The tense shift
When the reporting verb is in the past (dijo, preguntó, me pidió), the reported statement usually moves back one tense, just as in English. The verb stays in the indicative.
Direct against reported
«Estoy cansado» → Dijo que estaba cansado.
«I'm tired» → He said he was tired.
Presente → Imperfecto
«He terminado el trabajo» → Dijo que había terminado el trabajo.
«I've finished the work» → He said he had finished the work.
Pretérito Perfecto → Pluscuamperfecto
«Vendré pronto» → Dijo que vendría pronto.
«I'll come soon» → He said he would come soon.
Futuro → Condicional
Time, place and direction shift too
Reporting later and from somewhere else, you also adjust time expressions, place expressions and verbs of movement.
What else moves
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| hoy | ese día |
| ayer | el día anterior |
| mañana | al día siguiente |
| aquí | allí |
| venir / traer | ir / llevar (depending on where the reporter is) |
The whole shift in one sentence
«Te espero aquí mañana» → Dijo que me esperaba allí al día siguiente.
He said he would be waiting for me there the next day.
«Hoy no puedo» → Dijo que ese día no podía.
He said he couldn't that day.
«Ven a mi casa» → Me dijo que fuera a su casa.
He told me to come to his house.
Reported questions
Introduced with preguntó and si (if, whether) or the question word, the question moves back one tense too.
Reporting questions
«¿Tienes tiempo?» → Me preguntó si tenía tiempo.
He asked me if I had time.
«¿Dónde vives?» → Me preguntó dónde vivía.
He asked me where I lived.
«¿Cuándo llegaréis?» → Preguntó cuándo llegaríamos.
He asked when we would arrive.
Reported commands
A command becomes que plus the Imperfecto de Subjuntivo, introduced by decir, pedir, ordenar or mandar. Negative commands follow the same pattern.
Reporting commands
«¡Cállate!» → Me ordenó que me callara.
He ordered me to be quiet.
«Cierra la ventana, por favor» → Me pidió que cerrara la ventana.
He asked me to close the window.
«No llegues tarde» → Me dijo que no llegara tarde.
He told me not to be late.
