TEMA 6.

REPORTED SPEECH

Cuando queremos informar exactamente de lo que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo directo.
Con este estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas () y deber ser palabra por
palabra.

El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra por
palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo indirecto, el tiempo verbal cambia.
Nota: Ten en cuenta tambin que las expresiones de tiempo cambian en el estilo indirecto.

ESTILO DIRECTO ESTILO INDIRECTO (REPORTED SPEECH)

1 Present simple Past simple
2 Present continuous Past continuous
3 Past simple Past perfect simple
4 Past continuous Past perfect continuous
5 Present perfect simple Past perfect simple
6 Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous
7 Past perfect simple Past perfect simple
8 Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

1. I am happy to see you Mary said Mary said that she was happy to see
me.
2. He said, Im making dinner He said that he was making dinner
3. We went to the movies last night he said He said that they had gone to the movies
the night before.
4. I was working late last night he told me He told me that he had been working late the
other night.
5. Heather said I have already eaten Heather said to me that she had already eaten
6. I have been studying english for two years she answered She answered that that she
had been studying english for two years
Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (que sigue siendo cierto) o de algo en el
futuro, no es necesario cambiar el tiempo verbal.

Im 30 years old, she said. She said she is 30 years old.

Dave said, Kelly is sick. Dave said Kelly is sick.
We are going to Tokyo next week, they said. They said they are goingto Tokyo next
week.
Ill cut my hair tomorrow, Nina said. Nina said she is cutting her hair tomorrow.

Con los verbos modales (modal verbs):

El tiempo verbal cambia en el estilo indirecto tambin con algunos de los verbos modales.

Estilo Directo Estilo Indirecto

Will Would
Can Could
Must Had to
Shall Should
May Might/Could

A continuacin hay una tabla que da algunos ejemplos de los cambios de los marcadores
temporales:

Preguntas indirectas (reported questions)

Los cambios en los tiempos verbales son los mismos, sin embargo, lo ms importante es que
cuando transformamos la pregunta a estilo indirecto, la frase resultante DEJA DE SER UNA
PREGUNTA. Por ejemplo:

Where do you live? Diego asked Alberto

o Diego asked Alberto where he lived
What are you doing? She asked me
o She asked me what I was doing

Para preguntas cuya respuesta es de s o no utilizamos el if:

- Do you like chocolate? Her boyfriend asked
o Her boyfriend asked her if she liked chocolate
- Do you love me? She asked Tom yesterday
o She asked Tom the other day if he loved her