What reported speech is
Reported speech ( estilo indirecto ) reports what someone said without direct quotes . Verbs often shift tense when the reporting verb is past.
Direct: María dice: «Tengo hambre».
Reported: María dice que tiene hambre.
Reported speech
Estilo indirecto — tell what someone said without quoting (Spain Spanish)
In this guide6 sections
Reporting with present tense (no shift)
If the reporting verb is present ( dice, me dice, dicen ), tenses usually stay the same .
Juan dice que está cansado. = Juan says he is tired.
- María dice que tiene hambre.María says she is hungry.
- Mi jefe dice que la reunión es mañana.My boss says the meeting is tomorrow.
- ¿Qué dice que quiere?What does he say he wants?
- Os digo que no es buena idea.I tell you all it is not a good idea.
- Dicen que va a llover.They say it is going to rain.
- Ella me dice que no puede venir.She tells me she cannot come.
Reporting with past tense (sequence of tenses)
| Direct tense | Reported (after dijo, etc.) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present | imperfect | Dijo que estaba cansado. |
| preterite | pluperfect | Dijo que había llegado. |
| future | conditional | Dijo que vendría. |
| present perfect | pluperfect | Dijo que había terminado. |
| imperfect subj. | imperfect subj. | Dijo que viniera. |
| imperative | imperfect subj. | Dijo que lo hiciera. |
- Juan dijo que estaba cansado.Juan said he was tired.
- María dijo que había llegado tarde.María said she had arrived late.
- Dijo que vendría el lunes.He/She said he/she would come on Monday.
- Nos dijo que no habíamos entendido.He/She told us we had not understood.
- Dijeron que llovería.They said it would rain.
- Me dijo que lo hiciera otra vez.He/She told me to do it again.
Pronoun and time-word shifts
Adjust pronouns and time expressions to the reporter’s perspective:
hoy → ese día · ayer → el día anterior · mañana → al día siguiente · yo → él/ella
- «Voy hoy» → Dijo que iba ese día."I am going today" → He said he was going that day.
- «Llegué ayer» → Dijo que había llegado el día anterior."I arrived yesterday" → He said he had arrived the day before.
- «Te llamo mañana» → Dijo que me llamaría al día siguiente."I will call you tomorrow" → He said he would call me the next day.
- «Estoy aquí» → Dijo que estaba allí."I am here" → He said he was there.
- «Os espero» → Dijo que os esperaba."I am waiting for you all" → He said he was waiting for you all.
- «Lo haré» → Dijo que lo haría."I will do it" → He said he would do it.
Reported questions and commands
Questions : use si (yes/no) or question word — statement word order, no ¿?
¿Vienes? → Preguntó si venía.
Commands : que + imperfect subjunctive: Dijo que lo hiciera.
- «¿Vienes a la fiesta?» → Preguntó si venía a la fiesta."Are you coming to the party?" → He asked if I was coming.
- «¿Dónde está el baño?» → Preguntó dónde estaba el baño."Where is the bathroom?" → He asked where the bathroom was.
- «¿Habéis terminado?» → Preguntó si habíais terminado."Have you all finished?" → He asked if you all had finished.
- «Cierra la puerta» → Dijo que cerrara la puerta."Close the door" → He said to close the door.
- «No lleguéis tarde» → Dijo que no llegáramos tarde."Do not arrive late" → He said we should not arrive late.
- «¿Qué hora es?» → Preguntó qué hora era."What time is it?" → He asked what time it was.
Practice 1 — 10 questions
María says she is hungry →
Juan said he was tired →
She said she had arrived late →
He said he would come on Monday →
He asked if I was coming →
He said to close the door →
They said it would rain →
He asked where the bathroom was →
«I will do it» → He said… →
He told me to do it again →