Reported Speech

📌 Nota gramatical

To report what someone said, we use introductory verbs like 'decir' followed by 'que' (that). Unlike English, Spanish requires careful attention to tense shifts if the reporting verb is in the past, though present tense reporting keeps the original tense.

📌 Nota gramatical

When the introductory verb is in the past (e.g., 'dijo que'), present tense statements in direct speech shift back in the past. Permanent states or habits often use the imperfect, while single completed statements use the preterite.

📌 Nota gramatical

When reporting statements that were originally in the preterite (simple past) or present perfect, they shift further back in time to the pluperfect (pretérito pluscuamperfecto: había + past participle).

📌 Nota gramatical

When reporting a future intention or prediction made in the past, the simple future (iré) shifts to the simple conditional (iría). This mirrors English (will -> would).

📌 Nota gramatical

To report open questions (who, what, where, when, why, how), keep the interrogative word with its written accent and use verbs like 'preguntar' or 'saber'. No auxiliary 'do' is needed.

📌 Nota gramatical

When reporting a closed question (yes/no question), introduce the reported clause using 'si' (if/whether). Do not confuse 'si' (conditional conjunction) with 'sí' (affirmative 'yes').

📌 Nota gramatical

When reporting direct commands or orders given in the imperative, we use introductory verbs like 'decir' or 'ordenar' followed by 'que' and the imperfect subjunctive.

📌 Nota gramatical

Negative commands (don't do that!) also shift to the imperfect subjunctive in reported speech, maintaining the negative particle 'no' right before the subjunctive verb.

📌 Nota gramatical

Just like in English, time expressions must shift to reflect the temporal perspective of the reporting moment. 'Hoy' becomes ese día, 'ayer' becomes el día anterior, and 'mañana' becomes al día siguiente.

📌 Nota gramatical

Spatial references change when the reported speech context moves away from the original location. 'Aquí' (here) typically becomes 'allí' or 'allá' (there).

📌 Nota gramatical

Pronouns and possessive adjectives must shift according to who is speaking and who is being addressed in the reported context. First person (yo, mi) often changes to third person (él, ella, su).

📌 Nota gramatical

B1 Spanish relies on more than just 'decir'. Verbs like 'asegurar' (to assure), 'prometer' (to promise), 'negar' (to deny), and 'explicar' (to explain) add nuance and richness to reported speech.