Reported Speech in the Past (Sequence of Tenses)
Le discours rapporté dans le passé (la concordance des temps) • B2 • 12 cartes
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Exemples
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Présent de l'indicatif devient Imparfait
Present tense shifts to the Imperfect in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
When the introductory verb is in the past (e.g., il a dit, elle a demandé), a present tense in direct speech shifts to the imparfait to maintain logical sequence in the past.
Exemple
Passé composé devient Plus-que-parfait
Passé composé shifts to the Pluperfect in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
An action completed in the past (expressed with passé composé or imparfait) shifts to the plus-que-parfait when reported by a past introductory verb.
Exemple
Futur simple devient Conditionnel présent
Future simple shifts to Present Conditional in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
A future action seen from the perspective of the past is expressed using the conditionnel présent (formed with the infinitive stem and imparfait endings).
Exemple
Futur antérieur devient Conditionnel passé
Future perfect shifts to Past Conditional in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
An action that will have been completed before another future point in the past shifts to the conditionnel passé (avoir/être in conditional + past participle).
Exemple
L'Impératif devient de + infinitif
The Imperative shifts to 'de' + infinitive in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
Direct commands or requests introduced by verbs like demander, conseiller, or dire in the past are reported using the preposition 'de' followed by the infinitive.
Exemple
Questions fermées avec 'si'
Closed yes/no questions shift using 'si' in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
Direct questions starting with 'est-ce que' or inversion (yes/no) are introduced by 'si' in reported speech, maintaining the standard tense shift rules.
Exemple
Questions avec 'qu'est-ce que' (ce qui / ce que)
Questions with 'what' shift to 'ce qui' or 'ce que' in reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
When a direct question asks 'what' as an object ('qu'est-ce que') or subject ('qu'est-ce qui'), it becomes 'ce que' or 'ce qui' respectively in reported speech.
Exemple
Questions avec 'qui', 'où', 'comment', 'pourquoi'
Wh- questions (who, where, how, why) remain in reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
Interrogative pronouns like qui, où, comment, quand, and pourquoi are retained in reported speech, and subject-verb inversion is changed back to direct word order.
Exemple
Modification des expressions temporelles : aujourd'hui -> ce jour-là
Temporal shift: aujourd'hui becomes ce jour-là in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
Words indicating time relative to the present must be shifted to reflect perspective from the past. 'Aujourd'hui' becomes 'ce jour-là' (that day).
Exemple
Modification temporelle : hier -> la veille
Temporal shift: hier becomes la veille in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
When reporting past events, 'hier' (yesterday) shifts to 'la veille' (the day before), and 'demain' shifts to 'le lendemain' (the next day).
Exemple
Modification spatiale : ici -> là
Spatial shift: ici becomes là in past reported speech
📌 Note de grammaire
Spatial adverbs and demonstratives change to reflect distance from the reported past context. 'Ici' (here) generally becomes 'là' (there).
Exemple
Exception : Pas de changement si le fait reste vrai
Exception: No tense shift if the statement remains universally true
📌 Note de grammaire
If the reported statement expresses a general truth, a permanent condition, or a fact that is still true at the moment of reporting, the present tense can be kept even after a past reporting verb.
Exemple
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