säga att
Say That
'säga att' means 'to say that' and is used to report statements.
How It Works
The phrase säga att is fundamental for reporting speech in Swedish. It directly translates to 'say that'.
The verb 'säga' (to say) is conjugated according to the tense:
- säger (present)
- sade, also sa (past)
- har sagt (perfect)
The word att (that) acts as a conjunction, introducing a subordinate clause (en bisats). A useful basic model is ordinary subordinate word order, especially the position of sentence negation.
In an ordinary declarative main clause, the finite verb is in the second constituent position (V2 rule). In the ordinary subordinate pattern after att, the word order follows the BIFF rule. This means that sentence adverbs (like inte, alltid, kanske) come before the finite verb.
Main Clause: Han kommer inte. (He is not coming.)
Subordinate Clause: Hon säger att han inte kommer. (She says that he is not coming.)
Att can be omitted after säga when the following clause is clear: Hon säger hon är trött. Keeping att is a useful explicit model, but omission is not confined to informal speech or inherently incorrect. It is less freely omitted in other constructions, for example after a preposition.
Reported Main-Clause OrderHon säger att i morgon kommer han is possible when the reported message retains a declarative presentation. The ordinary model is Hon säger att han kommer i morgon. Similarly, a reported clause can place sentence negation after its finite verb in this main-clause pattern. Do not mark every such example as bad Swedish.
The report need not reproduce the speaker’s exact words, and it does not guarantee the information is true. Tense and pronouns are chosen for the reporting perspective: Han sa att han skulle komma senare presents the arrival as later than his statement.
Examples (5)
- Hon säger att hon är trött.
She says that she is tired.
Word by Word: She says that she is tired.
- Han sa att han skulle komma senare.
He said that he would come later.
Word by Word: He said that he would come later.
- De har sagt att mötet är inställt.
They have said that the meeting is cancelled.
Word by Word: They have said that the meeting is cancelled.
- Jag säger att det inte är en bra idé.
I'm saying that it is not a good idea.
Word by Word: I say that it not is a good idea.
Notice the word order in the subordinate clause: '...det inte är...'. The adverb 'inte' comes before the verb 'är', following the BIFF rule for subordinate clauses.
- Barnen sa att de ville ha glass.
The children said that they wanted ice cream.
Word by Word: The children said that they wanted have ice cream.
Common Mistakes
Using the infinitive instead of supine after har.
Hon har säga att hon kommer.Hon har sagt att hon kommer.After har, use supine sagt. The simple past is sade or sa, and the infinitive is säga. The reported clause att hon kommer is unchanged.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'säga att' (say that), you need to know how to conjugate the irregular verb 'säga' and understand the specific word order rules for subordinate clauses introduced by 'att'.
Related Patterns
- Subordinate clause word order
BIFF gives the ordinary subordinate model
Level 3hon säger att han inte kommer. Reported statements also allow main-clause order in appropriate contexts, such ashon säger att i morgon kommer han; this does not make every permutation possible. - Reported speech
'säga att' is the primary tool for forming indirect speech when reporting statements. This pattern is the foundation of reported speech in Swedish.
Level 3 - fråga omAsk Whether/if
This is a contrasting pattern. While 'säga att' is used to report statements, 'fråga om' ('ask if/whether') is used to report yes/no questions in indirect speech.
Level 3 - somThat/which/who
Att introduces a content clause reporting what is said. Relative som introduces a clause modifying a referent:
Level 2personen som talar. They have different functions and are not interchangeable; som also has other uses beyond relative clauses.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice säga att in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Swedish lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
