español · B2 · grammar · 4 minutes
Reported speech
Rebuild another speaker’s message from a new time and viewpoint.
Understand the choice
Reported speech rebuilds an earlier message from a new speaker, time, and place. Tense backshift is one tool, but pronouns and expressions such as hoy, mañana, aquí, and venir may also need a new viewpoint.
Core rule: When reporting from a past viewpoint, future may shift to conditional and an earlier past action may shift to pluperfect.
Notice it in context
Marta dijo que llegaría tarde y que ya había llamado.
Marta said that she would arrive late and had already called.
When reporting from a past viewpoint, future may shift to conditional and an earlier past action may shift to pluperfect.
Dijo: «No puedo ir».
She said, “I cannot go.”
Direct speech preserves the original present form.
Dijo que no podía ir.
She said that she could not go.
Reported speech shifts person and time viewpoint.
What to remember
- A present often shifts to imperfect after a past reporting verb: dijo que no podía ir.
- An original future can shift to conditional, while an already completed earlier action can shift to pluperfect.
Common trap: Do not shift tenses mechanically whenever dijo appears. Shift only what the new past viewpoint requires, and also update pronouns, place, and time expressions.