français · B2 · grammar · 4 minutes
Reported speech in a past frame
Shift present, future, and completed statements relative to a past reporting verb.
Understand the choice
Reported speech relocates another speaker’s words around a new reference point. The shift is semantic, not just mechanical: preserve what was simultaneous, later, or already earlier than the original act of speaking.
Core rule: After a past reporting verb, present commonly shifts to imparfait, future to conditional, and an already completed past to plus-que-parfait when the timeline requires sequence.
Notice it in context
Elle a expliqué qu’elle travaillait chez elle et qu’elle finirait plus tard.
She explained that she was working from home and would finish later.
A expliqué sets a past reference; travaillait is simultaneous; finirait is later relative to it.
Il a dit : « J’ai perdu mes clés. » → Il a dit qu’il avait perdu ses clés.
He said, “I lost my keys.” → He said that he had lost his keys.
The completed loss precedes the saying, so plus-que-parfait clarifies sequence.
Elle a promis : « Je viendrai. » → Elle a promis qu’elle viendrait.
She promised, “I will come.” → She promised that she would come.
Original future becomes conditional relative to the past promise.
What to remember
- Pronouns and time expressions may also shift: aujourd’hui can become ce jour-là.
- If the reported fact is still universally true, the present may remain.
Common trap: Do not change tense without checking the timeline. Decide whether each reported event was simultaneous, earlier, or later than the reporting.