DIRECT AND REPORTED SPEECH

El estilo directo e indirecto

Cuando queremos comunicar o informar de lo que otra persona ha dicho, hay dos maneras de hacerlo: utilizando el
estilo directo o el estilo indirecto.

DIRECT 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 deberá ser palabra por palabra.
Ejemplos:

“I am going to London next week,” she said. (“Voy a Londres la semana que viene,” ella dijo.)

“Do you have a pen I could borrow,” he asked. (“¿Tienes un bolígrafo que puedas prestarme?,” él preguntó.)

Alice said, “I love to dance.” (Alice dijo, “Me encanta bailar.”)

Chris asked, “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” (Chris preguntó, “¿Te gustaría cenar conmigo
mañana por la noche?”)

INDIRECT SPEECH

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. A continuación tienes un explicación de los
cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales.

A veces se usa “that” en las frases afirmativas y negativas para introducir lo que ha dicho la otra persona. Por otro
lado, en las frases interrogativas se puede usar “if” o “whether

Nota: Ten en cuenta también que las expresiones de tiempo cambian en el estilo indirecto. Fijate en los cambios de
tiempo en los ejemplos más abajo y después, encontrarás una tabla con más explicaciones de los cambios de tiempo en
el estilo indirecto.

Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech

present simple I like ice cream She said (that) she liked ice cream.

present
I am living in London She said (that) she was living in London.
continuous

She said (that) she had bought a car OR She said (that) she bought a
past simple I bought a car
car.

I was walking along the

past continuous She said (that) she had been walking along the street.
street

present perfect I haven't seen Julie She said (that) she hadn't seen Julie.

I had taken English lessons

past perfect* She said (that) she had taken English lessons before.
before

will I'll see you later She said (that) she would see me later.
would* I would help, but.. She said (that) she would help but...

can I can speak perfect English She said (that) she could speak perfect English.

I could swim when I was

could* She said (that) she could swim when she was four.
four

shall I shall come later She said (that) she would come later.

should* I should call my mother She said (that) she should call her mother

might* "I might be late" She said (that) she might be late

"I must study at the She said (that) she must study at the weekend OR She said she had
must
weekend" to study at the weekend

* doesn't change.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but
this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

 Direct speech: “ The sky is blue” .

 Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Direct Question Reported Question

Where is the Post Office, please? She asked me where the Post Office was.
What are you doing? She asked me what I was doing.
Who was that fantastic man? She asked me who that fantastic man had been.
Direct Question Reported Question
Do you love me? He asked me if I loved him.
Have you ever been to Mexico? She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
Are you living here? She asked me if I was living here.
Direct Request Reported Request
Please help me She asked me to help her.
Please don't smoke She asked me not to smoke.
Could you bring my book tonight? She asked me to bring her book that night.
Could you pass the milk, please? She asked me to pass the milk.
Would you mind coming early tomorrow? She asked me to come early the next day.
Direct Order Reported Order
Go to bed! He told the child to go to bed.
Don't worry! He told her not to worry.
Be on time! He told me to be on time.
Don't smoke! He told us not to smoke.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

now then / at that time
today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
yesterday the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December
last night the night before, Thursday night
last week the week before / the previous week
tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday

CHANGE PRONOUNS

I HE/CHE

YOU I/HE/SHE

HE/SHE/IT HE/SHE/IT

WE THEY

YOU YOU/WE

THEY THEY

CHANGES POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

MY HIS/HER

YOUR YOUR/MY/HIS/HER

HIS/HER/ITS HIS/HER/ITS

OUR THEIR

YOUR THEIR/YOUR/OUR

THEIR THEIR
Questions - Exercise 1

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns and tenses.

"What's the time?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know______________________________________________

"When will we meet again?" she asked me.

→ She asked me___________________________________________

"Are you crazy?" she asked him.

→ She asked him_______________________________________

"Where did they live?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know__________________________________________

"Will you be at the party?" he asked her.

→ He asked her_____________________________________________

"Can you meet me at the station?" she asked me.

→ She asked me___________________________________________

"Who knows the answer?" the teacher asked.

→ The teacher wanted to know_______________________________________________

"Why don't you help me?" she asked him.

→ She wanted to know__________________________________________

"Did you see that car?" he asked me.

→ He asked me____________________________________________________

"Have you tidied up your room?" the mother asked the twins.

→ The mother asked the twins_________________________________________

Exercise 1 – Requests (positive)

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.

"Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.

→ The teacher told Joe__________________________________

"Be patient," she said to him.

→ She told him_______________________________________

"Go to your room," her father said to her.

→ Her father told her______________________________________

"Hurry up," she said to us.

 → She told us_______________________________________

"Give me the key," he told her.

→ He asked her________________________________________

"Play it again, Sam," she said.

→ She asked Sam______________________________________

"Sit down, Caron" he said.

→ He asked Caron________________________________

"Fill in the form, Sir," the receptionist said.

→ The receptionist asked the guest______________________________

"Take off your shoes," she told us.

→ She told us____________________________________

"Mind your own business," she told him.

→ She told him_______________________________

Exercise 2 – Requests (negative)

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note the change of pronouns in some sentences.

"Don't touch it," she said to him.

→ She told him____________________________________

"Don't do that again," he said to me.

→ He told me__________________________________

"Don't talk to me like that," he said.

→ He told her____________________________________

"Don't repair the computer yourself," she warned him.

→ She warned him__________________________________

"Don't let him in," she said.

→ She told me____________________________

"Don't go out without me," he begged her.

→ He begged her___________________________

"Don't forget your bag," she told me.

 → She told me______________________________

"Don't eat in the lab," the chemistry teacher said.

→ The chemistry teacher told his students________________________________

"Don't give yourself up," he advised her.

→ He advised her_______________________________

"Don't hurt yourselves, boys," she said.

→ She told the boys ______________________________

Mixed Exercise 1

Complete the sentences in reported speech. Note whether the sentence is a request, a statement or a question.

He said, "I like this song."

→ He said_________________

"Where is your sister?" she asked me.

→ She asked me__________________________

"I don't speak Italian," she said.

→ She said________________________________

"Say hello to Jim," they said.

→ They asked me_____________________________

"The film began at seven o'clock," he said.

→ He said_______________________________

"Don't play on the grass, boys," she said.

→ She told the boys____________________________

"Where have you spent your money?" she asked him.

→ She asked him______________________________

"I never make mistakes," he said.

→ He said _____________________________

"Does she know Robert?" he wanted to know.

→ He wanted to know_________________________________

"Don't try this at home," the stuntman told the audience.

→ The stuntman advised the audience________________________________

PASSIVE VOICE = VOZ PASIVA

Como en español, la voz pasiva se forma con el verbo 'to be' (ser) y el participio pasado.
En una oración de voz activa , se hace énfasis en el sujeto q ejecuta la acción, mientras que en la voz
pasiva es el objeto directo de la voz activa q recibe mayor interés o énfasis.
They made this car in 1963. (active) This car was made in 1963. (passive)
El sujeto de un verbo en pasiva corresponde al objeto de un verbo en activa.
Spanish is spoken in Argentina PASIVA

(sujeto)
Argentinians speak Spanish ACTIVA

(objeto)

Estudia la siguiente lista de las formas del verbo en pasiva.

(pp = participio pasado)

Verb Tense Structure Example

PRESENT SIMPLE am/are/is + pp Here speaks Spanish / Spanish is spoken here.
PRESENT am/are/is being + He is answering your questions / Your questions are being answered
CONTINUOUS pp by him.
FUTURE (WILL) will be + pp They will paint it next week / It’ll be painted next week. By them
FUTURE (GOING am/are/is going Mary is going to make her house next year / Her house is going to
TO) to be + pp be made next year by Mary .
Rose invited us to a party, but we didn´t go /We were invited to the
PAST SIMPLE was/were + pp
party, but we didn’t go.
PAST was/were being + They were cleaning the hotel room when we got back from shopping.
CONTINUOUS pp The hotel room was being cleaned when we got back from shopping.
have/has been + Someone has shot The President of America
PRESENT PERFECT
pp The President of America has been shot by someone.
When he got home, someone had stolen his money
PAST PERFECT had been + pp
When he got home, his money had been stolen by someone.
will have been +
FUTURE PERFECT I will have bought it / It will have been bought by me
pp
En las formas del ‘future progressive’ (will be being + pp) y ‘perfect progressive’ (has been being + pp)
no es muy común su uso.

Para decir quién hacía la acción o qué la causaba, usa 'by'.

This house was built by my mother. / Esta casa fue construida por mi madre.
Washington was bombed by Pakistan. / Washington fue bombardeado por Pakistán.

La voz pasiva se suele utilizar cuando se desconoce o no interes

EXCERCISES

PART I TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES INTO PASSIVE VOICE:

1. The students will give a presentation tomorrow.

2. Someone has stolen my bike!
3. We receive the newspaper every day.
4. The children have eaten the cookies.
5. We will complete the renovations next week.
6. They pay us every Friday.
7. Did they deliver your new sofa?

PART II TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES INTO ACTIVE VOICE:

1. The stone was thrown by the boy.

2. . Those thieves will be arrested by the police.
3. Nine gold medals have been won by Bolt.
4. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
5. The most attractive goal was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.

PART III COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH THE CORRECT VERBAL TENSE IN
PASSIVE.

1. The car _____________ (sell) yesterday.

2.The books _______________ (write) last year.

3.The window ________________ (break) by the stone.

4.The thiefs ____________________ (arrest) by the police last month.

5.My house________________ (paint) tomorrow.

6.The exercises ________________ (do) right now.

7.She____________________ (say) to be a good man.

8.The table _____________________ (make) by the carpenter.

9.The goal ___________________ (score) by Cristiano Ronaldo last Monday