Reported speech
B1 Il discorso indiretto 41 / 53
In short
Reporting what someone says with a present verb (Dice che…, Chiede se…, Dice di…) is the easy half of reported speech: there is no tense shift. Statements take che + the same tense; yes/no questions take se; wh-questions keep their question word; orders become di + infinitive. All you really adjust are the persons, the possessives, and - only if you are reporting from a different place or moment - the deictics.
The rule
When the reporting verb (dice, dicono, chiede, racconta) is in the present, the words inside keep their original tense. The tense machine - the backshift and the future-in-the-past - only switches on when the reporting verb is in the past (Ha detto che…), and that is step 49. Here everything stays put except for a handful of predictable swaps.
Step 1 - choose the frame that matches the sentence type. A statement is reported with dice che; a yes/no question with chiede se; a wh-question with chiede + its own question word (dove, quando, perché, come, quanto); an order or request with dice di + infinitive.
Step 2 - keep the tense (present in, present out). With a present reporting verb there is nothing to shift. “Sono stanco” -> Dice che è stanco. “Ho finito” -> Dice che ha finito. “Partirò domani” -> Dice che partirà domani. Resist the urge to move the verb into the past - that is the past-reporting case, not this one.
Step 3 - rotate the persons and possessives. What the speaker said as io becomes third person from the reporter’s point of view, and so does a tu said to someone else; a tu said to you becomes io. Possessives follow. Marco says “(Io) parto con la mia macchina” -> Marco dice che (lui) parte con la sua macchina. So mio becomes suo, tuo becomes mio or suo, nostro becomes loro, and the verb ending changes to match.
Step 4 - shift the deictics only if the here-and-now has moved. Person and possessive changes always happen; place and time words shift only when you report from a different place or a different moment. Reporting your friend across the country, “Vieni qui domani?” -> Mi chiede se vado lì domani. - only the place moves, because it is still the same day. But in the same room on the same day, nothing moves: “Vengo domani” -> Dice che viene domani.
Reported questions
Use se for a yes/no question and keep the original question word for a wh-question. The reported question is grammatically a statement: no question mark, and no inversion. “Sei pronto?” -> Mi chiede se sono pronto. “Dove abiti?” -> Mi chiede dove abito. The word cosa / che cosa survives unchanged: “Cosa vuoi?” -> Mi chiede cosa voglio.
Reported commands
An imperative becomes di + infinitive, whatever the person of the original command. “Aspetta!” -> Mi dice di aspettare. The negative is di non + infinitive - non sits before the infinitive: “Non correre!” -> Mi dice di non correre. Clitic pronouns leave the imperative and attach to the infinitive, shifting person as they go: “Chiamami!” -> Mi dice di chiamarlo.
Forms & patterns
The four sentence types and the frame each one takes (reporting verb in the present):
| Direct speech | Frame | Reported (present) |
|---|---|---|
| “Sono pronto.” (statement) | dice che | Dice che è pronto. |
| ”Sei pronto?” (yes/no question) | chiede se | Chiede se sono pronto. |
| ”Dove sei?” (wh-question) | chiede dove | Chiede dove sono. |
| ”Vieni!” (command) | dice di + inf. | Dice di venire. |
What actually changes - Marco is the speaker, you are reporting:
| Category | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Verb person | (io) parto | (lui) parte |
| Subject pronoun | io | lui |
| Subject pronoun (said to you) | tu | io |
| Possessive (sg.) | il mio | il suo |
| Possessive (sg.) (said to you) | il tuo | il mio |
| Possessive (pl.) | il nostro | il loro |
| Demonstrative (if moved) | questo | quello |
| Place (if moved) | qui / qua | lì / là |
| Time (if moved) | oggi | quel giorno |
| Time (if moved) | domani | il giorno dopo |
| Time (if moved) | ieri | il giorno prima |
| Time (if moved) | ora / adesso | allora |
Question words carry straight over; only se is added for yes/no:
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| ”Che ore sono?” | Mi chiede che ore sono. |
| ”Perché piangi?” | Mi chiede perché piango. |
| ”Quando parti?” | Mi chiede quando parto. |
| ”Ti piace?” | Mi chiede se mi piace. |
Commands, positive and negative, become di (+ non) + infinitive:
| Direct command | Reported command |
|---|---|
| ”Aspetta!” | Mi dice di aspettare. |
| ”Stai attento!” | Mi dice di stare attento. |
| ”Non gridare!” | Mi dice di non gridare. |
| ”Chiamami!” | Mi dice di chiamarlo. |
Examples
- Marco dice che è molto stanco. Marco says (that) he’s very tired.
- Dicono che il treno è in ritardo. They say the train is late.
- Anna dice che non può venire stasera. Anna says she can’t come tonight.
- Luca dice che domani va al mare. Luca says that tomorrow he’s going to the sea.
- Mia madre mi chiede se ho mangiato. My mother asks me if I’ve eaten.
- Il turista chiede dove si trova la stazione. The tourist asks where the station is.
- Ti chiedo perché non mi rispondi. I’m asking you why you don’t answer me.
- Il medico mi dice di bere molta acqua. The doctor tells me to drink a lot of water.
- La maestra dice ai bambini di non correre. The teacher tells the children not to run.
Common mistakes
- Dice che era stanco. -> Dice che è stanco. With a present reporting verb there is no backshift: keep the original tense. The past form belongs to Ha detto che era stanco (step 49).
- Mi chiede che sono pronto. -> Mi chiede se sono pronto. A yes/no question is reported with se, never with che. Save che for statements.
- Mi chiede dove sei? -> Mi chiede dove sono. A reported question is a statement: no question mark, and the person shifts to the reporter’s point of view.
- Mi dice di vieni. / Mi dice che venire. -> Mi dice di venire. An order becomes di + infinitive - never di + a conjugated form, and never che.
- Mi dice di fare non rumore. -> Mi dice di non fare rumore. In the negative, non goes before the infinitive: di non + infinitive.
Tips
- Present in, present out. As long as the reporting verb (dice, chiede, dicono) is present, the verb inside never changes tense - only the persons rotate. The tense-shifting you may have heard about turns on only with a past reporting verb, and that is a separate lesson.
- Three doorways. che for statements, se for yes/no questions, di + infinitive for orders. Wh-questions need no new word: they keep dove, quando, perché, come.
- Deictics move only if the situation moves. Same room, same day -> qui, oggi, questo stay exactly as they were. Reporting from elsewhere or another day -> lì, quel giorno, quello. Person and possessive changes, by contrast, are automatic.
- A reported question is a flat statement. Drop the question mark and the rising word order: Mi chiede dove abito, not Mi chiede dove abito?