Direct & Indirect Speech
Direct Speech
Direct speech (elestilo directo) repeats the exact words, set off by quotation marks or dashes. You use an introductory phrase followed by the quoted sentence.
Format:+ “quoted sentence”
- Use quotation marks («…» or “…”) or dashes (— …).
- The verb tense remains as originally said.
- Punctuation stays inside the quotes.
Examples
Indirect Speech
Indirect speech (elestilo indirecto) reports what someone said without quoting exactly. You introduce the reported sentence with a phrase likedijo que.
Format:+ que + [reported sentence]
- For statements, follow the reporting verb withque.
- For questions, replace quotation marks with a suitable question word.
- For commands, use the subjunctive mood after verbs like pedir, mandar, exigir.
- Verb tenses usually shift backwards (backshifting).
Examples
Backshifting Tenses
When moving from direct to indirect speech, you often shift the verb tense one step back in time to reflect the change in perspective.
Present Tense → Imperfect
Preterite → Past Perfect
Future → Conditional
Indirect Questions
Indirect questions report a question without quoting it exactly. You remove the quotation marks and introduce the clause with the appropriate question word.
Format:+ [question word] + [shifted verb]
- Donotusequebefore the question word.
- Shift verb tense as in backshifting.
- Maintain the word order of a statement (subject before verb).
Examples
Summary
- Direct speech quotes the exact words with no tense change.
- Indirect speech reports meaning usingque(for statements) or a question word (for questions) and typically backshifts tenses.
- Commands in indirect speech require the subjunctive.
- Indirect questions drop quotation marks andque.
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025