Reported speech · Discurso indireto
Telling people what others said
- Reported speech tells what someone said — without quotation marks.
- Direct: "I am tired," he said.
- Reported: He said he was tired.
He said he was early. The clock reported a different story.
Contando o que outras pessoas disseram
- Reported speech conta o que alguém disse — sem aspas.
- Direto: "Estou cansado," ele disse.
- Indireto: Ele disse que estava cansado.
Ele disse que chegou cedo. O relógio contava outra história.
say and tell
- say (that) … — no listener: She said she was busy.
- tell someone (that) … — with a listener: She told me she was busy.
- that can be left out.
say e tell
- say (that) … — sem ouvinte: Ela disse que estava ocupada.
- tell someone (that) … — com ouvinte: Ela me disse que estava ocupada.
- that pode ser omitido.
Complete with say or tell: He ___ me that he was busy. · Complete com say ou tell: Ele ___ eu que estava ocupado.
“tell” takes a listener (me): “He told me …”. “say” does not. · “tell” exige um ouvinte (me): “He told me …”. “say” não exige.
Tense backshift
- When the reporting verb is past (said, told), the tense moves back one step.
- am / is → was; are → were; will → would; can → could.
- present perfect / past simple → past perfect.
Retrocesso temporal (backshift)
- Quando o verbo de reporte está no passado (said, told), o tempo verbal recua um passo.
- am / is → was; are → were; will → would; can → could.
- Present perfect / past simple → past perfect.
Direct → reported speech · Discurso direto → discurso indireto
Shift the tense back, change the pronoun, and adjust time words. · Desloque o tempo verbal, altere os pronomes e ajuste as palavras de tempo.
Report this: She said, “I will help you.” · Reporte isto: Ela disse, “Eu te ajudarei.”
After “said”, will moves back to would: “She said she would help me.” · Depois de “said”, o 'will' recua para 'would': “She said she would help me.”
Translate into English: 他说他累了。 · Traduza para inglês: 他说他累了。
Backshift after “said”: is → was: “He said he was tired.” · Backshift após “said”: is → was: “He said he was tired.”
Pronouns and time words change
- I → he / she, you → me, my → his / her.
- now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day.
Pronomes e palavras de tempo mudam
- I → he / she, you → me, my → his / her.
- now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day.
In reported speech, does “tomorrow” often change to “the next day”? · No discurso indireto, “tomorrow” frequentemente muda para “the next day”?
Yes — time words shift too: tomorrow → the next day, now → then. · Sim — as palavras de tempo também mudam: tomorrow → the next day, now → then.
Common mistakes
- ❌ He said me that he was busy. → ✓ He told me… / He said… — tell takes a person, say doesn't.
- ❌ She asked me where did I live. → ✓ …where I lived. — statement order, no did.
- ❌ He said he will come tomorrow. → ✓ …he would come the next day.
Erros comuns
- ❌ He said me that he was busy. → ✓ Ele me disse… / Ele disse… — tell leva uma pessoa, say não.
- ❌ She asked me where did I live. → ✓ …onde eu morava. — ordem de afirmação, sem did.
- ❌ He said he will come tomorrow. → ✓ …ele viria no dia seguinte.
Match the direct speech to its reported form. · Combine o discurso direto com sua forma indireta.
Backshift: am → was, will → would, can → could.
Report the question: “Are you busy?” · Reporte a pergunta: “Are you busy?”
Yes/no questions report with if / whether + statement order. · Perguntas sim/não reportam com if / whether + ordem de afirmação.
- say (no listener) / tell + someone.
- Past reporting verb → backshift (is → was, will → would).
- Pronouns and time words change too (tomorrow → the next day).
- say (sem ouvinte) / tell + alguém.
- Verbo de reporte no passado → backshift (is → was, will → would).
- Pronomes e palavras de tempo também mudam (tomorrow → the next day).
Think of something a friend said. Report it in one sentence using “said” or “told” (with backshift). · Pense em algo que um amigo disse. Reporte-o em uma frase usando “said” ou “told” (com backshift).
Example: “My friend told me she had passed the exam.” · Exemplo: “My friend told me she had passed the exam.”