Reported SpeechClick here for a list of reported speech exercises.Click here to download this explanation in PDF.

Reported Statements

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.

Watch my reported speech video: 

Here's how it works:

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. (Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell'.) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and thenthe sentence:

Direct speech: �I like ice cream�. Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do needto change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usuallywe change the tenses in the reported speech:

Direct speech: �I like ice cream�. Reported speech: She said she liked ice cream.

Tense Direct Reported Speech

Speech

present simple

�I like ice cream �

She said (that) she liked ice cream.

present continuous

�I am living in London�

She said she was living in London.

past simple

�I bought a car �

She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car.

past continuous

�I was walking along the street �

She said she had been walking along the street.

present perfect

�I haven't seen Julie�

She said she hadn't seen Julie.

past perfect*

�I had taken English lessons before �

She said she had takenEnglish lessons before.

will �I'll see youlater �

She said she would seeme later.

would* �I would help, but..�

She said she would help but...

can�I can speak perfect English�

She said she could speak perfect English.

could*�I could swimwhen I was four �

She said she could swim when she was four.

shall �I shall comelater �

She said she would come later.

should*�I should call my mother �

She said she should call her mother

might* "I might be late"

She said she might be late

must "I must study at the

She said she must study at the weekend

weekend" OR She said she had tostudy at the weekend

* doesn't change.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

Direct speech: �The sky is blue�. Reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reportedstatements.Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: "Where do you live?"

How can we make the reported speech here?

In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So weneed to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence. Confusing? Sorry, maybe this example will help:

Direct speech: "Where do you live?" Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple. 

Another example:

Direct speech: "where is Julie?" Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple.Here are some more examples:

Direct Question Reported Question

�Where is the Post Office, please? �

She asked me where the PostOffice was.

�What are you doing? � She asked me what I was doing.

�Who was that fantasticman? �

She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to helpus. Instead, we use 'if':

Direct speech: "Do you like chocolate?" Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question Reported Question

�Do you love me? � He asked me if I loved him.

�Have you ever been to Mexico? �

She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.

�Are you living here? � She asked me if I was living here.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions.Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. 

Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

Direct speech: "Close the window, please" Or: "Could you close the window please?" Or: "Would you mind closing the window please?"

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. Wesimply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples: 

Direct Request Reported Request

�Please help me �. She asked me to help her.

�Please don't smoke �. She asked me not to smoke.

�Could you bring my book tonight? �

She asked me to bring her book that night.

�Could you pass the milk, please? �

She asked me to pass the milk.

�Would you mind coming early tomorrow? �

She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

Direct speech: "Please don't be late." Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? Wecan call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

Direct speech: "Sit down!"

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way asa request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Direct Order Reported Order

�Go to bed! � He told the child to go to bed.

�Don't worry! � He told her not to worry.

�Be on time! � He told me to be on time.

�Don't smoke! � He told us not to smoke.

Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech.

For example:

It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".

So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was said.

Here's a table of some possible conversions:

now then / at that time

today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June

yesterday

the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December

last night the night before, Thursday night

last week the week before / the previous week

tomorrow

today / the next day / the following day /Friday

Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'. Click here for a list of all the reported speech

exercises.

Indirect speechFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indirect speech, also called reported speech or indirect discourse, isa means of expressing the content of statements, questions or other utterances, without quoting them explicitly as is done in directspeech. For example, He said "I'm coming" is direct speech, whereas He said (that) he was coming is indirect speech. Indirect speech should not be confused with indirect speech acts.

In grammar, indirect speech often makes use of certain syntactic structures such as content clauses ("that" clauses, such as (that) he was coming), and sometimes infinitive phrases. References to questions in indirect speech frequently take the form ofinterrogative content clauses, also called indirect questions (such as whether he was coming).

In indirect speech certain grammatical categories are changed relativeto the words of the original sentence.[1] For example, person may change as a result of a change of speaker or listener (as I changes to he in the example above). In some languages, including English, the tense of verbs is often changed – this is often called sequence oftenses. Some languages have a change of mood: Latin switches from indicative to the infinitive (for statements) or the subjunctive (for questions).[2]

When written, indirect speech is not normally enclosed in quotation marks or any similar typographical devices for indicating that a direct quotation is being made. However such devices are sometimes used to indicate that the indirect speech is a faithful quotation of someone's words (with additional devices such as square brackets and ellipses to indicate deviations or omissions from those words), as in He informed us that "after dinner [he] would like to make an announcement".

Contents  [hide] 

1   Changes in form 2   Examples

o 2.1   English o 2.2   Greek o 2.3   Latin o 2.4   Russian

3   Free indirect speech 4   External links 5   References

Changes in form[edit]In indirect speech, words generally have referents appropriate to the context in which the act of reporting takes place, rather than that inwhich the speech act being reported took place (or is conceived as taking place). The two acts often differ in reference point (origo) – the point in time and place and the person speaking – and also in the person being addressed and the linguistic context. Thus when a sentence involves words or forms whose referents depend on these circumstances, they are liable to change when the sentence is put intoindirect speech. In particular this commonly affects:

personal pronouns , such as I, you, he, we, and the corresponding verb forms (in pro-drop languages the meaning of the pronoun may be conveyed solely by verb inflection).

demonstratives , such as this and that. phrases of relative time or place such as now, yesterday and here.

There may also be a change of tense or other modifications to the formof the verb, such as change of mood. These changes depend on the grammar of the language in question – some examples can be found in the following sections.

It should be noted that indirect speech need not refer to a speech actthat has actually taken place; it may concern future or hypothetical discourse; for example, If you ask him why he's wearing that hat, he'll tell you to mindyour own business. Also, even when referring to a known completed speech act, the reporter may deviate freely from the words that were actuallyused, provided the meaning is retained. This contrasts with direct speech, where there is an expectation that the original words will be reproduced exactly.

Examples[edit]English[edit]Some examples of changes in form in indirect speech in English are given below. See also Sequence of tenses, and Uses of English verb forms: Indirect speech.

It  is  raining hard.

She says that it  is  raining hard. (no change)She said that it was raining hard. (change of tense when the main verb ispast tense)

I have painted  the ceiling blue.

He said that he had painted  the ceiling blue. (change of person and tense) I will come to your party  tomorrow.

I said that I would come to his party  the next day/the following day. (change of tense, person and time expression)

How do people manage  to live in  this city?

I asked him how people managed  to live in  that city. (change of tense and question syntax, and of demonstrative)

Please leave the room.

I asked them to leave the room. (use of infinitive phrase)

The tense changes illustrated above (also called backshifting), which occur because the main verb ("said", "asked") is in the past tense, are not obligatory when the situation described is still valid:[3][4][5]

Ed  is a bore.

She said that Ed was/is a bore.[4] (optional change of tense) I am coming over to watch television.

Benjamin said that he  is/was coming over to watch television.[5] (change of person, optional change of tense)

In these sentences the original tense can be used provided that it remains equally valid at the time of the reporting of the statement (Ed is still considered a bore; Benjamin is still expected to come over).

Greek[edit]In Classical Greek, statements and questions reported are sometimes quoted using indirect statements and questions.

There are three types of indirect statements and one type of indirect question; all, however, are introduced with a verb of thought, belief,speaking, or questioning.

Verbs such as φημὶ require no additional introductory particle. The quoted speech is rendered with the following changes: the finite verb is transformed into the corresponding infinitive and the nominative subject and predicate into the accusative. The accusative object remains unchanged. Tense, voice, and number remain unchanged.

αὕτη ἡ γυνή (nom.) ἐστι καλή (nom.) "This woman is pretty." ὁ ἀνήρ φησι ταύτην τὴν γυναῖκα (acc.) εἶναι καλὴν (acc.) "The man

says (that) this woman is pretty."

Verbs such as γιγνώσκω require no additional introductory particle. The quoted speech is rendered with the following changes: the nominative subject, and the predicate, if present, is changed into theaccusative case and the finite verb, agreeing therewith, is transformed into the corresponding participle in the accusative case. The accusative object remains unchanged. Tense, voice, and number remain unchanged.

ὁ άνὴρ γιγνώσκει ταύτην τὴν γυναῖκα οὖσαν καλὴν. "The man knows (that) this woman is pretty."

With the two species of indirect statements above, however, if the subject of the quoted speech is the speaker himself, the subject is omitted and understood in the nominative, and the predicate, if present, remains in the nominative case.

Verbs such as λέγω require either ὡς or ὅτι as an introductory particle. If the introductory verb form is in a secondary tense, then the finite verb of the ὡς/ὅτι clause is usually changed from the indicative into the corresponding tense in the optative mood; however,the indicative verb can be retained for vividness. All else remains unchanged.

ἡ γυνὴ ἦν (imperfect) καλή. "The woman was beautiful." ὁ ἀνὴρ ἔλέγεν ὡς ἡ γυνὴ εἴη (present optative) καλή/ἦν (imperfect)

καλή. "The man said that the woman was beautiful."Latin[edit]In Latin grammar, indirect speech is called ōratiō oblīqua [6] (direct speech is called ōratiō recta). An indirect statement or question can serve in the place of the direct object of a verb related to thought or communication.

An indirect statement is expressed by changing the case of the subjectnoun phrase from nominative to accusative and by replacing the main verb with an infinitive. The voice remains unchanged; but the tense ofthe infinitive is mostly controlled by the temporal relationship between the time expressed by the matrix verb's tense and the time denoted by the infinitive: Present tense at the moment of utterance (simultaneous state of affairs between the matrix verb and the infinitive) is expressed by the Present Infinitive; pasttense (the infinitive's state of affairs is anterior to the time of the matrix verb) by the Perfect infinitive; and future tense (time posterior to the matix verb) by the Future infinitive. This practically means that seven tenses of the indicative have to be transformed into three available infinitival tenses, and thus an accurate reproduction of thefull temporal sense of direct speech is not always accurate and in many cases imposible.[7] Some paradigms:

Amo libertatem. ("I love freedom")

Dicit se amare libertatem. ("He says that he loves freedom") Rex dedit omnibus leges. ("The king gave laws to everyone")

Credo regem dedisse omnibus leges. ("I believe that the king gave laws to everyone")

Videbimus permulta cras. ("We shall see very many things tomorrow")

Speras nos visuros esse permulta cras. ("You hope that we shall see very many things tomorrow")

Tertium non datur. ("No third possibility is given")

Docuit philosophus tertium non dari. ("The philosopher taught that no third possibility is given")

In Senatu imperator interfectus est. ("The emperor was killed in the Senate")

Audivi imperatorem in Senatu interfectum esse. ("I heard that the emperor was killed in the Senate")

As is shown from the first of the above examples, even a coreferent subject must be expressed in the accusative when the clause is put into the infinitive. The accusative of the reflexive pronouns is used in the corresponding person and number (singular: me, te, se; plural: nos, vos, se).

In the case of predication via a copula (typically esse), the case of the predicate adjective or noun changes from nominative to accusative.The same happens to any syntactic constituent that stood in the nominative case before passing into the indirect speech.

Sum felix. ("I am happy")

Dicit se esse felicem. ("He said that he was happy") Cadebo pugnans. ("I shall fall dead while fighting") (A participle

in the nominative)

Dicit se casurum esse pugnantem. ("He says that he shall fall dead while fighting") (The participle is now in the accusative, showing case agreement to the accusative agent denoted by the pronoun se)

After passive verbs of speaking, reporting, thinking or perceiving theconstruction called nominative with infinitive (in Latin Nominativus cum

infinitivo) is generally preferred, especially after monolectic matrix verb types.[8] This construction is called in generative linguistics subject-to-subject raising: the noun phrase (in the accusative) is detached from the infinitive and raised as the nominative subject of the matrix passive verb. The phenomenon is shown in the example bellow:

Dicitur [Homerum caecum fuisse]. Impersonal construction: the infinitivalclause serves duty as the subject of the verb dicitur.

Dicitur Homerus [caecus fuisse]. Personal construction: the noun Homerus in the nominative serves duty as the subject of theverb dicitur (and is implied also as the subject of the infinitive fuisse). The whole infinitival clause is said to serve now duty as the object of the verb dicitur (although this is not exactly accepted by modern linguistic approaches to subject-to-subject raising phenomena).

In the case that an imperfect or Pluperfect was initially used in direct speech, the Perfect infinitive is normally used instead, the only one capable of denoting a state of affairs anterior to time denoted by the matrix verb introducing the indirect speech.[9]

Cogitabam/Cogitaveram aliquid. ("I was thinking/had thought something")

Dixit se cogita(vi)sse aliquid ("He said that he had been thinking/had thought something")

(Sometimes the Present infinitive is used as the representative of theImperfect indicative, and thus is called by some grammarians the Imperfect Infinitive.) [10]

The Future Perfect indicative, a tense denoting a state of affairs completed in the future, and thus anterior to another state of affairsin the future, becomes (at least according to some grammarians[10]) a circumlocution consisting of fore ut + perfect of pluperfect subjunctive , in accordance to the sequense of tenses at hand (a sort of substantive consecutive clause serving as subject of the infinitive fore [11]). In the passive, the periphrastic infinitive -tus fore etc. is normally used.[12]

Cogitavero aliquid. ("I shall have thought something")

Dixit se fore ut cogita(vi)sset aliquid ("He said that he should have thought something")

Urbs expugnata erit ("The city will have been captured")

Dixit urbem expugnatam fore ("He said that the city would have been captured")

Potential subjunctive is changed to some sort of periphrastic infinitive: present subjunctive becomes -urum esse or posse + present infinitive; imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive becomes -urum fuisse (the imperfect also rarely -urum esse).[13]

Urbem capiam ("I can/may capture the city.")

Dixit se urbem capturum esse/posse capere ("He said that he might/could capture the city.")

Urbem caperem ("I could/might capture the city; I could have captured the city.")

Dixit se urbem capturum fuisse (or: se urbem capturum esse) ("He said that he might/could capture the city.")

Urbem cepissem ("I could/might capture the city; I could have captured the city.")

Dixit se urbem capturum fuisse ("He said that he could have captured the city.")

An indirect question is expressed by changing the mood of the main verb from indicative to subjunctive (But in the case of rhetoric questions it is normal in some cases for the verb to be changed to theaccusative plus infinitive, as if it were a real declarative statementin the direct speech [14]). It is normally appropriate to retain the word that introduces the question, but occasionally a relative pronounor adverb may be used instead of an initially interrogative one. The tense of the subjunctive is controlled by the rules of the so called Sequence of Tenses, ie. it depends for its sequence on the tense of the matrix verb of asking, perceiving etc. by which the Indirect Question is introduced:[15]

1. Present indicative becomes present sujunctive after a primary tense(present, future, future perfect of primary perfect), but it becomes imperfect subjunctive after a secondary one (ie. after a tense of the past: imperfect, secondary perfect, pluperfect, and occasionally historic present)

Quis hoc dubitat? ("Who doubts this one?")

Interrogat quis (or: qui) hoc dubitet. ("He asks who doubts this.")

Interrogabat quis (or: qui) hoc (or: illud) dubitaret. ("He asked who was doubting this (or: that).")

2. Future indicative is formed into the periphrastic conjugation in -urus sim (present periphrastic subjunctive, used as the future subjunctive), or in -urus essem (imperfect periphrastic subjunctive).

Quis hoc dubitabit? ("Who will doubt this one?")

Interrogat quis (or: qui) hoc dubitaturus sit. ("He asks who will doubt this.")Interrogabat quis (or: qui) hoc (or: illud) dubitaturus esset. ("He asked who would doubt this (or: that).")

Nevertheless, the use of present subjunctive after a primary tense andimperfect subjunctive after a secondary tense is also strongly attested, especially when the future reference is obvious from contextual parameters and in the case of a passive verb (passives luckthe periphrastic conjugation -urus sim etc.).

3. Imperfect, Perfect, Pluperfect and Future perfect indicative is putinto the perfect or pluperfect subjunctive, after a primary and a secondary tense respectively.

Quis hoc dubitabat/dubitavit/dubita(ve)rat/dubita(ve)rit? ("Who was doubting/doubted/had doubted/will have doubted this one?")

Interrogat quis (or: qui) hoc dubita(ve)rit. ("He asks who was doubting/had doubted/will have doubted this.")Interrogabat quis (or: qui) hoc (or: illud) dubita(vi)sset. ("He asked who had been doubting/would have beeb doubting this (or: that).")

Deliberative subjunctive (always in present tense in direct speech) isalways retained in the indirect question. The tense of the direct formis not changed, unless the matrix verb's tense is a secondary one; in this case, present becomes imperfect. An initially secondary subjunctive, ie. imperfect, is retained regardless of which tense the matrix verb is put into, either primary or secondary.[16]

Quid scribam? ("What am I to write?")

Nescit quid scribat? ("He doesn't know what to white.")Nesciebat quid scriberet. ("He didn't know what to write.")

Quid scriberem? ("What do yoy think I ought to have done?")

Nescit/nesciebat quid scriberet.

Potential subjunctive is retained also. Primary subjunctives are changed to the corresponding secondary ones; secondary ones never change. Nevertheless, the idea of possibility is not seldom expressed by means of two periphrases: a) -urus sim, essem, fuerim, fuissem, andb) some subjunctive tense of possum + present infinitive.[17]

Quis hoc dubitet? ("Who can doubt this one?")

Interrogat quis (or: qui) hoc dubitet/dubitare possit. ("He asks who can doubt this.")Interrogabat quis (or: qui) hoc (or: illud) dubitaret/dubitare posset. ("He asked who could doubt this (or: that).")

Quis hoc dubitaret/dubita(vi)sset? ("Who could doubt/could had doubted this one?")

Interrogat quis (or: qui) hoc dubitaret/dubita(vi)sset/dubitaturus fuerit. ("He asks who could doubt/could had doubted this.")

NOTE: A dependent clause in the indicative must also be put into the subjunctive when transferred to the indirect speech. Almost the same rules as stated above for the indirect questions hold for this case also. A good example could be the follownig conditional sentence:[18]

Simple present particular conditional (present indicative in the protasis and the apodosis):

Si id credis, erras ("If you believe that, you are wrong.")

Dicit te,si id credas, errare ("He says that if you believe that, you are wrong.")Dixit te, si id crederes, errare. ("He said that if you believed that, you were wrong.")

Unreal present conditional (imperfect subjunctive in the protasis and the apodosis; unreal imperfect subjunctive remains unchanged in the protasis, unreal imperfect subjunctive becomes infinitive -urum fuissein the apodosis):

Si id crederes, errares ("If you believed that, you would be wrong.")

Dicit/dixit te,si id crederes, erraturum fuisse ("He says/said that if you believed that, you would be wrong.")

Vivid future conditional (future perfect indicative in the protasis, direct question with future indicative in the apodosis; protasis is changed to perfect or pluperfect subjunctive, according to the rules of the Sequence of tenses; apodosis similarly is changed to indirect question with the periphrastic -usus sim/essem):

Cur, si id credideris, errabis? ("Why, if you believe that, will you be wrong?")

Iterrogat cur, si id credideris, erraturus sis.("He asks why, if you believe that, you will be wrong.")Interrogavit cur, si id credidisses, erraturus esses. ("He asked why, if you would believed that, you would be wrong.")

Russian[edit]In Russian and many other Slavic languages, indirect speech uses the same verb tense as would have been used in the original sentence. For example:

Я не люблю шоколад. ("I don't like chocolate")

Она сказала, что не любит шоколад. ("She said that she didn't like chocolate", literally "She said that (she) doesn't like chocolate")

Free indirect speech[edit]Free indirect speech is a form of indirect speech where the reported utterance is expressed independently, not in a grammatically subordinate form. An example is given below.

Quoted or direct speech:He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. "And justwhat pleasure have I found, since I came into this world?" he asked.

Reported or normal indirect speech:He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. He asked himself what pleasure he had found since he came into the world.

Free indirect speech :He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. And just what pleasure had he found, since he came into this world?

External links[edit]

Direct and Reported Speech (El estilo directo y indirecto)

Cuando queremos comunicar o informar de lo que otra persona ha dicho, hay dos maneras de hacerlo: utilizando el estilo directo o el estilo indirecto.

Direct Speech (El estilo directo)

Cuando queremos informar exactamente de lo que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo directo. Con este estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas ("...") y deberá ser palabra por palabra.

Ejemplos: Play

  "I am going to London next week,"  she said. ("Voy a Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)

Play "Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("¿Tienes un bolígrafo que puedas prestarme?," él preguntó.)

Play Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta bailar.")

Play Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" (Chris preguntó, "¿Te gustaría cenar conmigo mañana por la noche?")

Reported Speech (El estilo indirecto)

El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra por palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo indirecto, el tiempo verbal cambia. A continuación tienes un explicación de los cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales.A veces se usa "that" en las frases afirmativas y negativas para introducir lo que ha dicho la otra persona. Por otro lado, en las frases interrogativas se puede usar "if" o "whether".Nota: Ten en cuenta también que las expresiones de tiempo cambian en el estilo indirecto. Fijate en los cambios de tiempo en los ejemplos más abajo y después, encontrarás una tabla con más explicaciones de los cambios de tiempo en el estiloindirecto.Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple Past Simple

Play"He's American," she said.

PlayShe said he was American.

Play"I'm happy to see you," Mary said.

PlayMary said that she was happy to see me.

PlayHe asked, "Are you busy tonight?"

PlayHe asked me if I was busy that night.

Present Continuous Past Continuous

PlayDan is living in San Francisco," she said.

PlayShe said Dan was living in San Francisco.

PlayHe said, "I'm making dinner."

PlayHe told me that he was making dinner.

Play"Why are you working so hard?" they asked.

PlayThey asked me why I was working so hard.

Past Simple Past Perfect Simple

Play"We went to the movies last night," he said.

PlayHe told me they had gone to the movies the night before.

Play"Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday."

PlayGreg said that he hadn't gone to work the day before.

Play"Did you buy a new car?" she asked.

PlayShe asked me if I had bought a new car.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Play"I was working late last night," Vicki said.

PlayVicki told me she'd been working late the night before.

PlayThey said, "we weren't waiting long."

PlayThey said that they hadn't been waitinglong.

Play" He asked, "were you sleeping when I called?"

PlayHe asked if I'd been sleeping when he called.

Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple

Play"Heather said, "I've already eaten."

PlayHeather told me that she'd already eaten.

Play"We haven't been to China," they said.

PlayThey said they hadn't been to China.

Play"Have you worked here before?" I asked.

PlayI asked her whether she'd

worked therebefore.

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Play "I've been studying English for two years,"he said.

PlayHe said he'd been studying English for two years.

Play" Steve said, "we've been dating for over a year now."

PlaySteve told me that they'd been dating for over a year.

Play"Have you been waiting long?" they asked.

PlayThey asked whether I'd been waiting long.

Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)

Play"I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said.

PlayHe said that he'd been to Chicago beforefor work.

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous (*NO CHANGE)

PlayShe said, "I'd been dancing for years before the accident."

PlayShe said she'd been dancing for years before the accident.

Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (que sigue siendo cierto) o de algo en el futuro, no es necesario cambiar el tiempo verbal.

Ejemplos: Play

"I'm 30 years old," she said. → She said she  is 30 years old.

Play Dave said, "Kelly  is  sick." → Dave said Kelly  is  sick.

Play "We are going  to Tokyo next week," they said. → They said they are going  to Tokyo next week.

Play "I'll cut my hair tomorrow," Nina said. → Nina said she  is cutting her hair tomorrow.

Modal Verbs (Los verbos modales)El tiempo verbal cambia en el estilo indirecto también con algunos de los verbos modales.

Nota: Con "would", "could", "should", "might" y "ought to", el tiempo no cambia.Direct Speech Indirect Speech

Will Would

Play "I'll go to the movies tomorrow," John said.

PlayJohn said he would go to the moviesthe next day.

Play "Will you help me move?" she asked.

PlayShe asked me if I would help her move.

Can Could

Play Debra said, "Allen can work tomorrow."

PlayDebra said Allen could work the next day.

Play "Can you open the window, please?", he asked.

PlayHe asked me if I could open the window.

Must Had to

Play "You must wear your seatbelt," mom said.

PlayMy mom said I had to wear myseatbelt.

Play She said, "You must work tomorrow."

PlayShe said I had to work the next day.

Shall Should

Play "Shall we go to the beach today?" Tom asked.

PlayTom asked if we should go to the beachthat day.

Play "What shall we do tonight?" she asked.

PlayShe asked me what we should do that night.

May Might/Could

Play Play

 Jane said, "I may not be in class tomorrow."

Jane said she might not be in class the next day.

Play the boy asked. "May I use the bathroom, please?"the boyasked.

PlayThe boy asked if he could use the bathroom.

Nota: A continuación tienes una tabla donde puedes observar los cambios que sufren las expresiones de tiempo cuando usamos el estilo indirecto.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

today that day

tonight that night

this week/month/year

that week/month/year

tomorrow the next day

next week/month/year

the following week/month/year

yesterdaythe day before/the previous day

last week/month/year

the day/month/year before o the previous day/month/year

now then/at that moment

Otros cambios  

here there