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Direct and Indirect Speech in Spanish.

What is indirect speech?

It consists of reproducing what someone says or has said.

Examples:

Direct Speech: “La quiero mucho” (I love her very much).

Indirect Speech: Dice que la quiere mucho (He says that he loves her very much).

Direct: ¿Sabes conducir? (Do you know how to drive?)

Indirect: Andrés pregunta si sabes conducir (Andrés asks if you know how to drive).

Changing direct speech into indirect speech requires some changes:

1. Change of pronoun: object, personal, possessive, etc.

Example:

Direct: No me voy. (I am not leaving).

Indirect: Dice que no se va (He says he is not leaving).

Direct: Eso no es tuyo (That is not yours).

Indirect:  Dice que no es mío (He says that that is not mine).

Changes of adverbs of place and time. (Direct and Indirect Speech)

2. Changes of adverbs of place and time. (Direct and Indirect Speech)

Direct: Paso demasiado tiempo aquí (I spend too much time here)

Indirect: Dijo que pasaba demasiado tiempo allí. (He said he spent too much time there)

3. Verbal changes (mood and tense).

Some verbal tenses change; however, some of them never change.

Examples:

Direct and Indirect Speech in indicative. (Present tense) 

Direct and Indirect Speech in indicative. (Present tense) 

Dice que…

NOTE: Dice is the present verb which introduces all the indirect speech in these examples.

Present tense

Direct speech: Como demasiado (I eat too much).

Indirect speech: Él dice que come demasiado (He says he eats too much).

Imperfect: 

Tenía muchos coches: (He had a lot of cars).

Dice que tenía muchos coches. (He says he had a lot of cars).

Indefinite past tense: 

Fui al supermercado. (I went to the supermarket).

Dice que fue al supermercado (He says he went to the supermarket).

Present perfect in English and pretérito perfecto en español (Direct and Indirect Speech)

He trabajado poco. (I have worked very little).

Dice que ha trabajado poco. (He says he has worked very little).

Future: No iré a la fiesta (I will not go to the party).

Dice que no irá a la fiesta (He says that he won’t go to the party).

Future Perfect

Future perfect in English and futuro perfecto in Spanish: 

Habré visto unos 10 videos para las 5pm. (I will have watched about 10 videos by 5pm).

Dice que habrá visto unos 10 videos para las 5pm (He says he will have watched about 10 videos by 5pm).

Conditional (would)

I would like a pizza

Me gustaría una pizza. 

Dice que le gustaría una pizza.

He says he would like a pizza. 

Second conditional: 

Si él tuviera un trabajo, iría a trabajar como a las 2 p.m. 

(If he had a job, he would go to work at about 2 pm).

Dice que si tuviera un trabajo, iría a trabajar como a las 2 de la tarde.

(He says that if he had a job, he would go to work at around two in the afternoon).

Compound Conditional

Compound conditional: (Direct and Indirect Speech)

Él habría tenido mucho dinero.

(He would have had a lot of money).

Él dice que habría tenido mucho dinero.

(He says that he would have had a lot of money).

Imperative:

Direct speech: Cállate y déjame dormir.

(Shut up and let me sleep).

Indirect speech: Dice que te calles y lo dejes dormir

(He told you to shut up and let him sleep).

Subjunctive: 

Quizás vaya a la fiesta. (I may go to the party)

Dijo que quizás vaya a la fiesta. (He says that he may go to the party).

Past tense: Dijo que

Note: present indicative tense can change into present or imperfect in indirect speech.

Present tense:  (Direct and Indirect Speech)

For example: Voy al supermercado. (I am going to the supermarket)

Dijo que va (present) al supermercado (He said he/she is going to the supermarket).

Dijo que iba (imperfect) al supermercado (He said he/she was going to the supermarket).

Imperfect

Imperfect:  

Tenía muchos coches (He had many cars)

Dijo que tenía muchos coches (He said that he had many cars).

Present perfect in English and pretérito perfecto en español:

He viajado poco (I have travelled very little).

Dijo que había viajado poco (He said (that) he had travelled very little).

Future:

Iré de pesca (I will go fishing)

Dijo que irá / iría de pesca (He said he will/would go fishing)

Perfect future:

Habré visto unos 10 videos (I will have watched about 10 videos).

Dijo que habrá / habría visto 10 videos (He said he will/would have watched about 10 videos).

Simple conditional:

Llegaría a las 5 de la mañana (He would arrive at 5 in the morning)

Dijo que llegaría a las 5 de la mañana. (He said that he would arrive at 5 in the morning).

Compound Conditional

Habría ganado bastante (He would have won a lot).

Dijo que habría ganado bastante (He said that he would have won a lot).

Imperative:

Cállate y déjame dormir: (Shut up and let me sleep)

Dijo que te callaras y lo dejaras dormir (He told you to shut up and let him sleep)

No vengas ahora: (Don’t come now)

Dijo que no vinieras ahora (He told you not to come now)

Subjunctive

¡Que cante! (Let him sing).

Dijo que cantara (He told you to sing).

Quizás lo sepa Juan (Maybe Juan knows about it).

If you want to study more about «Reported Speech in Spanish and English», Click in here

I hope this article «Direct and Indirect Speech» has been useful for you.

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