German Phrase
Sag, wann das passiert ist.
Meaning
A direct, informal request asking someone to tell you the exact moment an event occurred. The speaker already knows what ‘that’ refers to, and just needs the timing.
When to use
Use this sentence in casual conversation when you need a friend, colleague, or family member to give you the time of a past event. For formal situations replace ‘Sag’ with ‘Sagen Sie’.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Sag,wanndaspassiertist.
Imperative (Sag)
‘Sag’ is the du‑imperative of the verb ‘sagen’ and is used for informal commands.
Interrogative ‘wann’
‘wann’ introduces a subordinate clause that asks for a point in time.
Demonstrative ‘das’
‘das’ refers to a specific event that both speakers know about.
Perfect with ‘sein’ (ist passiert)
The verb ‘passieren’ forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary ‘sein’: ‘ist passiert’.
Verb‑final order in subordinate clause
In a ‘wann‑’ clause the finite verb moves to the end: ‘wann das passiert ist’.
🗨In Conversation
Sag, wann das passiert ist.
Tell me when that happened.
Es ist gestern um drei Uhr passiert.
It happened yesterday at three o’clock.
✕Common Mistakes
Sag, wenn das passiert ist.
‘wenn’ means ‘if’ or ‘when’ in a conditional sense; for a point in time you must use ‘wann’.
Sag, wann das hat passiert ist.
‘passieren’ uses ‘sein’ as its auxiliary, not ‘haben’. The correct form is ‘ist passiert’.
Sage, wann das passiert ist.
‘Sage’ is the first‑person singular present (I say). The imperative for ‘du’ is ‘Sag’.
↔Alternatives
Erzähl mir, wann das geschehen ist.
Tell me when that took place.
Sag mir, wann das stattgefunden hat.
Tell me when that took place.
Bitte nenne mir das Datum, an dem das passiert ist.
Please give me the date when that happened.
Cultural Tip
‘Sag’ is strictly informal; German distinguishes between du‑imperatives and Sie‑imperatives. In a business or unknown‑person context you would say ‘Sagen Sie, wann das passiert ist.’ Also, avoid mixing up ‘wann’ (time) with ‘wenn’ (if/when in a conditional sense).