Reported Speech

Direct Speech

When we tell exactly what someone else has said, we use the direct style. With this style that the person has said is placed in quotes and must be word for word.

• Ejemplos:
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  "I am going to London next week," she said.("Voy a Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)
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  "Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("Tienes un bolígrafo que puedas prestarme," él preguntó.)
• Play
  Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta bailar.")
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  Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" (Chris preguntó, "Te gustaría cenar conmigo mañana por la noche?")

Reported Speech (El estilo indirecto)

The indirect style, unlike the direct style, does not use the quotes and need not be word for word. In general, when using reported speech, the tense changes. Below is an explanation of the changes they undergo tenses.

It is sometimes used "that" in the affirmative and negative sentences to introduce what the other person said. On the other hand, interrogative phrases can be used "if" or "whether".

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple	Past Simple
Play "He's American" she said.	Play She said he was American.
Play "I'm happy to see you", Mary said.	Play Mary said that she was happy to see me.
Play He asked, "Are you busy tonight?"	Play He asked me if I was busy tonight.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Play "Dan is living in San Francisco," she said.	Play She said Dan was living in San Francisco.
Play He said, "I'm making dinner"	Play He told me that he was making dinner.
Play "Why are you working so hard?" they asked.	Play They asked me why I was working so hard.

Past Simple	Past Perfect Simple
Play "We went to the movies last night," he said.	Play He told me they had gone to the movies last night.
Play Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday."	Play Greg said that he hadn't gone to work yesterday.
Play "Did you buy a new car?" she asked.	Play She asked me if I had bought a new car.
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Play "I was working late last night," Vicki said.	Play Vicki told me she'd been working last night.
Play They said, "We weren't waiting long."	Play They said that they hadn't been waitinglong.
Play He asked, "Were you sleeping when I called?"	Play He asked if I'd been sleeping when he called.
Present Perfect Simple	Past Perfect Simple
Play Heather said, "I've already eaten."	Play Heather told me that she'd already eaten.
Play "We haven't been to China," they said.	Play They said they hadn't been to China.
Play "Have you worked here before?" I asked.	Play I asked her whether she'd worked there before.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Play "I've been studying English for two years,"he said.	Play He said he'd been studying English for two years.
Play Steve said, "We've been dating for over a year now."	Play Steve told me that they'd been dating for over a year.
Play "Have you been waiting long?" they asked.	Play They asked whether I'd been waiting long.
Past Perfect Simple	Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)
Play "I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said.	Play He said that he'd been to Chicago before for work.