistro zu enger Kläpperei komm sinn. (A fight is said to have broken out outside a bar last night.)

3. Hearsay or duty?
The same verb also expresses a duty that comes from someone else, as in sollen: Du solls méi Waasser drénken. Context decides. Hearsay is usually about a third person or thing, and it often describes a state (räich sinn, gutt sinn) or a past event.

4. Watch out for sollt
Hie sollt gëschter kommen means he was supposed to come yesterday. It talks about a plan, not a rumor. To pass on a rumor about the past, say Hie soll gëschter komm sinn.

A similar verb, wëllen, reports what someone claims about themselves. For longer reports, use reported speech.

Examples (5)

  1. Hie soll ganz räich sinn.

    He is said to be very rich.

    The speaker passes on a rumor without confirming it.

  2. Den neie Restaurant soll gutt sinn.

    The new restaurant is supposed to be good.

  3. Muer soll d'Wieder méi schlecht ginn.

    The weather is supposed to get worse tomorrow.

    This passes on a forecast.

  4. Si soll gëschter ugeruff hunn.

    She is said to have called yesterday.

    For the past, sollen stays in the present and takes ugeruff hunn at the end.

  5. Gëschter Owend soll et virun engem Bistro zu enger Kläpperei komm sinn.

    A fight is said to have broken out outside a bar last night.

    Kommen takes sinn, so the end is komm sinn.

Common Mistakes

  • Using sollt to pass on a rumor about the past.

    Hie sollt gëschter kommen.
    Hie soll gëschter komm sinn.

    Hie sollt gëschter kommen means he was supposed to come yesterday. To say people claim he came, keep soll in the present and add komm sinn.

  • Leaving out hunn or sinn after the participle.

    Si soll gëschter ugeruff.
    Si soll gëschter ugeruff hunn.

    Sollen needs an infinitive. For the past, that is the participle together with hunn or sinn.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

sollen (Hearsay)Level 5Is Said to: Sollen

Learn This First

Before Is Said To: Sollen, learn Reported Speech.

Words in This Pattern

sollen