reported speech meaning in spanish

Reported Speech Spanish Guide: Examples + Verb Changes 

Reported speech is an overlooked yet crucial feature in everyday conversations. In short, it allows you to convey what someone else said adequately. Since mastering this topic can boost your fluency, in this reported speech Spanish guide, you’ll learn: 

• How to form reported speech
• Verb Changes in Indirect Speech
• Downloadable PDF

In addition to this, I’ve also included different examples of how to apply this concept in real-life situations. Let’s do this! 

What Is the Reported Speech in Spanish?

Reported speech in Spanish, also known as indirect speech, conveys what someone else said without quoting their exact words. 

Simply put, Spanish indirect speech allows you to rephrase and report what someone said. On the contrary, direct speech involves quoting the exact words a person used. For instance: 

In Spanish, decir is the most common verb to form the reported speech. However, you can also use the following verbs: 

• Aclarar : Clarify / Explain
• Afirmar : Affirm / Clair
• Anunciar : Announce
• Contar : Tell
• Explicar : Explain
• Pedir : Ask 
• Preguntar : Ask
• Prometer : Promise
• Recordar : Remember 
• Recomendar : Recommend 
• Sugerir : Suggest

Spanish indirect speech allows you to share information and someone’s thoughts or opinions with different people. As a result, it’s commonly used in news and writing environments, but also in daily conversations. 

How to form indirect speech 

To report what someone said, we use one of the previous verbs followed by que: 

[Verb] + que + [statement]

When using reported speech in Spanish you’re repeating what another person said, we must do some modifications to preserve the meaning of the original sentence. These changes include: 

• Adjust the pronouns and adjectives
• Change the verb tense (if applicable)

Take this graphic as an example: 

Spanish Reported Speech: Verb Backshifting 

When it comes to reported speech, verb conjugations are one of the major adjustments you must make. In simple words, we must change the tense of the original verb to maintain a logical sequence. In Spanish grammar , this is known as backshifting . 

To help you understand and apply backshifting in reported speech, I’ve prepared this table that compares the original tenses with their backshifted equivalents: 

We only change the tense of a verb when the original action already took place . Let me break this down for you. 

Let’s say you’re traveling and you call me today to tell me when you arrive. You’ll say: 

Llegaré a las dos.  I will arrive at two. 

But the time comes, and you’re not here. Everybody is asking me what time you’re supposed to arrive and I repeat what you said: 

Me dijo que llegaría a las 2.  He said he would arrive at 2. 

In this case, I backshifted the verb because the original action (arrival time) had already passed. The same happens with other tenses. 

However, the tense of the original statement doesn’t change when talking about facts or when the action is still relevant (it just happened). 

Take this sentence as an example: 

This example implies that I’m immediately telling you what our friend said. 

Reported Speech: Additional Spanish Resources

Transforming from direct and indirect speech requires knowledge of diverse grammatical elements. For starters, you must have a good command of Spanish pronouns so you know which pronoun to use for your sentence. 

On that same note, you should also get familiar with possessive adjectives in case you need to mention someone’s belongings. And, of course, you must be comfortable conjugating verbs in different Spanish tenses . 

Make sure you know how to form the:

• Present indicative
• Present perfect
• Present subjunctive
• Preterite tense
• Imperfect subjunctive
• Past perfect
• Imperative  
• Future simple
• Conditional tense

Download the Spanish Reported Speech PDF

Download a free PDF made for this guide including the graphics for reported speech as well as the backshifting verbs table so you can learn how to convert direct into indirect speech.

Daniela Sanchez

¡Hola! Soy Daniela Sanchez, I've been studying Spanish professionally as well as teaching it in Mexico and online for over 10 years. I’ve taught Spanish to a wide array of foreigners from many backgrounds. Over the years, I've made it my mission to work hard on refining many challenging to understand grammar topics to make my students' learning experiences easier, faster and more enjoyable. Read More About Me

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How to Use Reported Speech in Spanish

Reported speech is everywhere.

In English, you use it dozens (if not hundreds) of times every day without even realizing it.

The good news is that you can be that natural in Spanish, too. You’re literally just an article away from becoming a Spanish reported speech master yourself!

Don’t believe me? Give this post just 10 minutes of your time, and you’ll see how easy it can be.

What Is Spanish Reported Speech?

Basics of spanish reported speech, spanish reporting verbs, decir  (to say, to tell), preguntar  (to ask), querer saber (to want to know), pedir  (to ask), querer (to want), other reporting verbs in spanish, using  que (that), spanish reported speech word order: subject + verb + object, spanish reported speech based on questions, yes or no questions, “wh-” questions, other changes in spanish reported speech, personal pronouns and possessives, time and place expressions, verb tenses, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Direct and reported speech are two of the most frequently-used grammar points in languages, and Spanish is no exception. Whenever you talk about what someone else has said, you use either direct or reported speech.

When you repeat exactly what another person has said and explicitly indicate who said it, you’re using direct speech. For example:

Daniel dice: “Estoy muy cansado hoy.” (Daniel says: “I am very tired today.”)

Now, let’s say you don’t remember exactly what your  compadre (buddy) Daniel said, but you do remember the gist of it. If someone else asks you what Daniel said, you’d say something like:

Daniel dice que está muy cansado hoy.  (Daniel says he is very tired today.)

That, in a nutshell, is reported speech. Spanish reported speech is where you talk about someone (other than yourself and the person you’re talking to) and what that person said without necessarily quoting them verbatim.

In written texts or messages, it’s usually easier to differentiate between Spanish direct and reported speech. For starters, direct speech uses quotation marks to enclose the statement being quoted, while reported speech doesn’t. Direct speech quotes the person being talked about word-for-word, while reported speech may or may not use their exact words, though the gist of what they said is always present.

So that’s it, right? Differentiating direct and reported speech in Spanish is just a matter of using the right punctuation marks and whether you used the other person’s exact words, yes? 

Not quite. Although English and Spanish reported speech are similar for the most part, the latter has some unique quirks that we’ll be discussing in the next sections.

Like in English, reported speech in Spanish consists of a few basic elements: reporting verbs, connecting words like que (“that”) and the message from the person being talked about—whether the message is verbatim or not.

Let’s break them down below.

Similar to English, Spanish reporting verbs (also known as communication verbs ) are used to signal that you’re either quoting someone directly (direct speech) or paraphrasing them (reported speech).

There are dozens of reporting verbs in every language, although we tend to use some of them more often than others.

Here are a few of the most common reporting verbs in Spanish:

Decir is probably the most common Spanish word to use when talking about what someone else said.

If you want to tell someone about what another person is asking, use preguntar.

Querer saber can be used in a similar way as preguntar.

When you’re talking about what someone else wants, use pedir.

Instead of pedir, you can also use querer.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, there are so many Spanish reporting verbs that it would be impossible to list them all here. However, I can give you some of the most common ones:

You may have noticed that almost all of our examples above have the word que . I’m telling you now: que is going to be your new best friend, because every single reported statement and command in Spanish will include it, even if you omit or don’t need “that” in English.

Let’s look at a few examples:

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a statement, command or question. The word order will always be Subject + Verb + Object, as is typical of Spanish sentence structure .

When the reported speech Spanish speakers use is based on questions , it deviates slightly from the structure we just discussed and is based on whether you’re using a “yes or no” question or a “wh-” question.

In reported speech that’s based on this kind of question, you use si (if, whether) instead of que .

Recall the Spanish equivalents of the English “wh-” questions:

When you’re reporting a “wh-” question, you use the appropriate question words above instead of  que or  si .

One thing to keep in mind: when using the verb preguntar , you can add que just before the question word.

Don’t be afraid to write two que together! They aren’t the same word, and they don’t have the same function.

In reported speech, the personal pronouns and possessives change from the reported version. Luckily, it works the same way in English—that is, the change is necessary so that the core message isn’t lost or misinterpreted.

Again like English, time and place expressions in the reported speech Spanish speakers use change from their direct counterparts.

Here are some of the main changes that take place:

There’s a group of words I’d like to include in this section. They’re neither time nor place expressions, but they imply distance from the speaker.

Undoubtedly, the most troublesome part of reported speech in Spanish is that the verbs change their tenses.

The good news is that these changes don’t happen all the time, and you have almost identical changes in English.

But when do we need to make changes in verb tenses? How do we know?

The only thing you have to bear in mind here is the reporting verb. Yes, that little friend present at the beginning of the reported sentences we studied before.

There are only two straightforward rules, really:

1. If the reporting verb is in the present simple or the present perfect tense, you DON’T have to change any verb tenses unless you have a command.

2. If the reporting verb is in the preterite, the imperfect or the past perfect tense ( pluscuamperfecto ), you DO need to make changes.

Have a look at the following examples. The reporting verbs (in bold) are in the present simple or the present perfect, so there are no verb changes in the reported sentences.

As stated before, when you have a command, you do need to make changes even when the reporting verb is in the present or the present perfect tense. Therefore, the imperative changes into the present subjunctive .

Similarly, if the command’s reporting verb is in the past tense, the imperative changes into the imperfect subjunctive.

In those sentences where the reporting verb appears in the past tense, you need to make verb tense changes in the reported fragment. These changes are almost identical to those in English, but here are the most important ones for your convenience:

In those sentences where the verb is in the imperfect , conditional or past perfect ( pluscuamperfecto ), there are no tense changes.

I know this can all sound very overwhelming and confusing, so I’d like to introduce you to the language learning platform FluentU , where you can watch reported speech in Spanish in action.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

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And that’s all!

As you can see, Spanish and English reported speeches are very similar.

Just remember the few rules I’ve taught you in this post, and you’ll have no problem at all!

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU .

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab .

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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How to use reported speech in Spanish?

Reported speech, also known as indirect discourse, is the reproduction or “repackaging” of someone else’s message. In English and in Spanish, we normally begin reported speech with a reporting verb ( dijo ( " he/she said " ) ), preguntó ( " he/she asked " ) , etc.), followed by a conjunction ( que ( " that " ) ) and then the message. With that said, reported speech in Spanish has a few rules we need to keep in mind. Are you ready to be the messenger? Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Direct vs indirect speech.

Spanish and English both have different means of communicating what someone has said. One way is called direct speech. Direct speech works the same in both languages: you use direct quotations and a punctuation mark to introduce the message. In English, we use a comma, but in Spanish, we introduce direct speech with a colon. Here is an example of direct speech:

El profesor fue claro. Nos dijo: “Hagan la tarea para mañana.”

The professor was clear. He told us, “Do your homework for tomorrow.”

Indirect speech, while still relaying a message, has a few more things to consider. In Spanish, we can indirectly report statements, questions (yes/no and content), and commands/requests . Because we use indirect speech way more than direct speech in our daily life, we need to make sure you know how to use it and how to build it to avoid confusion or mixed messages. What does indirect speech look like, you ask? Here are some examples:

Indirect statement:

La señora explicó que para abrir la puerta necesitábamos jalar, no empujar .

The lady explained that t o open the door we needed to pull, not push .

Indirect command:

Mi mamá me dijo que hiciera la cama y guardara los platos .

My mom told me to make the bed and put away the dishes .

Indirect question:

Mi hermana nos preguntó si íbamos a reunirnos para su cumpleaños .

My sister asked us if we were going to get together for her birthday .

While still relaying a message, see how the reported/indirect messages have to change in both languages? Let’s get our learning going!

How to build indirect speech in Spanish?

Before we begin any type of indirect speech, we must start our clause with a verb of reporting. The following are some frequently used verbs of reporting:

• decir ( " to say, to tell " )
• preguntar ( " to ask " )
• querer ( " to want " )
• explicar ( " to explain " )
• afirmar ( " to assert " )
• añadir ( " to add " )
• contestar ( " to reply, to answer " )
• insistir ( " to insist " )

The verb of reporting can refer to the present or the past . If it refers to the present, the verb of reporting will be in the present (simple or progressive) or present perfect :

El niño dice/ha dicho que quiere su biberón.

The boy says/has said that he wants his bottle.

If it refers to the past, the most common form is the preterite :

El niño dijo que quería su biberón.

The boy said that he wanted his bottle.

The second ingredient in indirect speech is a conjunction that follows the verb of reporting. The conjunctions are normally que ( " that " ) or si ( " if " ) .

Finally, we must adapt three additional items when building indirect speech. The three changes are: relation , time , and location . Keep reading to learn more!

Subject pronouns and possessives

When using indirect speech, we need to make sure we change subject pronouns No definition set for subject pronouns Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and possessives to match the message that was given. This also happens in English. Here’s an example:

Direct speech:

María dijo: “( yo ) Quiero mi burrito.”

María said, “ I want my burrito.”

Indirect speech:

María dijo que ella quería su burrito.

María said that she wanted her burrito.

Notice how the indirect speech goes from first to third person since we are indirectly referring to what has been said.

Change in location and time

When we are using indirect speech, we must adjust our time and location references as well. This also happens in English! It should not be too difficult to pick up.

Time changes:

hoy ( " today " ) → ese día/aquel día ( " that day " )

Julio dice: “Llego hoy.”

Julio says, “I arrive today.”

Julio dijo que llegaba ese día.

Julio said that he would arrive that day.

ahora ( " now " ) → entonces ( " then " )

La niña insiste: “Quiero jugo ahora.”

The girl insists, “I want juice now.”

La niña insistió que quería jugo entonces.

The girl insisted that she wanted juice then.

mañana ( " tomorrow " ) → al día siguiente ( " the next day " )

El estudiante añadió: “No estaré en clases mañana.”

The student added, “I will not be in classes tomorrow.”

El estudiante añadió que no estaría en clases al día siguiente.

The student added that he would not be in classes the next day.

Click the link to see some additional Spanish expressions and how they change with indirect speech !

Notice that if you're reporting in the present, you might not need to change the time reference. It’s all a matter of time relativity! For instance, llego hoy ( " I arrive today " ) , if you're relaying this message on the same day then there is no need to change:

Location changes:

Adverbs of place: aquí ( " here " ) → allí, ahí ( " there " )

Mi papá dijo: “Estaciónate aquí.”

My dad said, “Park here.”

Mi papá quiso que me estacionara allí.

My dad wanted me to park there.

These include demonstratives, adjectives, and pronouns because they deal with distance from the speaker!

este, esta ( " this " ) → ese, esa, aquel, aquella ( " that " ) estos, estas ( " these " ) → esos, esas, aquellos, aquellas ( " those " )

Directionality/verbs of direction will also change!

llevar ( " to take " ) → traer ( " to bring " )

ir ( " to go " ) → venir ( " to come " )

And vice versa!

Ana says, “I’ll bring coffee for everyone.”

Ana says she’ll bring coffee for everyone.

For more on how to use these particular verbs in Spanish , head over to our post!

Adapting verb tenses in indirect speech

The last crucial change in building indirect speech happens to verb tenses. Just like we change time expressions above, sometimes we need to change verb tenses to ensure the message is being communicated appropriately. Here are a couple of examples:

If the reporting verb is related to the present , then there is NO NEED to change the verb tense.

El doctor dice : “No ⤷ present puedo atenderte.”

The doctor says, “I can’t see you.”

El doctor dice que no ⤷ present puede atenderme.

The doctor says he cannot see me.

If the reporting verb is related to the past , then you will need to change the verb tense.

El doctor dijo : “No ⤷ present puedo atenderte.”

El doctor dijo que no ⤷ imperfect podía atenderme.

For a full list of Spanish verb tenses and their corresponding tense in indirect speech , click the link!

We will see next that these rules also apply to indirect questions, but they do not when using commands. Keep reading to find out which verb tenses you use with Spanish commands.

Indirect questions in Spanish

If you are relaying a question with indirect speech, there are a couple of different options for doing so. However, the most common verbs of reporting for questions are: preguntar ( " to ask " ) and querer saber ( " to want to know " ) . With regard to verb tenses, it works exactly like the indirect statements above. Let’s check questions and indirect speech, shall we?

Yes and no questions

Mi hermano preguntó: “¿Tienes chicle?”

My brother asked, “Do you have gum?”

Mi hermano preguntó si tenía chicle.

My brother asked if I had gum.

To report a yes/no answer, you can say:

Questions words

f you are reporting a question that originally had a question word (who, what, when, where, etc.), you will not require the use of que ( " that " ) or si ( " if " ) . Instead, you will keep the original question word in Spanish as your "bridge" between the reporting verb and indirect speech. For example:

El chico preguntó: “¿ Dónde está la Rambla?”

The boy asked, “Where is the Rambla?”

El chico preguntó dónde estaba la Rambla.

The boy asked where the Rambla was.

Erica quiere saber: ¿Cuándo es la asamblea?

Erica wants to know, “When is the assembly?”

Erica quiere saber cuándo es la asamblea.

Erica wants to know when the assembly is.

In colloquial speech it is common to insert " que " between the reporting verb “ preguntar " and the question word or before si for yes/no indirect questions.

Enrique me preguntó (que) por qué habías llegado tarde.

Enrique asked me why you had arrived late.

Los estudiantes preguntaron (que) si podían tener una extensión.

The students asked if they could have an extension.

For more on questions, check out: " How to build questions in Spanish? "

Indirect commands in Spanish

To use indirect speech to relay commands, the format continues being similar to indirect statements:

Introduce the indirect speech with a verb of reporting.

• exigir ( " to demand " )
• mandar ( " to command " )
• pedir ( " to ask for/request " )

Follow it with the conjunction que ( " that " ) .

Finally, if the verb of reporting is in the present, present continuous, or present perfect, then the command will be in the present subjunctive . For example:

Compra leche, por favor.

Buy milk, please.

Tu papá pide que compres leche, por favor.

Your dad asks that you buy milk, please.

On the other hand, if the verb of reporting is in the preterite, imperfect, or past perfect, then the command will be in the imperfect subjunctive .

Tu papá pidió que compraras leche, por favor.

Your dad asked you to buy milk, please.

Need a refresher on these subjunctive tenses? We have you covered with these posts on the Spanish present subjunctive and the Spanish imperfect subjunctive .

To sum it up

Indirect speech is used for indirectly reporting statements, questions (yes/no and content), and commands/requests. In order to build indirect speech appropriately, we need to keep in mind the following pieces:

Start the clause with a verb of reporting, such as decir ( " to say, to tell " ) , preguntar ( " to ask " ) , querer ( " to want " ) , etc.

Follow the verb of reporting with a conjunction .

que ( " that " ) for indirect statements and commands, or

si ( " if " ) for yes/no questions

a question word (who, what, when , where, etc.) for content questions.

Finally, we must adapt three additional items when building indirect speech:

Time changes: making sure the time expressions are appropriately adjusted to fit an indirect message.

Location changes: making sure words that imply distance from the speaker also match the indirect speech.

Verb tense changes: We change verb tenses to ensure the message is being communicated appropriately.

Statements and questions use verbs in the indicative.

Commands use verbs in the subjunctive.

While it seems like a lot of stuff to remember, these changes make sense because so many of them also happen in English. The best way to master indirect speech is to practice it, so I have created an activity for you to get you started with it. You can check it out by clicking the link!

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Updated on August 7, 2023

An intro to reported speech in Spanish

In Spanish, we use estilo indirecto (reported speech) to report on what somebody else has said. You most likely use it all the time, though you may not realize it. For example, you might use reported speech to get out of an awkward situation . If you want to express a strong opinion without taking full responsibility for it, you can use reported speech to express what somebody else thinks.

In this blog, we’ll review the basics of reported speech in Spanish — from how to use it to some real-life examples of reported speech in action. 

• What is “estilo indirecto” (reported speech)? 

How to use reported speech in Spanish

Reported speech example sentences in spanish, learn languages at your pace, what is “estilo indirecto” (reported speech).

In English, we use the terms “direct speech” and “reported speech.” In Spanish, we use the terms estilo directo and estilo indirecto. Here’s a refresher on indirect speech in English to make a clear distinction.

Direct speech in Spanish and English occurs when you quote a person. You repeat their words exactly as the person said them. When writing, you must use quotation marks to demonstrate that the words are directly quoted: 

• El maestro dijo: “La tarea se entrega el viernes.” (The teacher said, “The homework is due on Friday.”)

Reported speech occurs when you report on a speaker’s words without quoting the speaker directly . Reported speech uses some specific verbs that help to report the general message of what someone has said. 

Here are some common Spanish verbs that will alert you that reported speech is being used:

Now, let’s jump into the rules about how to create reported speech in Spanish. There are five major rules to follow when using reported speech.

1. Reported speech is used with statements, commands and questions

Reported speech is used to report a command (otherwise known as the imperative mood in Spanish) . It’s also used to report a statement or question.

• La maestra quiere que Miguel repita la clase. (The teacher wants Miguel to repeat the class.)
• Mi mamá me dijo que hiciera la cama y guardara los platos. (My mom told me to make the bed and put away the dishes.)
• Mi hermana nos preguntó si íbamos a reunirnos para su cumpleaños. (My sister asked us if we were going to get together for her birthday.)

2. A conjunction must follow the reporting verb

The conjunction que (that) or si (if) follows the reporting verb

3. Check subject agreement

Subject pronouns and possessives need to agree with the new subject in the reported speech. 

• Direct : Mario dijo: “Quiero mi celular.” (Mario said, “I want my phone.”)
• Reported : Mario dijo que él quería su celular. (Mario said that he wants his phone.)

Note: Here we must change the first-person subject pronoun in the direct speech ( yo ) and the possessive mi (my) to él (he) and su (his), respectively. 

4. Check time and location

We must also change the time and location when using reported speech. In the examples below, hoy (today) changes to ese día or aquel día (that day) and aquí (here) changes to allí or ahí (there).

• Direct : Mary dice: “Llego hoy .”   (Mary says, “I arrive today.”)
• Reported : Mary dijo que llegaba ese día. (Mary said that she would arrive that day.)
• Direct : Sara dijo: “Voy aquí . (Sara said, “I’m going here.”)
• Reported : Sara dijo que iba allí . (Sara said that she is going there.)

5. Changing verb tenses in reported speech

Finally, if the reporting verb is in the present tense, it can stay in the present.

• Direct : El doctor dice: “No puedo atenderte.” (The doctor says, “I can’t see you.”)
• Reported : El doctor dice que no puede atenderme. (The doctor said he cannot see me.) 

If the scenario occurs in the past, we need to change the reporting verb to the past tense.

• Direct : El doctor dijo: “No puedo atenderte.” (The doctor said, “I cannot see you.”)

Reported : El doctor dijo que no podía atenderme. (The doctor said he could not see me.)

You have seen plenty of reported speech example sentences in Spanish above, but let’s look at how to structure a question: 

• Direct : Mi hermano preguntó: “¿Tienes dinero?” (My brother asked, “Do you have money?”)
• Reported : Mi hermano preguntó si tenía dinero. (My brother asked if I had money.)

Notice that here we do not use the conjunction que (that) . Instead, we use the conjunction si (if) because the direct question expects a “yes/no” answer.

But, if we are reporting a question that has a question word (who, what, when, where, why) we keep the question word and do not use que :

• Direct : Erica quiere saber: ¿Cuándo es la película? (Erica wants to know, “When is the movie?”)
• Reported : Erica quiere saber cuando es la película . (Erica wants to know when the movie is.)

Did you hear what she said?

Knowing how to use reported speech in Spanish is a very important skill. Communicating somebody else’s words or messages to others is a scenario that comes up everywhere, from the staff meeting to a hallway gossip session. In this blog, we’ve covered the basics of reported speech — but an in-person Spanish class wouldn’t hurt if you need some extra practice. 

Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X .

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Spanish Reported Speech – How to Become an Expert

• November 7, 2021

Joanna Lupa

For someone who is not a grammar fan, the term “Spanish reported speech” may sound as mysterious as the dark side of the Moon. What hides behind it, however, is quite straightforward and easy to grasp. 

Imagine you’re at a party. The music is so loud that you can hardly hear what other people are saying. The fact that you’re deaf in one ear does not help things. 

You’re trying to establish a conversation with that nice-looking girl you’ve had your eye on all night. Luckily, a friend of yours, who does not suffer from impaired hearing, offers to give you a hand. 

“I’m Mike. What’s your name? ” – is what you are shouting, but the girl can’t hear you. 

So, your friend comes to the rescue: “ He says he’s Mike and wants to know what your name is ”. 

That first sentence, articulated by the main speaker, is an example of the so-called “ direct speech” o “discurso director”, in Spanish. 

The second one, in which an intermediate (a friend, a journalist, a lawyer, etc.) reports on what you just said is nothing other than reported speech, called “discurso reportado o indirecto” in Spanish.  

Mystery solved!

Spanish Reported Speech – Common Reporting Verbs

Let’s go back to our example of reported speech for a second. Pay attention to how Mike’s friend introduces his sentences: “ He says…”

“ To say ” is one of the most common reporting verbs in English. 

How about Spanish? Below you’ll find a list of verbs and expressions that will come extremely handy when reporting on someone else’s words:

• decir – to say / to tell
• pedir – to ask (for something)
• indicar – to indicate
• sugerir – to suggest
• aclarar – to clarify
• asegurar – to assure
• anunciar – to announce
• quejarse / reclamar – to complain
• explicar – to explain
• preguntar – to ask (if)
• contestar – to answer /  to respond
• querer saber – to want to know
• preguntarse – to wonder

These verbs can be used either in present or in past and you’ll have to conjugate them accordingly. 

Here are a few ideas of how you can start your sentence in Spanish reported speech. 

🇪🇸 Pedro dice / dijo … 🇬🇧 Pedro says / said…

🇪🇸 Tu papá pregunta / preguntó… 🇬🇧 Your dad is asking / asked…

🇪🇸 El doctor sugiere / sugirió… 🇬🇧 The doctor suggests / suggested…

🇪🇸 El gobierno indica / indicó… 🇬🇧 The government indicates / indicated…

🇪🇸 Tu mamá pide / pidió que… 🇬🇧 Your mom is asking (you) / asked (you) to …

🇪🇸 Nos gustaría saber… 🇬🇧 We’d like to know…

🇪🇸 ¿Puedes / podrías aclarar… 🇬🇧 Can / could you clarify…

🇪🇸 Me pregunto… 🇬🇧 I wonder…

🇪🇸 El cliente reclama / reclamó… 🇬🇧 The customer is complaining / complained …

Of course, you can adjust the subject freely according to what is logical for your sentence. 

Picking a verbal tense for reported speech in Spanish – present or past –  brings consequences regarding the rest of your sentence. 

Keep reading to see what they are. 

🇪🇸 Test Your Spanish Knowledge 🇪🇸

Spanish Reported Speech – Talking About What People Say

Respanish reported speech in positive or negative statements.

When you want to report on simple affirmative or negative ideas with the verb “ dice ” in the present tense,  all you have to remember is to adjust the verb conjugation, just like in the examples below. 

The verbal tenses used in your original sentence remain the same.  

🇪🇸 “Necesito descansar” – Mi mamá dice que necesita descansar. 🇬🇧 “I need to rest” – My mom says she needs to rest. 

🇪🇸 “Estoy muy preocupado” – Pedro dice que está muy preocupado. 🇬🇧 “I’m very worried” – Pedro says he is very worried.  

🇪🇸 “No queda leche.” – Juan see queja que no queda leche. 🇬🇧 “There is no milk left” – Juan complains (that) there is no milk left. 

🇪🇸 “Ayer fui al dentista” – El abuelo dice que ayer fue al dentista. 🇬🇧 “I went to the dentist’s yesterday” –  Grandpa says he went to the dentist the day before.

🇪🇸 “Vamos a casarnos.” – Ana y Miguel anuncian que se van a casar. 🇬🇧 “We are going to get married” – Ana and Miguel announce they are going to get married.

Spanish Reported Speech in Yes / No Questions

“Do you drink coffee?”, “Are you upset?”, “Can you help me? ” – these are examples of the so-called closed questions . You can easily recognize them, as the only logical answer to them is  “yes” or “no”.

Turning closed questions into reported speech is a little tricky in English, as it requires you to eliminate the auxiliary and switch from interrogative word order to affirmative. 

In Spanish, however, there is no such need. Why? Well, to start with, there are no auxiliaries for present actions. Besides, closed questions in Spanish have the same word order as affirmative sentences, but a different intonation. 

All you’ll have to do this time is to add the word “ SI ” (“ IF ”) to connect your main question with the introductory expression, just like in the examples below:

🇪🇸 “¿Tienes hambre?” – Alex pregunta si tienes hambre.  🇬🇧 “Are you hungry?” – Alex asks if you are hungry. 

🇪🇸 “¿Hay un cajero por aquí?” – Quisiera saber si hay un cajero por aquí.  🇬🇧 “Is there an ATM nearby?” – I’d like to know if there is an ATM nearby. 

🇪🇸 “¿Te gustan los mariscos?” – Mi mamá se pregunta si te gustan los mariscos.   🇬🇧 “Do you like seafood?” – My mom wonders if you like seafood. 

🇪🇸 “¿Has leído algo de Dickens?” – La maestra pregunta si has leído algo de Dickens.  🇬🇧 “Have you read something by Dickens?” – The teacher asks if you’ve read something by Dickens.

Spanish Reported Speech in Open Questions

“Where do you live?”, “What’s your name?”, “When are you coming?” – you can’t answer “yes” or “no” to questions like that. They require specific information according to the “WH-” word that comes at the beginning. 

Questions like that are called “ open ”. To report on them in Spanish, you keep their original form (as long as you are using reporting verbs in present). Just make sure that you know all the necessary question words in Spanish .

🇪🇸 “¿Dónde está el mesón del servicio al cliente?” – ¿Me puede decir dónde está el mesón del servicio al cliente? 🇬🇧 “Where is the customer service counter?” – Can you tell me where the customer service counter is?

🇪🇸 ¿Cómo llegar a este lugar?” – ¿Me puede explicar cómo llegar a este lugar? 🇬🇧 “How do I get to this place?” – Can you tell me how to get to that place?

🇪🇸 ¿Quién está a cargo aquí?” – ¿Me puede aclarar quién está a cargo aquí? “Who’s in charge here?” – Can you clarify who is in charge here?

🇪🇸 “¿Cuándo llega el abuelo?” – Mamá, ¡dime cuando llega el abuelo! 🇬🇧 “When is grandpa coming?” – Mom, tell me when grandpa is coming!

Have you noticed how the last question changed into the imperative mood ? That’s because “¡ Dime !” is a command, not a question. 

Spanish Reported Speech – Talking About What People Said

When your reporting verb is in past, you have to adjust the verbal tense of the original message, according to the “One-Step-Back” rule .

The table below shows the way this rule works for different tenses:

Reporting On Present Actions or Conditions

🇪🇸 “Tengo miedo” –  Mi hermana dijo que tenía miedo. 🇬🇧 “I’m scared” – My sister said she was scared.

🇪🇸 “Estoy muy orgulloso de tí” –  Tu papá dijo que estaba muy orgulloso de tí. 🇬🇧 “I’m very proud of you” – Your father said he was very proud of you.

🇪🇸 “Hay un problema” –  Alex dijo que había un problema. 🇬🇧 “There is a problem” – Alex said there was a problem.

🇪🇸 “Voy a salir” –  Pedro dijo que iba a salir. 🇬🇧 “I’m going out” – Pedro said he was going out. 

🇪🇸 “Necesito ayuda” –  Mi prima dijo que necesitaba ayuda.  🇬🇧 “I need help” – My cousin said she needed help.

🔔 Note that “ prima ” refers to a girl. A male cousin would be “ primo ” in Spanish. If you’d like to review the vocabulary related to family members in Spanish, feel welcome to read my post about that topic. 

Reporting On Future Actions or Conditions

🇪🇸 “Un día serás un gran hombre” –  Mi papá prometió que un día sería un gran hombre.  🇬🇧 “One day you’ll be a great man” – My dad promised that one day I would be a great man. 

🇪🇸 “Tu abuela se pondrá muy contenta” –  Ella dijo que mi abuela se pondría muy contenta. 🇬🇧 “Your granny will get very happy” – She said my granny would get very happy. 

🇪🇸 “Él será nuestro nuevo presidente” –  Escuché que él sería nuestro nuevo presidente.  🇬🇧 “He’ll be our next president” – I heard he’d be our next president. 

🇪🇸 “¿Adónde irás si hay un ataque zombie?” –  Mi hijo preguntó adónde iría si hubiera un ataque zombie.  🇬🇧 “Where will you go if there is a zombie attack?” – My son asked where I’d go if there was a zombie attack. 

🇪🇸 “¿Qué harás si te asaltan?” –  Preguntó qué haría si me asaltaran.  🇬🇧 “What will you do if you get mugged?” – He/ she asked what I’d do if I got mugged. 

If you pay close attention, you’ll realize that the last 2 examples are in fact conditional sentences . 

🔔 According to the “ one-step-back rule ”, the 1st (realistic) conditional gets replaced with the 2nd (hypothetical) conditional. 

Reporting On Past Actions or Conditions

If you have read my previous grammar posts, you’ll know that there are four different Past Tenses in Spanish: Pretérito Indefinido , Pretérito Perfecto , Imperfecto, and Pluscuamperfecto . 

Luckily, turning them into reported speech in Spanish is easier than you might think. 

Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish Reported Speech

🔔 Just like in English, the Spanish Simple Past tense gets converted to Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto). Here is a bunch of examples to show you how it is done:

🇪🇸 “Anoche fuimos al cine” –  Dijeron (ellos/ellas) que la noche anterior habían ido al cine.  🇬🇧 “We went to the movies last night” – They said they had gone to the movies the night before. 

🇪🇸 “Te lo entregué ayer” –  Sandra dijo que te lo había entregado el día anterior. 🇬🇧 “There is a problem” – Alex said there was a problem.

🇪🇸 “Nos casamos en 2020” –  Luis dijo que se había casado con su señora en 2020.  🇬🇧 “We got married in 2020” – Luis said he had married his wife in 2020. 

🇪🇸 “Cuándo te mudaste aquí?” –  La vecina preguntó cuándo me había mudado allá.  🇬🇧 “When did you move here? – The neighbor asked when I had moved there. 

🇪🇸 “No te vi” –  Ella dijo que no te había visto.  🇬🇧 “I didn’t see you” – She said she hadn’t seen you.  

Have you noticed how “ anoche ” changes to “ la noche anterio r” and “ ayer ” to “ el día anterior ”. Paying attention to such details is what differentiates a B-level student from a C-level one. 

Pretérito Perfecto in Spanish Reported Speech

Pretérito Perfecto is the Spanish equivalent of Present Perfect. And guess what?

When reporting on an action in this verbal tense, you’ll also transform it into Pluscuamperfecto. 

🇪🇸 “Te he comprado un regalo” –  Dijiste que me habías comprado un regalo. 🇬🇧 “I’ve bought you a gift” -You said you had bought me a gift. 

🇪🇸 “Aún no he almorzado” –  Raúl se quejó de que aún no había almorzado. 🇬🇧 “I haven’t had lunch yet” – Raúl complained he hadn’t had lunch yet.

🇪🇸 “Las ventas han bajado últimamente” –  El gerente informó que las ventas habían bajado últimamente.  🇬🇧 “The sales have dropped lately” –  The manager reported that the sales had dropped lately.

🇪🇸 “¿Has terminado por hoy?” –  Queríamos saber si ya habías terminado por hoy.  🇬🇧 “Have you finished for today?” –  We wanted to know if you had finished for today. 

🇪🇸 “¿Alguna vez te han asaltado?” –  Luis preguntó si alguna vez me habían asaltado. 🇬🇧 “Have you ever been mugged?” –  Luis asked if I had ever been mugged. 

🔔 If you pay close attention, you’ll realize that the last 2 examples are, again, Spanish conditionals . Don’t forget to apply the correct “one-step-back” rule!

Pretérito Imperfecto in Spanish Reported Speech

As you (hopefully) know, Pretérito Imperfecto describes past habits, routines, and other repetitive actions from the past. 

🔔 Given that “repetitive” aspect, it steps into the reported speech unchanged . Trying to replace it with Pluscuamperfecto would make it sound like a single, one-time event or action. 

🇪🇸 “Antes fumaba mucho” –  Lucas dijo que antes fumaba mucho.  🇬🇧 “I used to smoke a lot” – Lucas said he used to smoke a lot. 

🇪🇸 “Veía esta serie cuando era niña” –  Ignacia dijo que veía esa serie cuando era niña.  🇬🇧 “I used to watch this series as a kid” – Ignacia said she used to watch that series as a kid. 

🇪🇸 “A tu edad no tenía celular” –  Mi madre dijo que a mi edad no tenía celular.  🇬🇧 “I didn’t have a cell phone at your age” –  My mom said she didn’t have a cell phone at my age. 

🇪🇸 “¿Con qué jugabas cuando chico?” –  Quería saber con que jugabas cuando era chico. 🇬🇧 “What did you play with as a child?” –  I wanted to know what you played with as a child.

🇪🇸 “¿Tu mamá te leía cuentos?” –  Enrique preguntó si mi mamá me leía cuentos.  🇬🇧 “Would your mom read you tales?” –  Enrique asked if my mother would read me tales. 

Spanish Reported Speech – The Imperative Mood

In one of my recent posts , I explained what imperative mood is and how it is created in Spanish. It’s loaded with examples and you are more than welcome to use it as your reference. 

How do commands expressed in the imperative mood behave when reported on?

In English, all you do is to drop the imperative and replace it with “TO” + infinitive:

🇬🇧 “Wash your hands” 🇬🇧 Mom is asking me to wash my hands.  or 🇬🇧 Mom told me to wash my hands.

It couldn’t get any easier, could it?

Unfortunately, converting the imperative mood into reported speech in Spanish is slightly more complex than that. Have a look:

🇪🇸 “Lávate las manos”. 🇪🇸 La mamá me dice que me lave las manos.  or 🇪🇸 La mamá me dijo que me lavara las manos. 

“ Lave ”? “ Lavara ? Do you recognize these verb forms?

That’s right. They are present and past subjunctive (subjuntivo) . The Spanish subjunctive is used in a variety of situations, one of them being the reported speech. 

Do you want to see more examples of how to report on simple commands or prohibitions? 

Here you go:

Reporting on Commands With The Reporting Verb in Present

🇪🇸 “Traigan sus libros mañana” –  La maestra pide que traigamos nuestros libros mañana.  🇬🇧 “Bring your books tomorrow” – The teacher is asking us to bring our books tomorrow. 

🇪🇸 “Ven a verme a mi oficina” –  El jefe dice que vayas a verlo a su oficina.  🇬🇧 “Come see me in my office” – The boss tells you to go see him in his office. 

🇪🇸 “Bajen la música” –  El vecino pide que bajemos la música.  🇬🇧 “Turn down the music” – The neighbor is asking us to turn down the music. 

🇪🇸 “No cierres la puerta” –  La secretaria dice que no cierres la puerta. 🇬🇧 “Close the door” – The secretary is telling you to close the door. 

🇪🇸 “No me grites” –  Ignacia pide que no le grites. 🇬🇧 “Don’t yell at me” – Ignacia is asking you not to yell at her. 

🇪🇸 “Juntémonos mañana” –  Pedro sugiere que nos juntemos mañana.  🇬🇧 “Let’s get together tomorrow” – Pedro suggests we get together tomorrow. 

Reporting on Commands With The Reporting Verb in Past

🇪🇸 “Lava los platos” –  Le dije a mi hija que lavara los platos.  🇬🇧 “Wash the dishes” – I told my daughter to wash the dishes. 

🇪🇸 “No me hables así” –  Le dije a Pedro que no me hablara así.  🇬🇧 “Don’t talk to me like this” –  I told Pedro not to talk to me like that. 

🇪🇸 “¡Ayúdame, Luis!” –  Le pedí a Luis que me ayudara.  🇬🇧 Help me, Luis!” – I asked Luis to help me. 

🇪🇸 “¡Apúrate, amor!” –  Mi esposa me dijo que me apurara.  🇬🇧 “Hurry up, sweetheart!” – My wife told me to hurry up. 

🇪🇸 “Niños, no hablen con la boca llena” –  Les pedí a mis hijos que no hablaran con la boca llena.  🇬🇧 “Don’t speak with your mouth full, kids” – I asked my kids not to speak with their mouths full. 

🇪🇸 “No vayamos allí” –  Sugerí que no fuéramos allí.  🇬🇧 “Let’s not go there” –  I suggested we didn’t go there. 

Spanish Reported Speech – Time and Place expressions

Some of the sample sentences I’ve shown you included certain time expressions, like “anoche”, “ayer”, “acá”, “ahora” , “la semana pasada”, “mañana” , etc.  

When reporting on a statement that contains such phrases, don’t forget to adjust them, if the logic requires it. Here’s how it is done:

Hoy 🠊 Ese día

🇪🇸 “Hoy es mi cumpleaños” – Pablo dijo que ese día era su cumpleaños. 🇬🇧 “Today is my birthday” – Pablo said it was his birthday that day”.

🔔 However, if the reporting happens on the same day, you can keep the word “ hoy ” unchanged. Apply the same rule for all the other expressions from the list:

Ayer 🠊 El día anterior

🇪🇸 “Ayer tuve mucho trabajo” – Luis dijo que había tenido mucho trabajo el día anterior.  🇬🇧 “I had a lot of work yesterday” – Luis said he had had a lot of work the day before.

Mañana 🠊 El día siguiente

🇪🇸 “Mañana vamos a la playa” – El papá prometió que el día siguiente iríamos a la playa.  🇬🇧 “We’re going to the beach tomorrow” – Dad promised we would go to the beach the following day. 

El año pasado 🠊 El año anterior

🇪🇸 “Nos conocimos el año pasado” – Laura se acordó que nos habíamos conocido el año anterior.  🇬🇧 “We met last year” – Laura remembered we had met the year before. 

El próximo mes 🠊 El mes siguiente

🇪🇸 “El próximo mes viajo a Asia” – Juan dijo que el mes siguiente viajaría a Asia.  🇬🇧 “I’m traveling to Asia next month” – Juan said he was traveling to Asia the following month. 

Anoche 🠊 La noche anterior

🇪🇸 “Anoche dormí muy mal” – Alex se quejó de que había dormido muy mal la noche anterior.  🇬🇧 “I slept badly last night” – Alex complained that he had slept badly the night before. 

Ahora 🠊 En ese momento

🇪🇸 “Ahora estoy ocupada” – Carmen dijo que en ese momento estaba ocupada.   🇬🇧 “I’m busy now” – Carmen said she was busy at that moment / then.  

Acá – Allá

🇪🇸 “Mis abuelos viven acá” – Jorge dijo que sus abuelos vivían allá 🇬🇧 “My grandparents live here” – Jorge said his grandparents lived there. 

En este lugar 🠊 En ese lugar

🇪🇸 “¡Juntémonos en este lugar a las 4!” – Sugerí que nos juntáramos en ese lugar a las 4.  🇬🇧 “Let’s meet in this place at 4 PM” – I suggested we met in that place at 4 PM. 

Hace 2 años 🠊 2 años antes / hacía 2 años

🇪🇸 “Vivo acá hace 2 años” – Ana dijo que vivía allá hacía 2 años.  🇬🇧 “I’ve lived here for 2 years” – Ana said she’d lived there for 2 years. 

🇪🇸 Ana dijo que se había mudado allá 2 años antes.  🇬🇧 Ana said she had moved there 2 years ago. 

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Spanish Reported Speech

👉 how to use reported / indirect speech in spanish, – spanish grammar basics for beginners –.

The indirect style is used to report someone’s words. As in English, we use a verb followed by a subordinate clause to introduce the person’s speech.

Construction of a sentence in indirect style

(Subject) + Verb + subordinate clause

• Mis amigas dicen que soy muy buena persona . (My friends say I am a good person).
• Elena dice que lo siente mucho . (Elena says she is very sorry.)

Depending on the context, we will use either declarative verbs or verbs of opinion, wish, order, or prohibition.

Use of a declarative verb

If the verb used to introduce the speech is a declarative verb , we will use the indicative in the subordinate clause.

The most common declarative verbs in Spanish are : decir, contar, afirmar, explicar, declarar, exclamar.

Use of the verb “decir” in indirect style

Present tense:.

– When the speech is reported in the present tense and the action is taking place as we speak:

Declarative verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (present tense)

• Pablo: “El gato está en el jardín”. (The cat is in the garden.)
• Pablo dice dice el gato está en el jardín. (Pablo says the cat is in the garden.)

– When reporting speech in the present tense for an action that took place before the moment of speaking:

Declarative verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (past simple/present perfect)

• Miguel : “Mi hermano vino a casa esta mañana.”
• Miguel dice que su hermano ha venido/vino a casa esta mañana.

– When the speech is reported later and the action was taking place at the time the person was making the speech:

Declarative verb (past simple) + subordinate proposition verb (imperfect)

• Pablo dijo que el gato estaba en el jardín. (Pablo said that the cat was in the garden.)

– When the speech is reported later and the action took place before the person was saying the speech:

Declarative verb (past simple) + subordinate proposition verb (more than perfect)

• Miguel dijo que su hermano había venido a casa por la mañana.

Conditional:

In the case where the speech is reported later and the words were stated in the future tense:

Declarative verb (simple past tense) + subordinate proposition verb (conditional)

• Pablo : « El gato estará en el jardín.” (The cat will be in the garden.)
• Pablo dijo que el gato estaría en el jardín. (Pablo says that the cat will be in the garden.)

Use of the verb “declarar” in indirect style

The suspect: “I have nothing to declare. “

• El sospechoso declara que no tiene nada que esconder. (The suspect declares that he has nothing to hide.)
• El sospechoso declaró que no tenía nada que esconder. (The suspect said he had nothing to hide).

Use of a verb expressing a command, prayer or advice

If the verb used to introduce the speech is a verb of order, prayer, advice or prohibition , the subjunctive should be used in the subordinate clause.

Verbs expressing a command

The most common verbs to express an order in Spanish are: pedir and ordenar .

Use of the verb “pedir” in indirect style

Ordering verb (present tense) + subordinate proposition verb (present subjunctive)

• Maria: “Dame una respuesta esta tarde.” (Give me an answer this afternoon.)
• Maria me pide que le dé una respuesta esta tarde. (Maria asks me to give her an answer this afternoon.)

Past tense:

Order verb (past tense) + subordinate proposition verb (imperfect subjunctive).

Remember that the imperfect subjunctive (pretérito imperfecto) is conjugated in 2 different forms in Spanish.

• Maria me pidió que le diera/diese una respuesta esta tarde. (Maria asked me to give her an answer in the afternoon).

Use of the verb “ordenar” in indirect style

• Miguel : “Ayudame a limpiar.” (Help me clean up).
• Miguel me ordona que le ayude a limpiar. (Miguel orders me to help him clean.)
• Miguel me ordonó que le ayudará/ayudase a limpiar. (Miguel ordered me to help him clean up.)

Verbs expressing prayer

The most common verbs in Spanish to express a prayer are rogar y suplicar .

Use of “suplicar” in indirect style

• Juan : « Por favor hermano, no me pegues. » (Please my brother, don’t hit me).
• Juan suplica su hermano que no le pegue . (Juan begs his brother not to hit him).
• Juan suplicó su hermano que no le pegara/pegase . (Juan begged his brother not to hit him).

Use of the verb “rogar” in indirect style

• El conductor : “Por favor que vuelvan inmediatamente a sus asientos. (Please return to your seats immediately.)
• El conductor les ruega que vuelvan inmediatamente a sus asientos. (The driver asks them to return to their seats immediately.)
• El conductor les rogó que volvieran/volviesen inmediatamente a sus asientos. (The driver asked them to return to their seats immediately.)

Verbs expressing advice

The most common verbs in Spanish to express advice are aconsejar and sugerir .

Use of the verb “aconsejar” in indirect style

• Angel : « Deberías hacer más deporte. » (You should do more sports).
• Angel me aconseja que haga más deporte. (Angel advises me to do more sports).
• Angel me aconsejó que hiciera/hiciese más deporte. (Angel advised me to do more sports.)

Use of the verb “sugerir” in indirect style

• Lucia : « Tendrías que tomar este camino porque es más corto.»
• Lucia me sugiere que tome este camino porque es más corto.
• Lucia me sugirió que tomara/tomase este camino porque era más corto.

Verb expressing a prohibition.

The verb used in Spanish to express an interdiction is “ prohibir “.

Use of the verb “prohibir” in indirect style

• Diego: « No le hables. » (Don’t talk to him.)
• Diego me prohíbe que le hable . (Diego forbids me to talk to him.)
• Diego me prohíbio que le hablara/hablase . (Diego forbids me to talk to him.)

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Indefinite adjectives (Alguno, Ninguno, Cada, Mismo…)

👉 Previous lesson: Superlative adjectives

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Related posts:

• Tener vs Haber in Spanish (for beginners)
• How to Form Compound Nouns & Words in Spanish
• Expressing Habits (Past and Present)
• Spanish Possessive Adjectives

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Reported Speech in Spanish

Concept map.

Understanding reported speech in Spanish is crucial for conveying what others have said without direct quotes. It involves changing verb tenses, pronouns, and temporal phrases to fit a new context. This guide covers the distinction between direct and reported speech, conjugation adjustments, and practical applications in everyday communication. Advanced techniques include mastering complex structures and the subjunctive mood to maintain the original tone and intent.

Definition of Reported Speech

Also known as indirect speech.

Reported speech is a way of conveying someone else's words without quoting them directly

Adjustments needed for reported speech

Verb tenses

To accurately reflect the original message, verb tenses must be adjusted in reported speech

Pronouns must be changed to match the new speaker's perspective in reported speech

Temporal phrases

Temporal phrases must be updated to fit the new narrative context in reported speech

Importance of distinguishing between direct and reported speech

Understanding the difference between direct and reported speech is crucial for clear communication in Spanish

Converting Direct Speech to Reported Speech

Structure of reported speech.

Reported speech involves systematic alterations to sentence structure, including verb tense, pronouns, and temporal expressions

Transition from direct to reported speech

In transitioning from direct to reported speech, direct quotations are replaced with the conjunction 'que' and verb tenses are shifted to a past form

Examples of converting direct to reported speech

"Ella dijo, 'Estoy cansada.'" (She said, "I am tired.") becomes "Ella dijo que estaba cansada." (She said that she was tired.) in reported speech

Uses of Reported Speech in Spanish

Recounting previous conversations.

Reported speech is commonly used to retell past conversations in Spanish

Disseminating information from third parties

Reported speech is also used to share information obtained from others in Spanish

Integration of stories within conversations

Reported speech is a vital narrative tool that allows for the smooth integration of stories within conversations in Spanish

Mastery of Reported Speech in Spanish

Key adjustments for reported speech.

Mastery of reported speech in Spanish requires an understanding of adjusting verb tenses, pronouns, and temporal expressions

Advanced proficiency in reported speech

Advanced proficiency in reported speech involves a deep understanding of nuanced expressions and complex sentence structures, including the use of different moods

Importance of practice

Practicing with examples of direct and reported speech is crucial for reinforcing the conversion process and improving comprehension and accuracy in Spanish

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Verb Tense Shift in Reported Speech

Shift from present to past tense to match time frame of reporting speaker.

Pronoun Adjustment in Reported Speech

Change pronouns to align with the current speaker's perspective.

Temporal Phrase Modification in Reported Speech

Alter temporal phrases to fit the context and time of the reporting speaker.

When changing from direct to reported speech in Spanish, the conjunction '______' is used, verb tenses are changed to the past, and pronouns are adjusted for the new perspective.

Verb Conjugation Adjustment

Verbs are re-conjugated to match speaker's perspective and time.

Pronoun Realignment

Pronouns shift to align with the new speaker's point of view.

Temporal Expression Update

Time references are adjusted to fit the narrative's timeframe, e.g., 'hoy' to 'ese día'.

The word '______' is often used in Spanish to introduce a reported statement, much like '______' in English.

Transition from Direct to Reported Speech

Involves changing speech from quotes to narration, often shifting verb tenses and pronouns.

Verb Tense Modifications in Reported Speech

Requires changing present tense to past tense to reflect time passed since original statement.

Adapting Temporal Expressions and Locations

Temporal phrases and place references must be contextually adjusted to align with the time of reporting.

In Spanish, the sentence 'Ella dijo que era posible que ______ al partido mañana' demonstrates the use of the ______ mood in reported speech.

fuera subjunctive

Tense adjustment in reported speech

Shift tense of main verb from direct to match reported speech perspective; past tense often used.

Pronoun changes in reported speech

Modify pronouns to align with the speaker's perspective in reported speech.

Temporal expressions in reported speech

Revise time references to fit the timeframe of the reported speech.

Transforming the Spanish question '¿Podrías cerrar la puerta?' into reported speech, it becomes 'Él ______ si podrías cerrar la puerta.'

Here's a list of frequently asked questions on this topic

What is the purpose of reported speech in spanish, and how is it constructed, how does reported speech differ from direct speech in spanish, what changes are made when converting direct speech to reported speech in spanish, how is reported speech used in everyday spanish conversations, what is necessary to master the structure of reported speech in spanish, what advanced skills are required for reported speech in spanish, what is the step-by-step process for converting direct speech to reported speech, why is practicing with direct and reported speech examples important, similar contents, explore other maps on similar topics.

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Understanding Reported Speech in Spanish

The Distinction Between Direct and Reported Speech

Conjugation and contextual adjustments in reported speech, practical application of reported speech in everyday spanish, mastering reported speech structure, advanced techniques in reported speech, step-by-step conversion from direct to reported speech, practicing with direct and reported speech examples.

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Talk about what others say: Reported speech in Spanish 11

We use the reported speech when we want to say what other people say, think or believe.

There are two ways of report this information:

• Direct speech : when we transmit the original message word for word. We introduce the information with an introductory verb followed by inverted commas.

The president said: “Yes we can.” El presidente dijo: “Sí, podemos.” 

• Indirect speech : when we transmit the original message with our own words. We introduce the information with an introductory verb followed by “ que ” ( ‘that’ ).

The president said that we could. El presidente dijo que podíamos.

Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)

When we convert a direct speech message into indirect speech there are changes in three different aspects.

• The tense of the verb changes:

Video Class in Spanish

Watch the video below to test your Spanish listening skills with this class about the reported speech in Spanish with subtitles.

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11 thoughts on “ talk about what others say: reported speech in spanish ”.

Wohh just what I was searching for, thank you for putting up.

You really make it appear really easy along with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be really something that I feel I might by no means understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking ahead to your subsequent submit, I will try to get the hang of it!

If anything is confusing about spanish grammar, it is converting indirect speech from direct speech. I am totally confused, but with your conversion table, i shall have a formula to help me in this daunting part of spanish grammar. Thanks

Could someone advise me on the best way to translate, ” He told me to tell you to tell your mom hello” basically I’m trying to see the best way to translate speech between 3 or more people.

Here you have my answer: “Él me dijo que te dijera que digas Hola a tu madre” o “Él me dijo que te diga que digas hola a tu madre”

Very nice indeed. Now I can back up in clear print what I sometimes try to explain to people. There is, however, one thing I do not understand. There is an asterisk just under the first table which lists certain tenses which do not change. What does this mean? Do you have a couple of examples? Muchas gracias, Melita

Hi Melita, That means that the tense doesn’t change when we transform it into reported speech, we keep the same tense that we have in the Direct Speech.

Hola María, In the table for preterite, the examples for last two forms are incorrect. Preterito Imperfecto (Subjuntivo) of creer is creyeron and not creía. Please let me know

The examples are: El dijo: “No creo que venga” — El dijo que no creía que viniera. — El imperfecto de subjuntivo is only for the verb after “que”, so viniera. Creía goes in imperfecto indicativo. Same with the other examples.

This page really helped me through some tough times. Thank you professor for everything you do.

Really happy to read this David!

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Indirect/reported speech in Spanish

Direct speech is when we use the exact same words someone says, exactly as they say it. Reported speech is when we report what someone has said in the past. 

Reported speech in Spanish works very similarly to how reported speech works in English. For example:

Direct speech: "Tengo frío." "I'm cold."

Reported speech in present tense: Ella dice que tiene frío.  She says she is cold.

Reported speech in past tense: Ella dijo que tenía frío.   She said she was cold.

As you can see, when we report speech in the present tense using "dice que..." the tense used in the reported speech remains the same.

However, if we report speech in the past tense using  "dijo que..." the tense changes: tengo → tenía / am → was ) - note that it happens both in English and Spanish. 

But there are lots of things to consider when learning about indirect/reported speech.

Using "que" in Spanish reported speech

Bear in mind that in Spanish we always need  "que" in reported speech while in English you can often choose whether or not to use  "that":

Dice va a llover .

Dicen están contentos .

Reported speech in the present tense

When we report speech using the present tense, i.e. dice que ..., está diciendo que.. . the tense used in the orginal sentence from the direct speech remains the same. This also applies when reporting speech in the present perfect in Spanish: ha dicho que... 

Here are some examples:

"Ayer fui al cine."  ("Yesterday I went to the cinema.")

"Iré a la piscina con Juan."  ("I'll go to the swimming pool with Juan.")

"Yo habría esperado un poco."  ("I would have waited a bit.")

As you can see, the tense doesn't change, but the conjugation changes in reported speech to match with the new subject:

Reported speech in the past tense

We need to be careful with the tense change in reported speech when we transmit the information using the Spanish preterite tense: dijo que... 

Here's a table to see these changes: 

The changes described above shows the most natural correlation/sequence of tenses.

Bear in mind though that spoken Spanish can be somewhat flexible and that these changes are not always used as strictly as shown in the table above. An example of this is when we interpret what is said in the direct speech as something that is still happening when reporting it.

For example, is someone says: "Estoy embarazada."  ("I am pregnant.")   you can report this as:

Me dijo que estaba embarazada. She told me she was pregnant.

This is the usual sequence of tenses, from the present to the imperfect as we explained above.

But you could also say:

Me dijo que está embarazada.  She told me she was pregnant [and still is]. = She told me she is pregnant.

Keeping the present tense using  "que está..." emphasises the fact that she is still pregnant at the moment of reporting it. So we permit some flexibility to allow for these nuances.

Have a look at some more examples and notice what changes in the reported speech:

" Llegué temprano." - Dijo que había llegado temprano. "I arrived early." - He said he had arrived early.

" Veremos una película." - Dijeron que verían una película. "We'll watch a film." - They said they'd watch a film.

"Ana había fumado ". - Dijo que Ana había fumado . "Ana had smoked." - He said Ana had smoked.

"Ojalá lo hubiera sabido ." - Dijo que ojalá lo hubiera sabido . I wish I'd known. - He said he wished he had known.

"Quería que yo pagara" . - Dijo que quería que ella pagara . "He wanted me to pay." - He said he wanted her to pay.

"Me encantaría volver." - Dijo que le encantaría volver. "I'd love to come back." - She said she'd love to come back.

"Mi madre se habría enfadado ." - Dijo que su madre se habría enfadado. "My mum would have got cross." - She said that her mum would have got cross."

"Es posible que vuelva ." - Dijo que era posible que volviese ." "I may come back." - He said he may come back.

"No vayas a Madrid". Le dijo que no fuera a Madrid. "Don't go to Madrid." - He asked him (lit: said to him) not to go to Madrid.

Spacial and time references in reported speech

We have to bear in mind that if there is a spacial reference in the direct speech, we may need to change it if at the moment of reporting it time has passed or we are in a different place.  For example:

"Hace calor aquí ."  ("It's hot here.")

"Lo he pasado genial este verano ."  ("I had a great time this summer.")

Possessives in reported speech

Possessives also need changing in reported speech. For example:

" Mis hijos son muy listos."   ("My children are very clever.")

Notice how now that we are doing reported speech mis becomes sus . 

Questions in reported speech

If we are reporting questions then we tend to use the verb preguntar  as the introductory verb:  pregunta que..., preguntó que... 

When there is an interrogative pronoun:   dónde, cuándo, quién.. it works as follows.

Direct speech (question): "¿Cuándo llega Blanca?"  ("When is Blanca arriving?")

Direct speech (question) :  "¿Cómo se hace esto?"  ("How do you do this?")

Direct speech (question) :  "¿Quién es Marta Sánchez?" ("Who is Marta Sánchez?")

Note that dropping "que" in this case would also be acceptable:

Preguntaba quién era Marta Sánchez.

Preguntó cómo se hacía aquello.

Preguntan cuándo llega Blanca.

When there is no interrogative pronoun in the direct speech we use  "pregunta si . .., preguntó si . ..":

Direct speech (question) :  "¿Tienen ustedes los documentos?"  ("Do you have the documents?")

Direct speech (question) :  "¿Te apetece una cerveza?" ("Do you want a beer?")

Other reporting verbs in reported speech

Bear in mind that the most common verb used to introduce reported speech is  decir,  which we've used in our examples in this lesson, but there are other reporting verbs that can be used in reported speech, such as: aclarar que..., sugerir que..., apuntar que..., recomendar que..., repetir que... etc. Some examples are:

Direct speech:  "Estudiad más", dijo el profesor.   ("Study more", said the teacher.")

Direct speech:  "No fue mi intención interrumpir la reunión."  ("It wasn't my intention to interrupt the meeting.")

Using the verbs pedir and decir in reported speech for orders/commands

The verbs  pedir and  decir are generally used in reported speech in Spanish to convey an order. They are soft orders in comparison to the verb "ordenar" (to order).  We report with these verbs when the direct speech is in the imperative:

Direct speech:  "¡Venid aquí!" (Come here!)

Direct speech:  "¡Compra pan!"  ("Buy some bread!")

Direct speech:  "¡Suban rápido!"  ("Come up quickly!")

These two videos will help you clarify any doubt about Spanish reported speech:

Reported speech in the present

Reported speech in the past

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El Estilo Indirecto – How to Quote Someone in Spanish

If you ever find yourself telling a story (or simply gossiping), you may need to quote what someone has said to you in Spanish.

To do this, you will need to use el estilo indirecto , which is known as the indirect style or reported speech in English.

When you want to quote what someone has said or asked you, you need to decide if you are going to quote them directly or indirectly. The easier of the two options is a direct quote.

For example, imagine a friend, Sandra, tells you this:

“I am pregnant.”

You then want to relay that information to someone else. You could directly quote Sandra like this:

“Sandra said ‘I am pregnant’.”

Or alternatively, you may prefer to quote Sandra indirectly:

“Sandra told me that she was pregnant.”

From this example, you can see that directly quoting someone can be a little risky.

If you are chatting with a friend and you choose the first option but the person misses the “Sandra said” part, you may find yourself with the awkward task of explaining that it was, in fact, someone else that was pregnant and not you.

Instead, in this context, it would be safer to quote indirectly by including a “she was” in your quote.

When using the indirect style, you may also notice, you have to change the present tense to the past tense—’I am ‘ to ‘she was ‘.

In this post, you’ll learn how to use el estilo indirecto including how to change tenses, which verbs you need to be careful with, and how to change possessive adjectives.

Estilo indirecto in the present tense

The first step for learning  el estilo indirecto in Spanish is to practice transmitting quotes in the present tense.

In Spanish, just like English, you can quote directly:

English: She says “…”. Español: Ella dice “…”.

Or you can quote indirectly, notice the key change is the addition of que :

English: She says that … . Español: Ella dice que … .

As I mentioned earlier, the direct style is easier because you don’t have to change what was said. You can simply quote word for word.

For example, imagine you have a son and he says:

English: I’m hungry. Español: Tengo hambre.

You then want to relay that information to your partner. When talking about your son you could quote directly:

English: He says “I’m hungry”. Español: Él dice “tengo hambre”.

Or if you wanted to use the indirect style, you would need to change the conjugation from the first person to the third person. You can quote indirectly as follows:

English: He says that he is hungry. Español: Él dice que tiene  hambre.

Another example—you are waiting for someone and they call to say they are going to be late:

English: I’m going to be late. Español: Voy a llegar tarde.

You want to tell the person you are with that your friend just said he is going to be late, to quote indirectly you need to say:

English: He says that he is going to be late. Español: Él dice que va  a llegar tarde.

In addition to the above examples, the indirect style in Spanish can also be used to relay a question.

But instead of que , you need to use si   (if).

For example, your friend asks you:

English: Are you tired? Español: ¿Estás cansada?

And then someone else asks you “what did they just ask you?”, you could relay the question indirectly as follows:

English: She asks if I am tired. Español: Ella pregunta si estoy cansada. 

To quickly summarise thus far, if you want to quote a statement indirectly, use the Spanish verb  decir  with the conjunction  que.  If you want to quote a question indirectly use preguntar and si .

Next, let’s look at how you should change possessive adjectives when using the estilo indirecto .

Estilo indirecto and possessive adjectives

Here is a list of the  Spanish possessive adjectives :

When you are transferring information using the Spanish indirect style, on top of changing verb conjugations, you also have to change the possessive adjective.

For example, someone could say:

English: I don’t have your phone number. Español:  No tengo tu número de teléfono . 

If you wanted to tell another person what is being said you could say:

English: He says that he doesn’t have my phone number. Español: Él dice que no tiene mi número de teléfono.

Working out which possessive adjective you have to use and whether the verb needs to change conjugation requires careful thought. Here is another example:

English: This is our new house. Español: Esta es nuestra nueva casa. 

To tell someone else what is being said, you should say:

English: She says that this is their new house. Español: Ella dice que esta es su nueva casa.

Notice that the verb doesn’t change in this example. This is because the subject is in the third person ( esta ) in both sentences. But, the possessive adjective changes from nuestra (our) to su  (their).

As an aside, if you are trying to remember whether it’s ser  vs  estar  for possession—the rule is it’s always  ser . Also if you are wondering whether it should be  nuestra nueva casa  or  nuestra casa nueva , check out this article on Spanish adjectives  for figuring out Spanish adjective order.

Estilo indirecto in the past tense

Now we are at the part where el estilo indirecto can get a little more complicated.

Here is how you should quote indirectly in the past:

English: She said that … . Español: Ella dijo que … .

Or with a question:

English: She asked if … . Español: Ella preguntó si … .

Whenever you relay information about what was said in the past you need to be very careful when changing the verb tense.

At the start, I gave the example of ‘she said she was pregnant’, even though she is still pregnant right now, you have to change ‘is’ to ‘was’ because the indirect information was transferred in the past.

So the question is, what tense do you use in Spanish when transferring information in the past: the past simple or the past imperfect ?

The answer: it depends!

If a statement was made in the present tense, for the indirect message, you have to change the conjugated verb to the past imperfect tense. If a statement was made in the past imperfect, you don’t need to change it at all. If it was made in the past simple, you can choose between two options—the past simple or the past perfect .

The following table explains all of the verb changes you need to make:

Here are some examples with all of these verb changes for indirect speech in action:

1. The original message is in the present tense

From the table above you can see that all present tense messages indirectly relayed from the past need to change to the past imperfect .

I’ll start with the pregnant example from earlier. Here is the original message:

English: I’m pregnant. Español: Estoy embarazada.

To transfer this statement to someone else the following day, you could say:

English: Sandra said that she was pregnant. Español: Sandra dijo que estaba embarazada.

And the example with the child being hungry:

English: I’m hungry. Español: Tengo hambre.

If you wanted to transfer this sentence at some time in the future, you could say:

English: He said that he was hungry. Español: Él dijo que tenía hambre.

2. The original message is in the past imperfect tense

When you are relaying a message that was said in the past imperfect, you don’t have to change the tense. But, you will probably still need to change the person.

Imagine you tell someone that you didn’t use to like cheese when you were younger, and they couldn’t believe it so they ask again to confirm:

English: You didn’t use to like cheese? Español: ¿No te gustaba el queso?

You could then relay that question to someone else like this:

English: She asked if I didn’t use to like cheese. Español: Ella preguntó si no me gustaba el queso.

3. The original message is in the past simple tense

When the original message is in the past simple tense, you may hear the indirect message in either the past simple or past perfect tense .

For example, if your friend José said:

English: Last week, I went to the mountains. Español: La semana pasada, fui a la montaña.

And you wanted to transmit that message using the estilo indirecto , you could say:

English: José said that last week he went to the mountains. Español: José dijo que la semana pasada fue a la montaña.

But, you may also hear the past perfect being used to relay this statement:

English: José said that last week he had gone to the mountains. Español: José dijo que la semana pasada había ido a la montaña.

4. The original message is in the present perfect tense

For relaying a message in the present perfect  you must use the past perfect tense.

Imagine your friends, Juan and Carla, tell you:

English: This morning, we found a new cafe. Español: Esta mañana, hemos encontrado una nueva cafetería.

And you have to tell someone else, you could say:

English: Juan and Carla said that they had found a new cafe. Español: Juan y Carla dijeron que habían encontrado un nueva  cafetería .

5. The original message is in the past perfect tense

When the original message is in the past perfect tense, you don’t have to change the tense, you only have to change the person.

Imagine you have a friend that is going to do something dangerous or strange, then when you question him he says:

English: I had done it before. Español:  Lo había hecho antes .

Using el estilo indirecto , you could say:

English: He said that he had done it before. Español: Él dijo que lo había hecho antes.

6. The original message is in the future tense

If you want to change a statement made in the past, about the future, you need to change the future tense to the conditional tense .

Imagine a Spanish friend of yours says:

English: I will start to study English tomorrow. Español: Empezaré a estudiar inglés mañana.

Then later, using the indirect style to share the comment with someone else, you have to say:

English: He said that he would start to study English the following day. Español: Él dijo que empezaría a estudiar inglés al día siguiente.

Notice that  mañana  had to change to al día siguiente . There are a few changes that you also have to make with reference to time periods. I’ll go through these in the last section below.

7. The original message is in the conditional tense

The last tense that I’m going to cover in this overview of el estilo indirecto is the conditional tense. Just like the past imperfect and past perfect tenses, you don’t have to change the tense, just the person.

For example, a few friends say:

English: We would like to go to the center of town tonight. Español: Nos gustaría ir al centro esta noche.

To tell someone else, you can say:

English: They said that they would like to go to the center of town tonight. Español: Ellos dijeron que les gustaría ir al centro esta noche.

Verbs you have to be careful with using el estilo indirecto

There are four verbs you have to use thoughtfully when relaying a message in the indirect style. These are:

So, for example, when the original message contains the verb  ir , the indirect message would need to replace ir  with  venir .

But, these changes only occur in certain situations.

A great example for demonstrating these changes would be an imaginary dinner party that you are hosting.

When talking about the time a Spanish friend Paco said he is going to arrive:

English: I’ll go to your house at 8 pm. Español: Iré a tu casa a las 8.

To explain this to someone at the party, you could say:

English: Paco said that he would come at 8 pm. Español: Paco dijo que vendría a las 8.

Here you would have to change the simple future tense to the conditional and the verb  ir  to venir .

As an example with the other two verbs, Paco could also have said:

English: I’ll bring a bottle of wine. Español: Llevaré una botella de vino.

To relay this, you could say:

English: Paco said that he will bring a bottle of wine. Español: Paco dijo que traería una botella de vino.

I mentioned that these four verbs only change in certain situations. I chose an imaginary dinner party at your house because the verbs will only change when the message relates to where you are—in this case, your house.

If you were relaying a message about Paco going anywhere other than where you currently are, then you would keep ir  in the indirect message.

Adverb changes with the indirect style

In this last section, you will learn how to change adverbs of time when using the indirect style.

Here is a summary of the changes:

To demonstrate these changes in action, someone could say:

English: Today is my birthday. Español: Hoy es mi cumpleaños.

In el estilo indirecto , you could say:

English: She said that that day was her birthday. Español: Ella dijo que aquel día era su cumpleaños.

Here is an example for mañana:

English: I don’t want to go to school tomorrow. Español: No quiero ir a la escuela mañana.

To relay this message, you could say:

English: He said that he didn’t want to go to school the following day. Español: Él dijo que no quería ir a la escuela al día siguiente .

For yesterday, if someone said:

English: I spoke with Alejandro yesterday. Español: Hablé con Alejandro ayer.

Then you could quote this indirectly like this:

English: She said she had spoken with Alejandro the previous day. Español: Ella dijo que había hablado con Alejandro el día anterior .

An example for ahora :

English: Now I’m very busy. Español: Ahora estoy muy ocupado.

As an indirect quote for this original message, say:

English: He said that he was very busy then. Español: Él dijo que estaba muy ocupado entonces .

Lastly, for después , an original message:

English: I will help you later. Español: Te ayudaré después.

And in el estilo indirecto , you can say:

English: He said that he would help me later. Español: Él dijo que me ayudaría más tarde.

I suggest you learn  el estilo indirecto  in multiple stages. Start with transferring quotes and questions in the present tense. Then build up by relaying information in the past using the rules above.

Like everything in language learning, the key is to use what you have learned. The best training ground is a real-world conversation because this will help make it stick.

What information will you share using el estilo indirecto ?

Reader Interactions

July 10, 2017 at 3:41 pm

There is one part about this subject that I am having difficulty to understand. Why can’t I use under any circumstances “me ha dicho que … ” ?

I am asking the question like this because non of the examples you have written above includes “me ha dicho “.

Now imagine:

I see a friend on the street and he tells me something. And JUST 10 MINUTES LATER I see another friend and want to tell this second friend “what this first friend HAS TOLD me”. Why do I have to use “me dijo que” for something that happened just 10 minutes ago? Or the same question applies to the situations that occur in the last 24 hours like “esta mañana, hace 5 horas, etc.”

July 10, 2017 at 3:55 pm

Hola Kaplanfa,

This is a great question!! I have avoided the present perfect in this discussion because it complicates the topic quite a bit.

In fact, “ha dicho” without “que” needs to use the same verb changes as “me dijo que”. And, conversely, “ha dicho que” doesn’t make any verb changes and is equivalent to ‘el estilo directo’ (a direct quote) “dice” without “que”.

If you just saw someone 10 minutes ago, and you want to quote what that person said, you can use a combination of “acabar de” and present tense.

For example: He just told me he is going to be late – Él acaba de decirme que va a llegar tarde.

¡Gracias por la pregunta!

July 11, 2017 at 2:18 pm

Gracias tio!

July 11, 2017 at 8:24 pm

¡De nada! 🙂

August 1, 2017 at 2:59 pm

Hi Andrew, it is me again with a different question about the same subject. (:

What if the sentence took place in the past is something ALWAYS true? Example:

“My house is 10 minutes walking away from the beach.”

“Me dijo que su casa estaba / estuvo situada a 10 minutos andando de la playa. ”

It sounds a bit weird to me to use “pasado” for something that will be correct in the near and far future. I mean it would make sense a bit more if the conversation took place a long time ago. But imagine you need to say this sentence just 5 minutes later after hearing it. Are there exceptions to this rule? Depending to the time frame can this sentence be correct?

“He hablado con el esta mañana, y me dijo que su casa ESTA situada a 10 minutos andando de la playa. Voy por alla ahora.”

To me it just doesn’t sound right to use pasado for something that has just happened and will always (relatively) be correct.

I hope I have managed to explain my question..

August 2, 2017 at 8:07 am

Yes, that’s okay. Think about the situation in English when we say “I went to a party last night and met a girl and her name ‘was/is’ María”. Her name is still María today but we sometimes use ‘was’ because the event of the meeting took place in the past. You can say “…su casa estaba / está…” both past imperfect and present could be used here.

August 3, 2017 at 10:56 am

January 26, 2018 at 2:03 pm

Andrew, thank you for another excellent explanation, the examples were really helpful. One apparent inconsistency, #4 in the chart says Present Perfect requires Past Imperfect while #4 in the examples says Present Perfect requires Past Perfect in indirect speech which sounds right to me. Am I becoming a reported speech nerd :-)) Saludos, Rod

January 26, 2018 at 4:33 pm

Hola Rod, yes that was a typo. The “imperfect” in the table should have said “perfect” to match the examples section.

April 30, 2020 at 2:51 pm

really appreciate the amount of work and thought . you always come up with useful areas- thanks Andrew.

April 30, 2020 at 3:11 pm

Thanks for the feedback David! 🙂

April 30, 2020 at 7:29 pm

I have a question on the first example. “All present tense messages indirectly relayed from past need to change to present imperfect” Your example is Sandra tells you: “I am pregnant” and to quote her indirectly: “Sandra me dijo que estaba embarazada.” The latter would seem to indicate that she is no longer pregnant, that she used to be. How do you avoid this sort of misunderstanding?

April 30, 2020 at 8:25 pm

Great question Linda! This is a problem in both English and Spanish in the same way. For example: – I met a girl last night and she was beautiful. She told me she was from Spain and her name was María. In this example, she is still beautiful, she is still from Spanish, and her name is still María. But, due to the nature of the sentence, we need to use the past tenses for the descriptions. A good way to get around this problem in Spanish and English is to add a time period, we could say “yesterday my friend told me she was pregnant”, then it is unlikely that she gave birth between the conversation yesterday and today. We could also add that she has been pregnant for a specific period of time such as 3 months.

April 30, 2020 at 10:06 pm

Thanks for the response. It does seem to be a question in both languages. I tried it out on my husband who fell into the same past usage. Adding in a time frame can be helpful here. Thanks again. Linda

June 22, 2020 at 6:58 am

Muchas gracias Andrew. The transference of this information- direct to indirect uses the verb time structures I’m familiar with and all make sense. However, what happens when an indirect reply uses subjunctive triggers, like future cuando or quizás etc, are the verbs adjustments made to accommodate this form.

June 22, 2020 at 7:38 am

Thanks for the comment Nick! Yes, there are adjustments to be made with the subjunctive mood, but we haven’t included them because we don’t want to overload this topic now. We want our students to master the use of “el estilo indirecto” using the indicative mood, then we cover the changes in the subjunctive mood in our level 4 course.

April 22, 2021 at 2:38 pm

Thank you so much. As an older-older than dirt-student with no friends with which to practice I so appreciate your advice.

April 22, 2021 at 3:06 pm

Thanks for the comment! 🙂

June 28, 2021 at 7:58 pm

I am grateful for this article and that most of this “seems” somewhat intuitive, for the most part. I’ll see how “intuitive” it is when I try to put it into practice! And thanks for not including the subjunctive right now. That would have been overwhelming for me at my stage.

June 28, 2021 at 8:01 pm

Thanks for the feedback Gordon!! 🙂

January 27, 2022 at 5:27 am

This is really helpful. I have a question that sounds strange when I ask it but I mean it sincerely. If you know how to use the indicative tenses in both languages, aren’t these changes in tense self-evident? It could be me, but it’s almost more confusing to think of the indirect style as a separate thing when it seems to happen naturally? Thanks so much for your clear presentation of it (and really appreciate the omission of the subjunctive, of which I know nothing yet).

January 29, 2022 at 12:55 pm

How Brewster, yes, you’re right, in general, the changes are quite logical. That said, this topic is more challenging in Spanish. The first challenge is changing verb conjugations, which are more complex than in English. The next challenge is changing past tenses (e.g. past simple vs past imperfect). And lastly, it’s layering on the different moods (imperative, subjunctive, conditional), which adds another layer of complexity over English. But, if that all comes across as self-evident to you, then that’s great!!! 🙂

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Reported Speech in Spanish: Verbal Changes

Reported speech in Spanish ( estilo indirecto ) is a concept that linguists use to explain how the speakers interpret another person’s words. Spaniards love cotilleos (rumors), knowing about our neighbors’ lives or telling secrets. Well, when you need to tell a past conversation, you can use the reported speech in Spanish .

What does it imply? When you interpret the literal words that other person said in the past, you will need to make changes in the vebal tenses, pronouns, adverbs and other types of words. Today we’ll focus on the verbal changes.

First of all, we should understand why we must change the tense of verbs when we use the reported speech in Spanish . If you refer to a conversation, you should introduce those words using a verbum dicendi (verb of speaking in Latin), such as decir, comentar, preguntar, declarar… In addition to this, those verbs must be in the past, because that conversation took place some time ago. Due to this, the secondary verbs will need to go a step back to the past. Let’s see some examples:

Presente de indicativo = Pretérito imperfecto

There is a strong relationship between these two tenses in Spanish. The present simple is used for descriptions and habits and the imperfect past is the same, but in the past. In the reported speech in Spanish we can see this similarity:

Mi amigo: “Para mejorar mi español siempre escucho podcasts y leo blogs”

Mi amigo dijo que para mejorar su español siempre escuchaba podcasts y leía

Pretérito imperfecto doesn’t change in the reported speech in Spanish

There is no option in Spanish to express a past habit further than the imperfect in the past. That’s why we keep the tense in the reported speech in Spanish :

Mi padre: “Cuando yo era joven, no había tanto tiempo para estudiar”

Mi padre me comentó que cuando él era joven, no había tanto tiempo para estudiar.

Pretérito indefinido = Pretérito pluscuamperfecto

However, we take a specific past action ( pretérito indefinido ) a step back to the past ( pluperfect ). That is the common use of the pluperfect in Spanish:

Mi profesor: “Ayer no hiciste los deberes y no estudiaste nada”.

Mi profesor me dijo que el día anterior no había hecho los deberes y no había estudiado

Pretérito perfecto = Pretérito pluscuamperfecto

As it happens with the pretérito indefinido , a specific action in the past, although this past is recient or in a non-finished period of time, we must take it back into the past using the pluperfect:

Mi novia: “ He oído que la clase de conversación en Spanishviaskype.com ha sido muy divertida”.

Mi novia me indicó que había oído que la clase de conversación en Spanishviaskype.com había sido muy divertida.

Pluscuamperfecto can’t go further into the past in the reported speech in Spanish

Obviously, the pluperfect tense expresses a past action that took place before another past action. So, it can’t be changed in the reported speech in Spanish .

Yo: “Nunca me había sentido tan cómodo en una clase de español como en Spanishviaskype.com”.

Le comenté a mi amigo que nunca me había sentido tan cómodo en una clase de español como en Spanishviaskype.com.

Futuros = Condicionales

The future tenses (imperfect and perfect ones) must be changed into the conditional tenses (imperfect and perfect ones) in the reported speech in Spanish . The reason is that the conditional is a kind of “future in the past”. It can express a subsequent action to another one in the past:

Mi hermano: “El año que viene iré a la universidad y para entonces, habré aprendido inglés”.

Mi hermano me confesó que al año siguiente iría a la universidad y para entonces habría aprendido inglés.

Condicionales remain in the reported speech in Spanish

As it happens with the pretérito imperfecto tense, the conditional tenses don’t change in the reported speech in Spanish.

Mi profe de español: “ Para aprobar el examen DELE , yo practicaría el subjuntivo y ya habría estudiado el estilo indirecto”

Mi profe de español me avisó que para aprobar el examen DELE, él practicaría el subjuntivo y ya habría estudiado el estilo indirecto.

Of course, the reported speech in Spanish has more variables. There are also changes into the subjunctive, the interrogative sentences and also the references of person, time and space. Nevertheless, this will be a topic for further articles. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the reported speech in Spanish , don’t hesitate and reserve a free trial lesson with us .

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« next article: language teaching - refresh your skills » previous article: teaching spanish - informal spanish, thursday, june 13, 2013 (read 828 times), teaching reported speech in spanish, the hows and whys of certain things.

When teaching reported speech , we often present students not only with the structural changes produced between it and direct speech (in relation to articles, pronouns, demonstratives, and time expressions) but also with a list in which the left hand column includes all the verb options that may be used with direct speech (in other words all the verb tenses, both in the indicative and the subjunctive) and in which the right hand column lists the equivalent of those tenses in the past as used with reported speech.

And that’s it.

Understanding Reported Speach

We’re obligated to offer our Spanish students information on these changes as something of an act of faith. Finding a logical explanation for these changes in verb tenses is not common. And I don’t like that. I don’t like it because I’ve always been of the opinion that memory is a good compliment to learning, but it is only a compliment, and it should never substitute comprehension, understanding, the light bulb that flashes on over students’ heads when they suddenly exclaim with a smile, “now I get it!”

And that’s what I want to share with you right now.

To get students to understand why these changes occur, you can kill two birds with one stone by first reviewing the verb tenses in Spanish . I think that we can agree that one of the priorities when repeating someone else’s words is accuracy: we must alter the references to space and time (like saying él instead of yo or aquel día instead of hoy etc.) When changing these time references, we get right into the mechanics of the verb. To start off with, let’s take a look at the past tenses of the indicative.

• The present indicative (as I’ll only discuss tenses in this mode, reference to it will not be used for the sake of convenience) changes in the imperfect. This is because the present is used to express an action in progress, a habitual action, or a description. So what’s the imperfect used for? The same thing, but in a past context.
• The imperfect doesn’t change; it continues as the imperfect, the person of course does change. If you substitute the imperfect for another tense then you’ll be altering the original meaning, which is something we don’t want.
• The perfect changes to the pluperfect. Here’s an unorthodox trick that works for me in class: the perfect tense is composed of the present tense of the verb haber and the participle; if we accept that the present changes to the imperfect… then all you have to do is change the present form of haber to the imperfect and you have… the pluperfect!
• The pluperfect tense doesn’t change. There is no form of the past tense that goes farther back than pluperfect, and the goal is to “take back to the past” the action that’s being talked about in the direct speech structure.
• The indefinite is used to express two different types of information depending on the context: a durative action with limits in the past, in which case it makes sense to change it to the pluperfect, which expresses the same idea of a finalized action in a more remote past; however we can also express a specific past action with the indefinite… Is there any other verb form that expresses the same thing? NO. That’s why, when the indefinite expresses a specific action, you can decide to not change the tense of the verb from the direct speech structure, changing only the references to the speaker.

When I’ve had to work with groups of students that have been more visual learners than auditory or kinesthetic learners, I’ve found the following visual very helpful , observing all the characteristics of each verb tense and moving them into the past until finding something that fits. If it fits, the change is made, if not, the transformation is not made.

Keywords : tenses in spanish,spanish grammar,how to teach spanish,verb tenses spanish,reported speech

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Indirect Speech In Spanish: Learn How To Use It

Last Updated on April 19, 2022 by Elizabeth Alcantara Filed Under: Grammar , Language Worksheet

Reported speech can be intimidating at first glance, but it can also prove to be a lifesaver when you need it. It is all about announcing, passing along, or repeating what someone else says, whether it’s something you heard in a podcast, news your friend just shared with you, or simply a comment that someone made.

Let’s take an example to illustrate how indirect speech works. Your Latin American friend invites you to a family meal. You’re sitting down at the table surrounded by six cousins, four aunts, and five uncles. The baby is crying, the music is loud, the children are laughing, and there are three different conversations taking place at the same time. Suddenly the abuelita sitting next to you asks you what a certain person said… What do you do? Well, you’d take a deep breath and use your reported speech skills, even if you are a little unsure because you know you can’t leave grandma without an answer! 

Reporting what someone has said can prove useful in a wide range of situations, as you can see. In this lesson, I will show you how to easily use this grammar in everyday conversation. So let’s get started! 

Table of Contents

Reported speech in Spanish: estilo directo e indirecto

Before diving into indirect speech (or estilo indirecto), you should know that there is another useful way of repeating information: direct speech or estilo directo. 

If you choose to report a statement, question or command, using estilo directo, you’ll have to repeat all the words exactly as you heard them (like a parrot would), using quotation marks. Take a look at this example:

Mom: “La comida está lista”. (“The food is ready”). 

You: Ella dijo: “La comida está lista”. (She said: “The food is ready”). 

As you can see, the original comment and the reported one are the same. Just like when little kids play el teléfono roto (the broken phone), but the difference is they actually get the final message right.

Now, when you use indirect speech there are some key differences you need to take into consideration. For starters, you don’t need to use quotation marks, and you’ll most likely have to make some adjustments regarding pronouns and verb tenses, which we’ll explain below. But first, let’s check the same example from above, using estilo indirecto:

Mom: “La comida está lista”.

You: Ella dice que la comida está lista. (She says that the food is ready). 

Pretty simple, isn’t it? Only a few changes were made, the quotation marks were sent packing, and the word ‘ que’ (that) was added. 

Now that you can tell the difference between direct and indirect speech, let’s keep diving!

Indirect speech: reporting verbs  

If you take a closer look at the first part of all sentences in indirect speech, you’ll probably notice some verbs like decir (to say), preguntar (to ask), or pedir (to ask). These are what we call reporting verbs, and they are the ones that lead the way for repetition. Check the following reported sentences:

• Cousin: Ella dijo que estaba en el parque. (She said she was at the park). 
• Uncle: Él pregunta dónde está su franela. (He asks where his T-shirt is). 
• Children: Ellos pidieron irse temprano. (They asked to leave early). 

 There are other reporting verbs like anunciar (to announce), comentar (to comment), and contestar (to answer), that could be very useful, too.

The use of ‘que ‘

This word plays a very significant role in indirect speech. As opposed to its English version ‘that’, the word ‘que’ needs to be included, in most cases, after the reporting verb.

• Grandpa: “Quiero comer sopa” (“I want to eat soup”).
• You: Él dice que quiere comer sopa. (He says that he wants to eat soup.) 
• Aunt: “El café no está listo” (The coffee isn’t ready). 
• You: Ella dice que el café no está listo. (She says the coffee isn’t ready). 
• Mom: “¡No toquen las empanadas!” (“Don’t touch the empanadas!”. 
• You: Ella pidió que no tocaran las empanadas. (She asked not to touch the). 

So try not to forget about this short yet crucial word.          

Pronouns and possessives

Since you are repeating what another person said there are some tiny little changes you’ll need to make in the pronouns and possessives in order to keep the meaning of the sentence. Remember you are acting as a messenger, which means the message you are delivering is not actually from your point of view.

• Dad: “ Yo quiero un pedazo de torta” (I want a piece of cake).
• You: Él dice que quiere un pedazo de torta. (He says he wants a piece of cake).
• Mom: “Dejé mi bolso en el carro” (I left my purse in the car).
• You: Ella dice que dejó su bolso en el carro. (She says she left her purse in the car).

Verb tenses

This is the moment when you hold on to your oxygen tank and get ready to explore some slightly deeper waters with us.

So far, you’ve read several example sentences that have probably left you wondering about some changes in the tenses, and you are right! There are some differences you need to learn about. We’ll break them down into three sections: statements, questions, and commands. 

When reporting a statement, the first thing you need to check is the reporting verb. If the verb is in the simple present or present perfect form, the tense in the subordinate clause (the comment you are reporting) does not change. So there you have some good news.

• Uncle: Él dice: “ Necesito más hielo” (“I need more ice”).
• You: Él dice que necesita más hielo. (He says he needs more ice).

Now, when the reporting verb is expressed in the past tense, it’s time to make some adjustments to the subordinate clause:

Present simple to imperfect                                                                                                       

• Dad: El papá dijo: “ Quiero ir a bailar” (The dad said: “I want to go dancing”). 
• You: Él dijo que quería ir a bailar. (He said he wanted to go dancing). 

Preterite to Pluscuamperfecto ( past perfect )

• Mom: Mamá dijo: “Yo preparé las empanadas”. (Mom said: “I prepared the empanadas”).
• You: Ella dijo que ella había preparado las empanadas. (She said she had prepared the empanadas). 

Future simple to Conditional simple

• Aunt: La tía dijo: “ Tomaré una siesta”. (The aunt said: “I will take a nap”) 
• You: Ella dijo que tomaría una siesta. (She said she would take a nap). 

And that’s it! Those are the changes you need to make when reporting statements.

Bonus: if the sentence you are reporting is in the imperfect, conditional or past perfect, you don’t need to change anything.

Reporting questions without a problem will be very easy for you to achieve if you remember these two simple rules:

First , yes or no questions use the word ‘si’ (if) without including the word ‘que’ :

• Mom: La mamá pregunta: “¿Quieren más postre?” (The mom asks: “Do you want more dessert?”). 
• You: Ella pregunta si quieren más postre. (She asks if you want more dessert). 
• Kid: El niño preguntó: “¿Puedo jugar afuera?” (The kid asked: “Can I play outside?”) 
• You: El niño preguntó si podía jugar afuera. (The kid asked if he could play outside). 

Note: Notice how the same tense changes we just explained are applied to questions, too. Always remember to check the tense of the reporting verb so you can make the necessary adjustments.

Second , when you are going to turn an information question into indirect speech, you don’t use ‘que’ nor ‘si’ , this time you use the same question word. Just like you do in English!

• Uncle: El tío pregunta: “¿ Dónde está el perro?” (The uncle asks: “Where is the dog?”) 
• You: Él pregunta dónde está el perro. (He asks where the dog is). 
• Grandpa: El abuelo preguntó: “¿A qué hora sirven el postre?” (Grandpa asked: What time is dessert served?). 
• You: Él preguntó a qué hora servían el postre. (He asked what time dessert was served).
• Cousin: La prima dijo: “¿ Quién despertará a tía Clara?” (The cousin said: “Who will wake Aunt Clara up?”).
• You: Ella preguntó quién despertaría a la tía Clara. (She asked who would wake Aunt Clara up).

It turns out commands bring their own set of rules, but we are confident it won’t be a problem!

To begin with, you’ll always need to make some changes even if the reporting verb is in the simple present or present perfect form. 

Imperative (orders) to present subjunctive

• Grandpa: El abuelo pide: “ Tráiganme un café, por favor”. (Grandpa asks: “Bring me a coffee, please”)
• You: El abuelo pide que le traigan un café, por favor. (Grandpa asks to bring him a coffee, please).
• Grandma: La abuela pide: “ Despiértenme en un rato” (Grandma asks: “Wake me up in a bit”).
• You: La abuela pide que la despierten en un rato. (Grandma asks to wake her up in a bit).

Now, there’s only one change you’ll need to make when the reporting verb is in the past tense, and it’s pretty simple. Check it out:

Imperative to imperfect subjunctive

• Mom: La mamá le dijo al niño: “ Vuelve a la mesa” (The mom told the kid: “Go back to the table”).
• You: La mamá le dijo al niño que volviera a la mesa. (The mom told the kid to go back to the table). 
• Dad: El papá le dijo a la niña: “ Bebe agua” (The dad told the little girl: “Drink water”).
• You: El papá le dijo a la niña que bebiera agua. (The dad told the little girl to drink water).

There you have it. You did great, diver! Now you can enjoy the water for a little while. If you enjoyed this lesson on how to use indirect Speech in Spanish, sign up for our newsletter where we announce new articles.

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Spanish Grammar Lesson: Direct vs Indirect Speech

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March 25, 2017

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The difference between direct and indirect speech (also called reported speech) is pretty easy to understand.  

But it's not very easy to apply when speaking in a foreign language. It is a very important part of communicating, however, and plays an major role in most conversations.

Read on for a quick introduction and guide to direct vs indirect speech in Spanish.

So, what’s the difference?

That’s a very good question! Before we get too far ahead of ourselves with all the little technicalities, let’s make sure that we understand what we’re dealing with here.

In order to do this, take the following conversation:

Pedro: Where are you going?

Jose: To the store.

1: Will you get milk?

2: Sure, no problem.

Now, let’s say Pedro later goes on to have a conversation with someone else, about the above mentioned interaction. There are some options for how they could go about doing this. Let’s just say it looked something like this:

• Pedro: I asked Jose where he was going. He said, “to the store.” So, I asked if he would get some milk, and he said “sure, no problem.”

The above recounting of a previous event or exchange with another person is what we’re going to look at. You have two options when doing this.

The first, is by using quotation marks. This is direct speech. This means that the words are being repeated exactly like they were said.

• He said, “to the store.”
• ...and he said, “sure, no problem.”

The second way of recounting a conversation is through indirect speech. In the example above, this is done through changing the verb tense, although that isn’t always required (we will look at that more later).  

• Reported: I asked him where he was going.
• Reported: I asked if he would get some milk.

Basically, there are 3 important rules to keep in mind when using indirect (reported) speech. They are:

• You will not use quotation marks
• Since you’re not quoting, you don’t need to say word-for-word what the person said
• When reporting what someone said, you generally change the verb tense.

Reporting Verbs

There are still a few things we need to talk about before getting into everyone’s favorite part about grammar--the technicalities.

In order to identify that something is being “reported” or to communicate that you are repeating something that someone said previously, you’ll use a reporting verb. We have them in English as well. The most common are:

*Most common of the most common

“Que”--your new best friend

You’ll notice that (almost) all of the examples above in the chart using reported speech include the little word “que.” This is not a coincidence.

When speaking in reported speech you will always use the “que” (meaning “that”). Even if in English we can and would omit the “that” you still need it in Spanish.”  

“She said that she was tired.”- Here, in English the “that” is optional. This is not the case in Spanish.

“He asked that I go to the store.” (He asked me to go to the store.) - this is one of the examples where the “that” wouldn’t be use in English, but it would in Spanish.

But wait… the questions…

If you’re reporting a question, you have a few options available as they don’t always need the “que”.

Yes and No Questions.

If the answer to the question being reported can be “yes” or “no” you don’t need the “que.” In these situation we would use the “si” like in English (if).

“He asked me if I could go to the store.”- Me preguntó si iba a la tienda .

Questions with question words

If you are reporting a question that contained the question words  (where, who, when, etc.) you will not need the “que” but stick with the question word used in the original context.

• María: Where is Sara? ( ¿Dónde está Sara? )

Reported speech: Maria wanted to know where Sara was. ( María quería saber donde estaba Sara. )

Let’s get a little more technical.

We’ll try to ease you into all of this grammatical stuff. It seems like a lot to remember. But, a lot of it is very common in English as well, so try to not to get too overwhelmed!

Personal pronouns and Possessive pronouns.

Again, let’s start with an example:

• María: Can you tell my brother that I need to talk to him? ¿Puedes decirle a mi hermano que le tengo que hablar?

Here, obviously a few things need to change if you want to report this statement. For one, he’s not your brother and for another you’re not the one that needs to speak to him.

In this situation, the personal pronouns (you, I) need to change, as well as the possessive (my). Here’s how this statement would sound when repeating it later on to someone else:

• The pronouns remain the same.
• Here, you can see that the pronouns did change.

So far so good, right? It’s pretty basic stuff up to this point. Just like in English, we need to change the subject and the pronouns.

Time phrases

Obviously, more often than not, if you’re reporting something that happened it’s because the person you’re recounting the event to wasn’t there when it took place--i.e. it was in the past.

So, here’s how you would change around your time phrases so they line up with what you’re saying:

As you’ll notice above, all of the examples are written in the past. This is also something important to pay attention to, and probably one of the most important grammatical points of reported speech. So, let’s go ahead and dive right into that!

Verb tenses in indirect (reported) speech.

The tense the reporting verb is in (present, past, future) will have a big impact on the rest of the sentence. Not only will you need to pay attention to the tense, but also to what is being said.

Command/Request vs information

Depending on the context of the conversation being reported, you’ll need to use different ways of repeating it.

This is where things can start to get a little tricky. We do have similar rules in English as they do in Spanish, but in English they are a little more flexible, and followed less frequently.

Here are some good rules to keep in mind when using indirect speech in Spanish:

• If the reporting verb is in the present or present perfect tense you do not need to change the verb tense--unless it’s a command (we’ll talk more about this in a minute).
• If the reporting verb is in the preterite, imperfect, or the past perfect tense you do need to change the  verb tense.

Let’s look at a quick scenario and see what we have:

Scenario: Let’s say you’re texting with someone, and your friend (who you’re with physically) wants to know what the person texting you is saying.

Person 1: What did he say?

Person 2: He asked if we are free tonight. ( reporting information )

1: Why? What does he want?

2: He wants us to help him move. ( reporting a request )

Here, we can see that in the first part, Person 2 is simply repeating the information . He asked a question, and this is what it is. The reporting verb “want to know” is in the present, so the second verb is in the present as well.

In the second part of the exchange, the reporting verb is in the present, so in English, we keep the it in the present as well. In Spanish, however, if we are reporting a request or command , we need to use the subjunctive. In this case it will be the present subjunctive because the reporting verb is in present.

In Spanish the conversation would go like this:

Person 1: ¿Qué dijo?”

Person 2: Quiere saber si estamos libres esta noche. (present-present)

1: ¿Por qué? ¿Qué quiere?

2: Quiere que le ayudemos a hacer la mudanza. (present-present subjunctive)

Note: This change to the subjunctive only happens with certain verbs: Decir, Pedir, Querer. An easy way to remember this is if they verb will be followed by “si” or “que.”

• Quiere saber si podemos salir esta noche. (He wants to know if I can go out tonight.)
• Me pregunta si quiero quedar mañana. (He’s asking if I can meet up tomorrow.)
• Again, in this situation you’re not necessarily relaying the request or the command, but merely the information contained in the request itself.
• Me dice que tenga cuidado. (He tells me to be careful.)
• Frenando me pide que le ayude con los deberes. (Franks asks me to help with the homework.)
• Fernando me dice que tengo que ir a clase mañana.

Verb Tense Changes

So, if you feel like all of that has settled into your mind and it’s not going to explode just yet, let’s keep chugging along!

As mentioned above, if the reporting verb is in present, it will only change (to present subjunctive) if the thing being reported is a command/ request. When the reporting verb is in the past, however, the rest of the information being reported will need to change tense. Here’s how that is going to work:

Present Simple--Imperfect

• Direct speech: Angela dijo, “No puedo ir.” (Angela said, “I can’t go.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Angela dijo que no podía ir. (Angela said that she couldn’t go.)

Preterite--Pluscuamperfecto (past perfect)

• Direct speech: Sergio dijo, “Ayer compré un movil nuevo.”  (Sergio said, “Yesterday I bought a new cell phone.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Sergio dijo que el día anterior había comprado un movil nuevo. (Sergio said that the day before he had bought a new phone.)

Future simple (will)--Conditional simple (would)

• Direct speech : Candela dijo, “Llegaré tarde.” - (Candela said, “I’ll arrive late.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Candela dijo que llegaría tarde. - (Candela said that she would arrive late.)

Imperfect/Conditional/Past Perfect

With these, you will not change second verb tense. Yay!

• Direct speech: Juan dijo, “la playa era muy bonita.” (Juan said, “the beach was very pretty.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Juan dijo que la playa era muy bonita . (Juan said that beach was very pretty.)

Conditional:  

• Direct speech: María dijo, “Me gustaría vivir en Nueva York.” (Maria said, “I would like to live in New York.”
• Indirect/ Reported speech: María dijo que le gustaría vivir en Nueva York. (Maria said she would like to live in New York.
• Past Perfect
• Direct speech: Mi padre me dijo, “a las 5 ya había llegado. ” (My dad told me, “at 5 I had already arrived.”)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mi padre me dijo que a las 5 ya había llegado . (My dad told me that a 5 he had already arrived.)

Just one more thing… I promise!

One last thing to remember, like we saw with the present tense, if the verb in the past is a reporting verb, and what is being reported is a command or request, you will use the subjunctive--past subjunctive this time!

• Direct speech: Mis padres me dijeron, “vuelve a casa a las 23.00. ” (My parents told me, “be home at 11:00pm.)
• Indirect/ Reported speech: Mis padres me dijeron que volviera a casa a las 23.00 . (My parents told me to be home by 11:00 pm.)

¡Madre Mía! That was a lot of information!

Let’s see if we can condense it down just a little bit.

Important rules to remember. If you are using reporting speech:

If you do need to change the verb tense, this is why and when:

• Commands or requests with a present tense reporting verb will take the present subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.
• Again, commands or requests with a past tense reporting verb will need to take the past subjunctive conjugation in the following verb.

If the reporting verb is in the past, these are the changes you’ll make:

• Present simple--imperfect
• Preterite-Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)
• Will future--simple continual (would)

Verbs that will not change the tense of the others verbs:

• Conditional

Things to keep in mind:

• Remember your reporting verbs
• Remember to change the personal and possessive pronouns
• Remember your time phrases

In reality, it’s not as complicated as it looks. It may take a little practice to get used to, but after a while, you’ll find that is relatively similar to what we do in English. Do you have any shortcuts you use to remember the rules mentioned above? Is reported (indirect) speech something you struggle with? Let us know in the comments!

About the author 

Anastasia is a Chicago, Illinois native. She began studying Spanish over 10 years ago, and hasn’t stopped since. Living in Spain since 2012, she loves Spanish tortilla, vino tinto, and anything that contains jamón ibérico.

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