The subjunctive in indirect speech

In colloquial speech it's becoming more common to express indirect speech by using the indicative. In writing - such as newspaper articles and literature - the subjunctive I form is still frequently used.

Examples:
Orakel: "Verzeih deiner Mutter!"
Anna: Das Orakel hat gesagt, ich solle meiner Mutter verzeihen.

Jakob: Jeder findet seinen Weg.
Harry: Jakob hat mir erklärt, dass jeder seinen Weg finde.

The subjunctive I is a verb form used for indirect speech. But it's actually used primarily for only the 3rd person singular - and for the modal verbs in the 1st person singular - because its other forms hardly differ from the indicative in the present tense. So in those other instances, the subjunctive II is used instead of the subjunctive I or by using the construction "würde" + the infinitive.

Example:
Anna: Wir fahren ins Seniorenheim.
Harry: Anna hat gesagt, dass wir ins Altenheim fahren würden.

The subjunctive I is formed by adding personal endings to the verb stem. "e" is a typical ending in the 3rd person singular. The other forms don't differ, or differ only slightly, from the indicative in the present tense.

lernen

Example:
Jakob sagt, er lerne aus seinen Fehlern.

"sein" has its own distinct form in the subjunctive I. That's why "sein" is regularly used in the subjunctive I form for all persons.

sein

Example:
Anna sagt, alles sei gut.

More:

haben

können

werden

müssen

dürfen

sollen

wollen