Reported Speech

📌 Grammatiknotering

When reporting statements after verbs like 'säga', 'berätta', 'förklara', 'hävdade', or 'tycka', Swedish uses an 'att'-clause. In informal speech 'att' can sometimes be dropped, but in written Swedish and after complex reporting verbs it should be kept.

📌 Grammatiknotering

To report a yes/no question, Swedish uses the subordinating conjunction 'om' (or in formal prose 'huruvida', especially before 'eller inte'). Unlike direct questions, indirect questions use straight subject-before-verb (bisats) word order.

📌 Grammatiknotering

When a direct question starting with a question word (var, när, hur, varför, vem, vad) becomes an indirect question, the question word acts as the subordinator and the clause takes subordinate (bisats) word order: Subject + Adverb + Finite Verb.

📌 Grammatiknotering

CRITICAL SWEDISH RULE: When 'vem', 'vad', or 'vilken/vilket/vilka' functions as the SUBJECT of an indirect question (a subordinate clause), you MUST insert the subject marker 'som' immediately after the question word!

📌 Grammatiknotering

Contrast with the previous rule: if the indirect question already has its own subject (e.g., 'vad du menar', 'vem hon träffade'), the question word is the object and 'som' is NOT used.

📌 Grammatiknotering

When the reporting verb is in the past (sa, frågade, trodde), tenses in the reported clause normally shift back: presens -> preteritum, perfekt/preteritum -> pluskvamperfekt, ska/kommer att -> skulle.

📌 Grammatiknotering

In indirect speech, first/second-person pronouns shift to match the reporter's perspective. Pay special attention to 'sin/sitt/sina' vs. 'hans/hennes': inside an 'att'-clause, the subject of the 'att'-clause controls 'sin'!

📌 Grammatiknotering

When reporting past speech from a later vantage point, time and place adverbs shift: 'idag' -> 'den dagen', 'imorgon' -> 'nästa dag / dagen därpå', 'igår' -> 'dagen innan', 'här' -> 'där', 'nu' -> 'då'.

📌 Grammatiknotering

Direct imperatives ('Stäng dörren!') are reported in Swedish either using 'be någon (att) + infinitiv' (ask someone to), 'uppmana någon att + infinitiv' (urge someone to), or 'säga åt någon att + infinitiv' / 'att man skulle + infinitiv'.

📌 Grammatiknotering

To attribute statements concisely without repeating 'han sa att', formal Swedish uses 'enligt' (according to) or passive reporting verbs with infinitives: 'uppges vara' (is stated to be), 'påstås ha gjort' (is claimed to have done), 'anses vara' (is considered to be).