Reported speech: person, tense and viewpoint
CEFR B1
What you will learn
- Choose “que”, “si”, a question word or “de + infinitive” according to the original speech act.
- Adjust person, tense, and time or place references from the new viewpoint.
The idea
Reporting someone’s words is not a matter of replacing quotation marks with “que”: rebuild who speaks, when the report happens and from where.
A statement uses “que”: “Je suis prêt” → “il dit qu’il est prêt”. A yes/no question uses “si”: “Tu viens ?” → “elle demande si je viens”. A wh-question keeps its question word and loses inversion: “Où habites-tu ?” → “il demande où j’habite”.
A command or request normally becomes “de + infinitive”: “Fermez la porte” → “elle nous demande de fermer la porte”. A negative command keeps “ne pas” before the infinitive: “Ne partez pas” → “il leur dit de ne pas partir”.
With a present reporting verb, tenses can remain unchanged. With a past reporting verb and a past viewpoint, the present normally shifts to the imperfect, the simple future to the present conditional, and the perfect to the pluperfect.
Markers change only if the reference point changes. When reporting the next day, “aujourd’hui” may become “ce jour-là”, “demain” “le lendemain”, “hier” “la veille” and “ici” “là”. If the report happens on the same day and in the same place, keeping some markers can be correct.
Working paradigm
| Original | With a past reporting verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| présent | imparfait | je travaille → elle a dit qu’elle travaillait |
| futur simple | conditionnel présent | je partirai → il a dit qu’il partirait |
| passé composé | plus-que-parfait | j’ai fini → elle a dit qu’elle avait fini |
| impératif | de + infinitif | attendez → il a demandé d’attendre |
This maps a past viewpoint; it is not an automatic substitution when the time reference stays the same.
How it sounds
- Léa a dit qu’elle finirait ce dossier aujourd’hui.It is a statement, so use “que”. “Je” becomes “elle”. Future seen from a past reporting verb becomes “finirait”. Yesterday’s “demain” is “aujourd’hui” today.
Your turn
Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.
The next day in another place, transform: Léa said “Je travaille ici aujourd’hui.”
travaillait — A past reporting verb with simultaneous action shifts present to imperfect; the context also requires “là” and “ce jour-là”.
Paul a dit hier : “Nous partirons demain.” → Paul a dit qu’ils ___ le lendemain.
partiraient — “Nous” becomes “ils”; the simple future backshifts to the present conditional and “demain” to “le lendemain”.
Le médecin nous a dit : “Attendez ici.” → Il nous a demandé ___ ici.
d’attendre — A command addressed to “nous” is reported with “demander à quelqu’un de + infinitive”; before a vowel, “de” elides.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- Yes/no questionElle demande si nous venons.
- Wh-questionElle demande quand nous venons.
- CommandElle nous demande de venir.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Il a demandé où est-ce que j’habitais.
Right Il a demandé où j’habitais.
An indirect question keeps “où” but returns to statement word order: it keeps neither “est-ce que” nor inversion. The same repair applies across all four interface languages.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR B1 · understand the main points of clear messages on familiar matters, handle common situations and produce simple connected text. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- El MCER sirve de referencia, pero la norma estatal no asigna B1.1/B1.2 a cursos. La secuencia del catálogo es editorial. · Real Decreto 217/2022, currículo básico de ESO
- La fuente reutilizada fija A1 al final del primer ciclo para esta materia y no acredita B1 en un curso italiano concreto. · Decreto 9 dicembre 2025, n. 221 · nuove Indicazioni nazionali
Once it makes sense
Practise this: Reporting what someone saidFrench subjunctive: forms, triggers and contrast with the indicativePast participle agreement: auxiliary, object and positionSi clauses: real, imagined and past conditionsOn and the passive: choosing sentence focusSpoken and written French: adapting register