• What it is (qué es)
• Tense changes (cambios de tiempo verbal)
• Say vs. tell (say vs. tell)
• Reporting questions (reportar preguntas)
  • Yes/no questions
  • Questions with question words
• Reporting commands and requests (reportar órdenes y peticiones)
• Other time and place changes (otros cambios de tiempo y lugar)

What it is (qué es)

When we tell someone what another person said, we use reported speech (also called indirect speech). In Spanish, this works in a very similar way.

🔹 Cuando le contamos a alguien lo que otra persona dijo, usamos el estilo indirecto (reported speech). En español, esto funciona de manera muy similar.

Direct: She said, "I am tired." (Ella dijo: "Estoy cansada").

Reported: She said (that) she was tired. (Ella dijo que estaba cansada).

Tense changes (cambios de tiempo verbal)

When we report what someone said, the tenses usually shift one step back:

🔹 Cuando reportamos lo que alguien dijo, los tiempos verbales normalmente retroceden un paso:

present simple => past simple
"I work in a bank." => She said she worked in a bank.

present progressive => past progressive
"I am eating." => He said he was eating.

past simple => past perfect
"I went to Paris." => She said she had gone to Paris.

present perfect => past perfect
"I have finished." => He said he had finished.

will => would
"I will call you." => She said she would call me.

can => could
"I can swim." => He said he could swim.

That after said is optional: She said (that) she was tired.

🔹 That después de said es opcional: She said (that) she was tired.

Say vs. tell (say vs. tell)

Say is used without a personal object (or with to + person). Tell is always used with a personal object.

🔹 Say se usa sin objeto personal (o con to + persona). Tell siempre se usa con un objeto personal.

She said she was tired. (correct)

She said to me that she was tired. (correct)

She told me she was tired. (correct)

She told she was tired. (incorrect - needs an object)

She said me she was tired. (incorrect - use "told")

Reporting questions (reportar preguntas)

Yes/no questions

We use if or whether ['wɛðər]:

🔹 Usamos if o whether ['wɛðər]:

"Are you coming?" => She asked if I was coming. (Ella preguntó si yo iba).

"Do you like pizza?" => He asked whether I liked pizza.

Questions with question words

We keep the question word, but use normal word order (not question order):

🔹 Mantenemos la palabra interrogativa, pero usamos el orden normal (no el de pregunta):

"Where do you live?" => She asked where I lived. (Ella preguntó dónde vivía).

"What time is it?" => He asked what time it was.

"When did you arrive?" => She asked when I had arrived.

In reported questions, we don't use the auxiliary do/did and we don't use a question mark.

🔹 En las preguntas indirectas, no usamos el auxiliar do/did y no usamos signo de interrogación.

Reporting commands and requests (reportar órdenes y peticiones)

We use told + person + to + infinitive:

🔹 Usamos told + persona + to + infinitivo:

"Sit down." => She told me to sit down. (Ella me dijo que me sentara).

"Don't open the door." => He told me not to open the door.

"Please help me." => She asked me to help her.

Other time and place changes (otros cambios de tiempo y lugar)

When reporting, references to time and place often change:

🔹 Al reportar, las referencias de tiempo y lugar suelen cambiar:

today => that day

yesterday => the day before / the previous day

tomorrow => the next day / the following day

here => there

this => that

now => then

ago => before / earlier