REPORTED SPEECH (EL ESTILO INDIRECTO)

A) DEFINICIÓN: Hay dos formas de relatar lo que una persona ha dicho:

- Mediante el estilo directo: Repetimos fielmente las palabras de la persona que habla. Lo que la persona
dijo queda metido entre comillas y utilizamos una frase introductoria (él dijo, él preguntó…) que se
separa de esta oración mediante una coma. e.g. "I have lost my umbrella", he said.

- Mediante el estilo indirecto: Relatamos lo que una persona dijo, pero no exactamente con las mismas
palabras. e.g. He said that he had lost his umbrella.

B) CAMBIOS: Para transformar una oración de estilo directo a indirecto debemos de realizar una serie
de cambios.

B.1.) CAMBIOS EN LA PUNTUACIÓN: La coma que separa la oración introductoria de la otra y las
comillas de la oración en estilo directo desaparecen.

B.2.) CAMBIOS EN LOS TIEMPOS VERBALES

- Si el verbo de la oración introductoria va en presente simple, presente perfecto o futuro, entonces no se
produce ningún cambio en los tiempos verbales de la oración subordinada. e.g. Paul says, "I'm trying to
get a taxi". → Paul says that he is trying to get a taxi.

- Pero generalmente la oración introductoria tiene un verbo en

pasado. Entonces los verbos de la oración subordinada deben cambiar
a su tiempo correspondiente de pasado (backshift) según el siguiente
cuadro:

CUADRO DE CAMBIOS EN LOS TIEMPOS VERBALES

ESTILO DIRECTO
 Simple present: "I never eat meat,"
he explained.
 Present Continuous: "I'm waiting for
Ann," he said.
 Simple Past: "Obama won the
elections in the USA", he said.
 Past Continuous: "They were
working hard", he said.
 Present Perfect: "I have found a flat",
he said.
 Present Perfect Continuous: He said,
"I've been waiting for ages."
 Future "Will": "I'll be in Paris on
Monday", he said.
 Future "be going to": "They are
going to buy a house", he said.
 Modals "can": "We can go to the
festival", he said.
 Modals "may": "I may go to the
concert", he said.
 Modals "must": " You must stop
here", she said.
ESTILO INDIRECTO
 Simple past: He explained that he never ate
meat.
 Past Continuous: He said that he was
waiting for Ann.
 Past Perfect: He said that Obama had won
the elections in the USA.
 Past Perfect Continuous: He said that he
had been working hard.
 Past Perfect: He said that he had found a
flat.
 Past Perfect Continuous: He said that he
had been waiting for ages.
 Conditional "Would": He said that he
would be in Paris on Monday.
 Future "was / were going to":
He said that they were going to buy a house.
 Modals "could": He said that they could go
to the festival.
 Modals "might": He said that he might go
to the concert.
 Modals "had to": She said that I had to
stop there.
 - Hay tiempos verbales que no cambian al pasar de estilo directo a indiecto: past perfect simple
and continuous, algunos modales: would, could, might, ought, should, used to...

B.3.) CAMBIOS EN LOS PRONOMBRES Y DETERMINANTES

- Los pronombres personales (sujeto y objeto), reflexivos, posesivos y los determinantes

posesivos normalmente cambian de 1ª y 2ª persona a 3ª persona excepto cuando el hablante está
relatando sus propias palabras.

e.g. He said, "I've forgotten the combination of my safe". →He said that he had
forgotten the combination of his safe.

- Los determinantes o pronombres demostrativos también cambian: THIS pasa a THAT y

THESE pasa a THOSE.

e.g. "We will discuss this tomorrow", he said. →He said that they would discuss that the
next day.

B.4.) CAMBIOS EN ADVERBIOS Y EXPRESIONES DE LUGAR Y TIEMPO

- Los adverbios y expresiones adverbiales de lugar y tiempo

cambian de la siguiente forma:

CUADRO DE CAMBIOS EN ADVERBIOS DE LUGAR Y TIEMPO

ESTILO DIRECTO ESTILO INDIRECTO
 Today  That day
 Yesterday  The day before
 The day before yesterday  Two days before
 Last week / year…  The previous week / year…
 A / two … week / year…ago  A / two…week / year before
 Tomorrow  The next /following day
 The day after tomorrow  In two days' time
 Next week /year …  The following week / year
 Here  There
 Now  Then

C) TIPOS DE ORACIONES

C.1.) ENUNCIATIVAS

- Una oración enunciativa (afirmativa o negativa) se convierte de estilo directo a indirecto de la siguiente
manera:

 Se quitan las comillas y la coma de separación entre la frase introductoria y la

subordinada.
 Se une la oración introductoria (que puede ir al principio o al final de la frase) con
la subordinada (la que va entre comillas) por medio de la conjunción

THAT. En ocasiones THAT se puede omitir.

 Se realizan los cambios oportunos en la oración subordinada (cambios en los

tiempos verbales, cambios en pronombres y determinantes y cambios en las
expresiones adverbiales.
 e.g. "We did our English exercises yesterday", he said. →He said that they
had done their English exercises the day before.

- Los verbos que pueden introducir oraciones enunciativas son: say (decir), tell + objeto (decir, contar),
inform + objeto (informar), comment (comentar), assure + objeto (asegurar), remark (comentar,
observar), mention (mencionar),admit (admitir), promise (prometer), claim (reclamar, afirmar), explain
(explicar), insist (insistir).

C.2.) INTERROGATIVAS

C.2.1.) WH- QUESTIONS →INTERROGATIVAS CON PRONOMBRE O PARTICULA

INTERROGATIVA.

- Una oración interrogativa que comienza con partícula interrogativa pasa de estilo directo a
indirecto de la siguiente manera:

 Se quita la interrogación y la coma de separación y se une la oración

introductora y la subordinada por medio de la misma partícula interrogativa.
 El orden de los sintagmas de la frase interrogativa cambian como si fuera una
enunciativa: Partícula + sujeto + verbo + CD/CI + CC.

 Realizamos los cambios necesarios en los tiempos verbales, pronombres y

expresiones adverbiales.

e.g. "Where are you going tomorrow morning?", he asked. →He asked
where I was going the following day morning.

C.2.2.) YES/NO QUESTIONS→INTERROGATIVAS QUE NO TIENEN PRONOMBRE O

PARTICULA INTERROGATIVA.

- Una oración interrogativa que no comienza con partícula interrogativa pasa de estilo directo a
indirecto de la siguiente manera:

 Se quita la interrogación y la coma de separación.

 Se une la oración introductora y la subordinada por medio de la conjunción IF
o WHETHER.

 El orden de los sintagmas de la frase interrogativa cambian como si fuera una

enunciativa: Partícula + sujeto + verbo + CD/CI + CC.

 Realizamos los cambios necesarios en los tiempos verbales, pronombres y

expresiones adverbiales.

e.g. "Did you phone him yesterday?", he asked. →He asked if I had
phoned him the day before.

- Los verbos que pueden introducir oraciones interrogativas son: ask (preguntar) + objeto, want to know
(querer saber), enquire (preguntar), wonder (preguntarse)…

C.3.) ORDENES, CONSEJOS Y PETICIONES

- Cuando queremos pasar una orden, un consejo o una petición a estilo indirecto lo hacemos de la
siguiente manera:

 Unimos la frase introductora con la subordinada por medio de TO +

INFINITIVO (del verbo que tengamos) si es afirmativa, o, NOT TO +
INFINITIVO si es negativa.
  Hacemos los cambios necesarios en los pronombres, determinantes y
expresiones adverbiales.

 Elegimos un verbo introductor adecuado:

o Ordenes: command (ordenar) + objeto, order (ordenar) + objeto , tell

(decir) + objeto…

e.g. "Stop talking now", he said. →He commanded me to stop

talking then. "Don't touch it!", he told. →He told him not to touch
it.

o Consejos: advise (aconsejar) + objeto, warn (avisar) + objeto,

encourage (animar) + objeto…

e.g. "If I were you, I'd stop smoking", I said. → I advised him to
stop smoking to post some letters for him.

o Peticiones: ask (pedir)+ objeto, beg (pedir) + objeto, invite (invitar) +

objeto, implore (implorar) + objeto, urge (rogar) + objeto …

e.g. "You might post some letters for me", said my boss. → My
boss asked me to post some letters for him.

C.4.) SUGERENCIAS

- Cuando queremos pasar una sugerencia a estilo indirecto seguimos estos pasos:

 Utilizamos el verbo introductor SUGGEST seguido de el verbo de la oración

subordinada terminado en –ING (si el hablante está incluido en la sugerencia)
o seguido de una oración introducida por THAT + sujeto + el verbo modal
should (si el hablante no está incluido en la sugerencia).

e.g. "Let's have a drink", he said. → He suggested having a drink.

" Why don't you study for the exam?", he said. →He suggested that I
should study for the exam.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Si no sabes distinguir en inglés una orden, un

consejo, una petición , una sugerencia etc… estudia este cuadro:

TIPO DE ORACIÓN EJEMPLOS

ORDENES
"Stop now", "Don't shout"
(COMMANDS)
PETICIONES "Can / Could you mail this letter?", "Would you mind / Do you mind mailing
(REQUESTS) this letter?",
"You should / might go there", "If I were you, I would go there", "I would go
CONSEJOS (ADVISE)
there", "It might be a good idea to go there", "You'd better go there"
SUGERENCIAS "Let's have a drink", "Why don't we/you have a drink?", "What about having
(SUGGESTIONS) a drink?", "Shall we have a drink?", "Do you feel like…?"

Reported speech - simple statements - Exercise 1

Explanation: Reported speech - statements, sentences
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is
sometimes not necessary.

Example: Peter: "I clean the black shoes."

Peter told me that ____________________________

Answer: Peter told me that he cleaned the black shoes.

1) John: "Mandy is at home."

John said that .

2) Max: "Frank often reads a book."

Max told me that .

3) Susan: "I'm watching TV."

Susan said to me that .

4) Simon: "David was ill."

Simon said that .

5) Peggy: "The girls helped in the house."

Peggy told me that .

6) Richard: "I am going to ride a skateboard."

Richard said to me that .

7) Stephen and Claire: "We have cleaned the windows."

Stephen and Claire told me that .

8) Charles: "I didn't have time to do my homework."

Charles remarked that .

9) Mrs Jones: "My mother will be 50 years old."

Mrs Jones told me that .

10) Jean: "The boss must sign the letter."

Jean said that .

Reported speech - simple statements - Exercise 1

Explanation: Reported speech - statements, sentences
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is
sometimes not necessary.

Example: Peter: "I clean the black shoes."

Peter told me that ____________________________

Answer: Peter told me that he cleaned the black shoes.

1) John: "Mandy is at home."

John said that .

2) Max: "Frank often reads a book."

Max told me that .

3) Susan: "I'm watching TV."

Susan said to me that .

4) Simon: "David was ill."

Simon said that .

5) Peggy: "The girls helped in the house."

Peggy told me that .

6) Richard: "I am going to ride a skateboard."

Richard said to me that .

7) Stephen and Claire: "We have cleaned the windows."

Stephen and Claire told me that .

8) Charles: "I didn't have time to do my homework."

Charles remarked that .

9) Mrs Jones: "My mother will be 50 years old."

Mrs Jones told me that .

10) Jean: "The boss must sign the letter."

Jean said that .

Exercise on Reported Speech

backshift and Place expressions

Imagine you want to repeat sentences that you heard two weeks ago in another place. Rewrite the
sentences in reported speech. Change pronouns and expressions of time and place where necessary.
1. They said, "This is our book."
that w as the
→ They said
2. She said, "I went to the cinema yesterday."

→ She said
3. He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."

→ He said
4. You said, "I will do this for him."

→ You said
5. She said, "I am not hungry now."

→ She said
6. They said, "We have never been here before."

→ They said
7. They said, "We were in London last week."

→ They said
8. He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."

→ He said
9. He said, "They won't sleep."

→ He said
10. She said, "It is very quiet here."

→ She said
Click the answer button to see the correct answer.
1. Mary "I love chocolate."
Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ chocolate."
a. loved
b. loves
c. loving

2. Mary: "I went skiing."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ skiing."
a. went
b. had gone
c. have gone

3. Mary: "I will eat steak for dinner."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ eat steak for dinner."
a. willing
b. will
c. would

4. Mary: "I have been to Sydney."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to Sydney."
 a. had been
b. has been
c. was being

5. Mary: "I have had three cars."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ three cars.
a. has
b. has had
c. had had

6. Mary: "I'm going to go to Long Beach."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ going to go to Long Beach."
a. is
b. was
c. went

7. Mary: "I don't like spinach."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ like spinach."
a. doesn't
b. don't
c. didn't

8. Mary: "I have never been to London."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ never been to London."
a. had
b. has
c. have

9. Mary: "I was swimming."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swimming.
a. has been
b. had been
c. have been

10. Mary: "I had a cat."

Jill: Mary said (that) she had ___ a cat."
a. have
b. has
c. had

11. Mary: "I can't swim."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ swim."
a. can't
 b. couldn't
c. can not

12. Mary: "I won't buy a new car."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ by a new car."
a. won't
b. will
c. wouldn't

13. Mary: "I have to do my laundry."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she ___ to do her laundry."
a. had
b. has
c. have

Click the answer button to see the correct answer.

1. Mary: "I will go downtown tomorrow."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she would go downtown ___ ."
a. on Friday
b. tomorrow
c. the following/next day

2. Mary: "I am going to play tennis today."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to play tennis ___ ."
a. that day
b. today
c. tomorrow

3. Mary: "I went shopping yesterday."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had gone shopping ___ ."
a. yesterday
b. the day before
c. on Saturday

4. Mary: "I am enjoying life now."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was enjoying life ___ ."
a. now
b. at that time
c. today

5. Mary: "I will cook dinner later this evening."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she would cook dinner later ___ .
 a. that evening
b. in the evening
c. this evening

6. Mary: "I'm going to class in three hours."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to class ___ ."
a. three hours before
b. three hours later
c. in three hours

7. Mary: "I went to bed early last night."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had gone to bed early ___ ."
a. the night before
b. last night
c. the night prior

8. Mary: "I am going to go to London in 10 days."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to go to London ___ ."
a. in 10 days
b. 10 days later
c. on Wednesday

9. Mary: "I had lunch at noon."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had had lunch ___ .
a. at 12 o'clock
b. at noon
c. that noon

10. Mary: "I will play cards the day after tomorrow."
Jill: Mary said (that) she would play cards ___ ."
a. in two days
b. on Thursday
c. two days later

11. Mary: "I bought it three years ago."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had bought it ___ ."
a. in three years
b. three years ago
c. three years before

Click the answer button to see the correct answer.

1. Mary: "I will go downtown tomorrow."
Jill: "Mary said (that) she would go downtown ___ ."
a. on Friday
b. tomorrow
c. the following/next day

2. Mary: "I am going to play tennis today."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to play tennis ___ ."
a. that day
b. today
c. tomorrow

3. Mary: "I went shopping yesterday."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had gone shopping ___ ."
a. yesterday
b. the day before
c. on Saturday

4. Mary: "I am enjoying life now."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was enjoying life ___ ."
a. now
b. at that time
c. today

5. Mary: "I will cook dinner later this evening."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she would cook dinner later ___ .
a. that evening
b. in the evening
c. this evening

6. Mary: "I'm going to class in three hours."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to class ___ ."
a. three hours before
b. three hours later
c. in three hours

7. Mary: "I went to bed early last night."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had gone to bed early ___ ."
a. the night before
b. last night
c. the night prior

8. Mary: "I am going to go to London in 10 days."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she was going to go to London ___ ."
 a. in 10 days
b. 10 days later
c. on Wednesday

9. Mary: "I had lunch at noon."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had had lunch ___ .
a. at 12 o'clock
b. at noon
c. that noon

10. Mary: "I will play cards the day after tomorrow."
Jill: Mary said (that) she would play cards ___ ."
a. in two days
b. on Thursday
c. two days later

11. Mary: "I bought it three years ago."

Jill: "Mary said (that) she had bought it ___ ."
a. in three years
b. three years ago
c. three years before

Reported questions - Exercise 1

Explanation: Reported questions
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is
sometimes not necessary.

Example: Peter: "Did John clean the black shoes?"

Peter asked me _________________________________

Answer: Peter asked me if John had cleaned the black shoes.

1) Christopher: "Do you want to dance?"

Christopher asked me .

2) Betty: "When did you come?"

Betty wanted to know .

3) Mark: "Has John arrived?"

Mark asked me .

4) Ronald: "Where does Maria park her car?"

Ronald asked me .

5) Elisabeth: "Did you watch the latest film?"

Elisabeth asked me .

6) Mandy: "Can I help you?"

Mandy wanted to know .

7) Andrew: "Will Mandy have lunch with Sue?"

Andrew asked me .

8) Justin: "What are you doing?"

Justin asked me .

9) Frank: "How much pocket money does Lisa get?"

Frank wanted to know .

10) Anne: "Must I do the shopping?"

Anne asked .

Exercise on Reported Speech

Questions - Exercise 1

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.
1. "Where is my umbrella?" she asked.

→ She asked
2. "How are you?" Martin asked us.

→ Martin asked us
3. He asked, "Do I have to do it?"

→ He asked
4. "Where have you been?" the mother asked her daughter.

→ The mother asked her daughter

5. "Which dress do you like best?" she asked her boyfriend.

→ She asked her boyfriend

6. "What are they doing?" she asked.

→ She wanted to know

7. "Are you going to the cinema?" he asked me.

→ He wanted to know
8. The teacher asked, "Who speaks English?"

→ The teacher wanted to know

9. "How do you know that?" she asked me.

→ She asked me
10. "Has Caron talked to Kevin?" my friend asked me.

→ My friend asked me

Exercise on Reported Speech

Questions - Exercise 2

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.

1. "What's the time?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know
2. "When will we meet again?" she asked me.

→ She asked me
3. "Are you crazy?" she asked him.

→ She asked him

4. "Where did they live?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know
5. "Will you be at the party?" he asked her.

→ He asked her
6. "Can you meet me at the station?" she asked me.

→ She asked me
7. "Who knows the answer?" the teacher asked.

→ The teacher wanted to know

8. "Why don't you help me?" she asked him.

→ She wanted to know

9. "Did you see that car?" he asked me.

→ He asked me
10. "Have you tidied up your room?" the mother asked the twins.

→ The mother asked the twins

Reported commands, affirmative sentences - Exercise 2

Explanation: Reported commands
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is
sometimes not necessary.

Example: Peter: "Clean the black shoes!"

Peter told me _________________________

Answer: Peter told me to clean the black shoes.

1) Andrew: "Clean the blue bike!"

Andrew told me .

2) Jessica: "Write a text message!"

Jessica told me .

3) Nelly: "Help Peter's sister!"

Nelly told me .

4) Fred: "Wash your hands!"

Fred told me .

5) Anna: "Open the window!"

Anna told me .

6) Tom: "Come at 8!"

Tom told me .

7) Teacher: "Do your homework!"

The teacher told me .

8) Doris: "Dance with me!"

Doris told me .

9) Sabine: "Meet Sandy at the station!"

Sabine told me .

10) Victoria: "Check your e-mails!"

Victoria told me .

Reported commands, negations - Exercise 2

Explanation: Reported commands
Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is
sometimes not necessary.

Example: Peter: "Don't clean the black shoes!"

Peter told me _________________________

Answer: Peter told me not to clean the black shoes.

1) Karen: "Don't play football in the garden!"

Karen told me .

2) Teacher: "Don't forget your homework!"

The teacher reminded me .

3) Mike: "Don't shout at Peter!"

Mike told me .

4) Yvonne: "Don't talk to your neighbour!"

Yvonne told me .

5) Denise: "Don't open the door!"

Denise told me .

6) Marcel: "Don't sing that song!"

Marcel reminded me .

7) Jane: "Don't watch the new film!"

Jane advised me .

8) Walter: "Don't ring Romy on Sunday!"

Walter told me .

9) Lisa: "Don't fly via Paris!"

Lisa advised me .

10) Jamie: "Don't eat so much junk food!"

Jamie reminded me .

Exercise on Reported Speech

Exercise 1 – Requests (positive)

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.
1. "Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.

→ The teacher told Joe

2. "Be patient," she said to him.

→ She told him

3. "Go to your room," her father said to her.

→ Her father told her

4. "Hurry up," she said to us.

→ She told us
5. "Give me the key," he told her.

→ He asked her
6. "Play it again, Sam," she said.

→ She asked Sam

7. "Sit down, Caron" he said.

→ He asked Caron
8. "Fill in the form, Sir," the receptionist said.

→ The receptionist asked the guest

9. "Take off your shoes," she told us.

→ She told us
10. "Mind your own business," she told him.

→ She told him

Exercise on Reported Speech

Exercise 2 – Requests (negative)

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.

1. "Don't touch it," she said to him.

→ She told him

2. "Don't do that again," he said to me.

→ He told me
3. "Don't talk to me like that," he said.

→ He told her
4. "Don't repair the computer yourself," she warned him.

→ She warned him

5. "Don't let him in," she said.

→ She told me
6. "Don't go out without me," he begged her.

→ He begged her
7. "Don't forget your bag," she told me.

→ She told me
8. "Don't eat in the lab," the chemistry teacher said.

→ The chemistry teacher told his students

9. "Don't give yourself up," he advised her.

→ He advised her
10. "Don't hurt yourselves, boys," she said.

→ She told the boys

Exercise on Reported Speech

Exercise 3 – Requests (mixed)

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.

1. She said, "Go upstairs."

→ She told me
2. "Close the door behind you," he told me.

→ He told me
3. "Don't be late," he advised us.

→ He advised us
4. "Stop staring at me," she said.

→ She told him

5. "Don't be angry with me," he said.

→ He asked her
6. "Leave me alone," she said.

→ She told me
7. "Don't drink and drive," she warned us.

→ She warned us
8. "John, stop smoking," she said.

→ She told John

9. "Don't worry about us," they said.

→ They told her

10. "Meet me at the cinema." he said.

→ He asked me