Form
Reporting verb (said / told me / asked) + reported clause. The tense usually goes one step back.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|
| present simple: "I work." | past simple: He said he worked. |
| present continuous: "I'm working." | past continuous: He said he was working. |
| present perfect / past simple: "I have finished." / "I finished." | past perfect: He said he had finished. |
| will / can / must / may | would / could / had to / might |
Use
- Statements: She said (that) she was tired. She told me (that) she was tired.
- Questions: statement order, no do / did. He asked where I lived. Yes/no questions: if / whether. She asked if I was tired.
- Commands and requests: tell / ask + object + (not) to + verb. He told me to open the door. She asked me not to be late.
- Time and place changes: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, last week → the week before, here → there, this → that.
Watch out
- say has no object:
He said me → He told me / He said to me. - Questions keep statement order:
She asked what was my name → She asked what my name was. - Commands:
She told me don't go → She told me not to go.
En español
Estilo indirecto: contamos lo que alguien dijo. El tiempo verbal retrocede un paso ("I am tired" → She said she was tired). Las preguntas pierden la inversión y se usa if / whether en las de sí/no.
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