sagen
Translation
to say, to tell
Examples
Er sagte nichts.
He said nothing.
Sie sagte, sie sei krank.
She said she was ill.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to say sth. He said the truth.
((sb.dat)) ((sth.acc)) to tell sb. sth. She told him the truth.
((that-clause)) to say that... He said that he was coming.
((to sb.)) to say to sb. What did he say to you?
Similar Words
Synonyms: sprechen (to speak), erzählen (to tell), mitteilen (to inform); Antonyms: schweigen (to be silent)
Etymology
From Old High German 'sagēn'. Cognate with English 'say'.
Memory Tips
'sagte' is the simple past (Präteritum) of 'sagen', equivalent to 'said' in English.