Reported Speech (Estilo Indirecto)

Introduction

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is when you tell someone what another person said, without quoting them directly. In English: She said that she was tired. Spanish follows a similar system of tense and pronoun shifts.

Direct vs. Reported Speech

The key changes:

1. Add que after the reporting verb
2. Shift the tense back (present → imperfect, etc.)
3. Change pronouns and possessives to match the new perspective
4. Change time/place words if needed

Tense Shifts

When the reporting verb is in the past (dijo, comentó, explicó), tenses shift back:

Examples

• "Tengo hambre." → Dijo que tenía hambre. (He said he was hungry.)
• "Fui al médico." → Dijo que había ido al médico. (She said she had gone to the doctor.)
• "Te llamaré mañana." → Dijo que me llamaría al día siguiente. (He said he would call me the next day.)
• "He terminado." → Dijo que había terminado. (She said she had finished.)

When the reporting verb is in the present (dice, comenta), there is no tense shift: Dice que está cansada. (She says she's tired.)

Pronoun & Possessive Changes

Pronouns shift to reflect the reporter's perspective:

• "Yo quiero mi café." → Dijo que él quería su café.
• "Te llamo luego." → Me dijo que me llamaba luego.

Time & Place Word Changes

Reporting Questions

Yes/No Questions → si

• "¿Estás bien?" → Me preguntó si estaba bien. (She asked me if I was okay.)
• "¿Vienes?" → Me preguntó si iba. (He asked me if I was going.)

Information Questions → keep the question word

• "¿Dónde vives?" → Me preguntó dónde vivía. (She asked me where I lived.)
• "¿Cuándo llegas?" → Me preguntó cuándo llegaba. (He asked me when I was arriving.)

Note: Question marks disappear and the question word keeps its accent mark.

Reporting Commands

Commands shift to the imperfect subjunctive:

• "¡Cierra la puerta!" → Me dijo que cerrara la puerta. (He told me to close the door.)
• "No corras." → Me dijo que no corriera. (She told me not to run.)
• "Ven aquí." → Me dijo que viniera allí. (He told me to come there.)

Common Reporting Verbs

Practice