Reported Speech

Se trata de contar a una persona lo que ha dicho otra persona. Por ejemplo: María dijo
que iba a llegar tarde mañana a la reunión.
1 ~Cambios Verbales~
Presente simple Past simple
Presente continuo Past continuous
Pasado simple Past perfect
Pasado continuo Past perfect continuous
Presente perfecto simple (present Past perfect
perfect)
Presente perfecto continuo Past perfect continuous
Pasado perfecto simple (past perfect) Past perfect
Pasado perfecto continuo Past perfect continuous
Futuro simple (will) Would
Futuro continuo (will be + v.ing) Would be + v.ing
Be going to Was/were going to
Must Had to
Have to Had to
Can Could
Shall Should
May Might
Ought to Ought to

2 ~Cambios en “expressions of time or place”~

Now Then
Today That day
Tomorrow The next day/ the following day
Next (week, month, year…) The following…
Yesterday The day before
Last (week, month, year…) The…before/ the previous…
Tonight That night
(a week, a month, a year…) ago … before
Here There
This (week, month, year…) That
These Those

3 ~Cambios de pronouns and possesive adjetives~

I He/She
We They
Me Him/Her
Us Them
My His/Her
Our Their
Your My
Mine His/Her
Myself Himself/Herself
Ourselves Themselves
 Yourself/yourselves Myself/Ourselves

¿Cómo se hace?
Tenemos que observar en qué tiempo está la oración original, si hay expresiones de
tiempo o lugar y los pronombres que se emplean para poder realizar los cambios.

Direct speech: The boss must sign my letter today, Jean said.
Reported speech: Jean said (that) the boss had to sign his letter that day.

PERO… ¡tenemos distintos tipos de reported speech!

- Reported speech “normal”: Oraciones afirmativas y negativas (ejemplo de arriba).
- Reported questions: preguntas (hay dos tipos).
- Reporting offers, advice and promises: ofrecimientos, consejos y promesas.
- Imperatives or reported commands: órdenes.

REPORTED QUESTIONS
1- El verbo cambia.
2- Tenemos que convertir la pregunta en una oración afirmativa.
3- Se suele introducir con he/she ASKED.
Existen dos tipos:
Las preguntas cuya respuesta es sí o no.
Para hacer este tipo tendremos que añadir if/whether a continuación del he/she
asked y ya realizar los cambios que correspondan. Ejemplo:
Do you live here? Mary ask.
Mary ask IF I lived there. (Cambio la pregunta a oración afirmativa y después
me fijo que está en presente simple por lo que el verbo pasa a pasado simple y que tengo
here que pasa a there)
Las preguntas que vienen introducidas por when, where, what, which, why, whose,
who.
Añadimos la partícula interrogativa a continuación del he/she asked y después
hacemos los cambios correspondientes. Ejemplo:
Where did you go on holidays last year? Mary ask.
Mary ask WHERE I had gone on holidays the previous year. (Cambio la
pregunta a afirmativa y después el verbo que está en pasado simple pasa a past perfect y
last year que pasa a the previous year).

REPORTING OFFERS, ADVICE AND PROMISES

Cuando cambiamos a estilo indirecto una intención, esperanza, o promesa usamos un
“reporting verb” adecuado a este significado, seguido that-clause o to-infinitive.
Promesas:
“I'll pay you the money tomorrow”.
He promised to pay me the money the next day.
He promised that he would pay me the money the next day.
Sugerencias: normalmente utilizamos that-clause. Nos podemos encontrar Let´s…, Why
don´t we…, Shall we…
She said; “Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?”
She suggested that I should get a mechanic to look at the car.
Notes: Suggest puede ir también seguido de gerundio: I suggested postponing the visit
to the dentist.
Otros verbos que podemos utilizar son:
INSISTED
“It would be a good idea to see the dentist” said my mother.
My mother insisted that I see the dentist.
RECOMMENDED
The dentist said: “I think you should use a different toothbrush”.
The dentist recommended that I should use a different toothbrush.
Ofrecimientos: will/would + like…?
Would you like a cup of tea? She said
She offered me a cup of tea

Otros verbos que utilizan esta estructura son:

HOPED (Tener esperanza).
We should arrive in London before nightfall.
They hoped to arrive in London before nightfall.
They hoped they would arrive in London before nightfall.
THREATENED (Amenazar).
Give me the keys to the safe or I'll shoot you!.
He threatened to shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
He threatened that he would shoot me if I didn't give him the keys to the safe.
SWEARED (Jurar).
I swear it! I'll be back by lunchtime.
He sweared to be back by lunchtime.
He sweared that he would be back by lunchtime.

IMPERATIVES AND REPORTED COMMANDS

Cuando queremos cambiar a estilo indirecto una orden o petición normalmente usamos:
Told + somebody + infinitive.
En este caso NO tenemos que hacer cambios verbales solo tenemos que poner el verbo
original en INFINITIVO, es decir, añadir TO o NOT TO dependiendo de si es
afirmativa o negativa. El resto de cambios SÍ tenemos que hacerlos.

Ejemplo: The doctor said to me, “Stop smoking!”

The doctor told me to stop smoking.

Otros verbos que podemos usar en este caso aparte de told son:
ORDERED (ordenar).
”Get out of the car” said the policeman.
The policeman ordered him to get out of the car.
ASKED (Pedir).
“Could you please be quiet”, she said.
She asked me to be quiet.
WARNED (advertir).
The man with the gun said to us: “Don't move!”.
The man with the gun warned us not to move.
Otros verbos que utilizamos en estos casos son: INVITED (Invitar), BEGGED
(Suplicar), FORBIDED (Prohibir).

Petición de objetos: Utilizamos la formula ask + for + object :

“Can I have an apple?“she asked.
She asked for an Apple.
“Can I have the newspaper, please?”
He asked for the newspaper.

Reported staments (el reported speech “NORMAL”).

1. “You should go to bed early”

She told me ________________________________________________________
2. “I don’t like chocolate”
She told me ________________________________________________________
3. “I won’t see you tomorrow”
She said ___________________________________________________________
4. “She’s living in Paris for a few months”
She said ___________________________________________________________
5. “I visited my parents at the weekend”
She told me ________________________________________________________
6. “She hasn’t eaten sushi before”
She said ___________________________________________________________
7. “I hadn’t travelled by underground before I came to London”
She said ___________________________________________________________
8. “They would help if they could”
She said ___________________________________________________________
9. “I’ll do the washing-up later”
She told me ________________________________________________________
10. “He could read when he was three”
She said ___________________________________________________________
11. “I was sleeping when Julie called”
She said ___________________________________________________________

Mixed Reported Speech:

1. “Don’t do it!”
She ______________________________________________________________
2. “I’m leaving tomorrow”
She ______________________________________________________________
3. “Please get me a cup of tea”
She ______________________________________________________________
4. “She got married last year”
She ______________________________________________________________
5. “Be quick!”
She ______________________________________________________________
6. “Could you explain number four, please?”
She ______________________________________________________________
7. “Where do you live?”
She ______________________________________________________________
8. “We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant”
She ______________________________________________________________
9. “I’ll come and help you at twelve”
She ______________________________________________________________
10. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
She ______________________________________________________________
11. “Don’t go!”
She ______________________________________________________________
12. “Do you work in London?”
She ______________________________________________________________
13. “Could you tell me where the post office is?”
She ______________________________________________________________
14. “Come here!”
She ______________________________________________________________
15. “I’ve never been to Wales”
She ______________________________________________________________
16. “Have you ever seen ‘Lord of the Rings’?”
She ______________________________________________________________
17. “I don't like mushrooms”
She ______________________________________________________________
18. “Don't be silly!”
She ______________________________________________________________
19. “Would you mind waiting a moment please?”
She ______________________________________________________________
20. “How often do you play sport?”
She ______________________________________________________________
21. “Would you mind telling me how to get to the art gallery, please?”
She ______________________________________________________________
22. “Please don’t forget my book”
She ______________________________________________________________
23. “Make sure you arrive at six!”
She ______________________________________________________________
24. “Remember to study hard!”
She ______________________________________________________________
25. “Where do you want to eat tonight?”
She ______________________________________________________________
26. “I usually drink coffee in the mornings”
She ______________________________________________________________
27. “Do you like studying English?”
She ______________________________________________________________
28. “I’ll come and help you on Saturday”
She ______________________________________________________________
29. “Please buy some bread on your way home”
She ______________________________________________________________
30. “Please give this to John”
She ______________________________________________________________
31. “Could you give me the glass on the table, please?”
She ______________________________________________________________