Reported statements

El Reported Speech Statements se utiliza para relatar o informar algo que otra persona ha dicho previamente.
En otras palabras, es el discurso indirecto que empleamos cuando reproducimos declaraciones hechas por alguien en el pasado, sin citar exactamente sus palabras.

Cuando pasamos del discurso directo (Direct Speech) al discurso indirecto (Reported Speech), es fundamental hacer cambios en los tiempos verbales, pronombres, y también en algunos adverbios de tiempo y lugar.

¿Cómo se forma el Reported Speech Statement?

La estructura general para relatar afirmaciones o declaraciones es la siguiente:

Sujeto + said + (that) + oración con cambios necesarios.
Sujeto + told + objeto + (that) + oración con cambios necesarios.

Veamos cada paso detalladamente:

El verbo introductorio:

Los utilizamos para indicar que alguien dijo algo. Los más comunes son said (dijo) y told (le dijo a alguien). También puedes usar otros verbos dependiendo del contexto (por ejemplo: mentioned, explained, added, claimed, etc.)

• Usa said cuando no mencionas a quién se dirige la declaración.

• Usa told cuando especificas claramente a quién se dirige.

⚠️ Nota importante sobre "said" vs "told":

• Said: No lleva un complemento directo detrás inmediatamente (no mencionamos directamente a quién le hablamos).

  • She said that she was hungry. (CORRECTO)

  • She said me that she was hungry. (INCORRECTO)

• Told: Debe llevar complemento indirecto (mencionamos a quién se dirige el mensaje). NO debe escribirse "To" antes de este complemento.

  • She told me (that) she was hungry. (CORRECTO)

  • She told that she was hungry. (INCORRECTO)

  • She told to me (that) she was hungry. (INCORRECTO)

Ejemplos:

• Directo: "I'm tired," said Mary.
  Indirecto: Mary said (that) she was tired.

• Directo: "I like pizza," Tom to John.
  Indirecto: Tom told John (that) he liked pizza.

Cambios en los tiempos verbales:

Los presentes se convierten en pasado

(por ejemplo, el presente continuo se convierte en pasado continuo)

Los pasados se convierten en pasado perfecto

(por ejemplo el pasado simple se convierte en pasado perfecto simple, y el pasado continuo se convierte en pasado perfecto continuo)

Will + infinitivo se convierte en would + infinitivo

Must + infinitivo se convierte en had to + infinitivo

May + infinitivo se convierte en might + infinitivo

Cambios en pronombres, tiempos y lugares:

Es necesario ajustar los pronombres personales y posesivos, y también algunos adverbios de tiempo y lugar, según quién está hablando y el contexto del relato:

Ejemplos comunes:

• Pronombres:

  • I → he/she

  • We → they

  • My → his/her

  • Our → their

• Adverbios de tiempo:

  • Today → that day

  • Tonight → that night

  • Tomorrow → the next day/the following day/the day after

  • Yesterday → the day before/the previous day

  • Last week → the week before/the previous week

  • Next month → the following month

  • Now → at that moment

• Adverbios de lugar:

  • Here → there

  • This → that

  • These → those

Ejemplo:

• Directo: "I will meet you here tomorrow," said Laura.

• Indirecto: Laura said she would meet me there the next day.

Ejemplos en todos los tiempos verbales:

• Pasado simple:

  • Direct speech: "I ate pasta yesterday" Sam said.

  • Reported speech: She said that she had eaten pasta the previous day.

• Pasado continuo:

  • Direct speech: "We were watching a movie." my parents said.

  • Reported speech: They mentioned that they had been watching a movie.

• Pasado perfecto:

  • Direct speech: "I had already finished my homework." Tom said.

  • Reported speech: Tom said that he had already finished his homework.

• Pasado perfecto continuo:

  • Direct speech: "She had been working on the project for hours." Sam’s mom said.

  • Reported speech: Sam’s mom said that she had been working on the project for hours.

• Presente simple:

  • Direct speech: "I like ice cream." Nico said.

  • Reported speech: He said that he liked ice cream.

• Presente continuo:

  • Direct speech: "I’m going to the beach tomorrow." Sam said to me.

  • Reported speech: She told me that she was going to the beach the following day.

• Presente perfecto:

  • Direct speech: "We have travelled to many countries." the students said.

  • Reported speech: The students said that they had travelled to many countries.

• Presente perfecto continuo:

  • Direct speech: "I have been studying Spanish for months." Mati said.

  • Reported speech: Mati mentioned that he had been studying Spanish for months.

• Futuro simple:

  • Direct speech: "I will call you tomorrow." Lucy said to me.

  • Reported speech: Lucy told me that she would call me the next day.

• Futuro continuo:

  • Direct speech: "We will be waiting for you at the station." our friends said.

  • Reported speech: They mentioned that they would be waiting for us at the station.

• Futuro perfecto:

  • Direct speech: "Tom will have finished the report by Friday." Mary said.

  • Reported speech: Mary said that Tom would have finished the report by Friday.

• Futuro perfecto continuo:

  • Direct speech: "Mary will have been living in London for five years." Tom said.

  • Reported speech: Tom mentioned that Mary would have been living in London for five years.