Indirect speech
Reported statements, questions, commands, tense backshift, pronouns, time, and place.
Reported speech shifts viewpoint: speaker, time, place, and sometimes tense
Statements use dir/explicar + que and normally keep the indicative when reporting a fact. Indirect yes/no questions use si; content questions retain their question word but lose direct-question intonation and order. Reported commands use que + subjunctive or an infinitive construction.
Statements
Direct «Arribo a les vuit» becomes Va dir que arribava a les vuit when the report is anchored in the past. Backshift is natural but not mechanical: retain the original tense when the information remains current or precision matters: La guia va explicar que el museu obre a les deu.
Questions
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| «Vens demà?» | Em va preguntar si venia l’endemà. |
| «On vius?» | Em va preguntar on vivia. |
| «Per què heu marxat?» | Volia saber per què havíem marxat. |
There is no question-mark intonation inside the report and no English-style inversion: No sé on és, not an equivalent of *where is it.
Commands and requests
Direct «Vine aviat» becomes Em va dir que vingués aviat. With demanar, an infinitive is possible when the addressee is the understood subject: Ens van demanar d’esperar.
Typical backshift
| Direct viewpoint | Past report |
|---|---|
| present | imperfect: treballo → treballava |
| present perfect | pluperfect: he acabat → havia acabat |
| future | conditional: vindré → vindria |
| imperative | imperfect subjunctive: vine → que vingués |
| completed past | often unchanged or pluperfect for earlier priority |
Pronoun, time, and place shifts
| Direct | Reported perspective |
|---|---|
| jo / el meu | ell/ella / el seu |
| avui | aquell dia |
| ahir | el dia abans / el dia anterior |
| demà | l’endemà / el dia següent |
| aquí | allà |
| aquest | aquell |
Examples in context
La Marta diu que arribarà cap a les nou.
Marta says she will arrive around nine.
En Pau va explicar que treballava des de casa.
Pau explained that he worked from home.
Em van preguntar si tenia experiència.
They asked me whether I had experience.
No recordo on va dir que vivia.
I don’t remember where he said he lived.
La directora ens va demanar que esperéssim fora.
The director asked us to wait outside.
Em va dir que no hi anés sol.
She told me not to go there alone.
Va prometre que ho acabaria l’endemà.
He promised he would finish it the following day.
La guia va recordar que el museu tanca els dilluns.
The guide reminded us that the museum closes on Mondays.
Va dir que ja havia enviat els documents.
She said she had already sent the documents.
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