B2 · Reported speech · Part 2 of 2
Estilo indirecto: pasado
A past reporting verb drags everything after it one step further into the past. English does the same thing, so the instinct is already there; what has to be learned is which Spanish tense maps onto which, the two tenses that have nowhere left to go, and the fact that the shift is a default you are allowed to override.
The step back
| Direct | After dijo que |
|---|---|
| presente: "trabajo" | imperfecto: trabajaba |
| indefinido: "trabajé" | pluscuamperfecto: había trabajado |
| perfecto: "he trabajado" | pluscuamperfecto: había trabajado |
| futuro: "trabajaré" | condicional: trabajaría |
| imperativo: "trabaja" | imperfecto de subjuntivo: que trabajara |
| presente de subjuntivo: "venga" | imperfecto de subjuntivo: viniera |
Two tenses that do not move
The imperfecto and the pluscuamperfecto are already as far back as Spanish goes, so they stay.
- "Vivía en Lima" → Dijo que vivía en Lima.He said he lived in Lima.
- "Había estudiado" → Dijo que había estudiado.He said he had studied.
Time and place words move too
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| hoy | ese día |
| ayer | el día anterior |
| mañana | al día siguiente |
| aquí | allí |
| este | ese |
| ahora | entonces |
When the fact is still true
If what was said is still true now, speakers often leave the present alone. Both versions are correct and the choice says something.
- Dijo que vivía en Lima.He said he lived in Lima. · reported, neutral
- Dijo que vive en Lima.He said he lives in Lima. · and he still does
Reported questions
Yes-or-no questions become si. Question words keep their written accent, because they are still asking something, even indirectly.
- —¿Vienes? → Me preguntó si iba.Are you coming? → He asked if I was going.
- —¿Dónde vives? → Me preguntó dónde vivía.Where do you live? → He asked where I lived.
- —¿Cuántos años llevas aquí? → Me preguntó cuántos años llevaba.How long have you been here? → He asked how long I had been there.
Reported orders
An imperative becomes que plus the subjunctive, and a past report pulls that into the imperfect subjunctive. This is where reported speech and the subjunctive meet, and it is the shape you will use in almost any story about work.
- —Pasa por mi oficina. → Me pidió que pasara por su oficina.Come by my office. → He asked me to come by his office.
- —No llegues tarde. → Me dijo que no llegara tarde.Do not be late. → He told me not to be late.
Choosing not to shift
The step back is a default, not a law. If what was said is still true, or was said moments ago, speakers often leave the tense alone. Both versions are correct and the choice tells the listener something about how current the information is.
- Dijo que vive en Lima.He said he lives in Lima. · and he still does
- Dijo que vivía en Lima.He said he lived in Lima. · neutral report
Mistakes to avoid
Me dijo que viene mañana.
Me dijo que vendría al día siguiente.
A past report moves the future to the conditional and mañana to al día siguiente.
Me pidió que le ayudo.
Me pidió que le ayudara.
Reported orders in the past take the imperfect subjunctive.
Me preguntó que dónde vivía.
Me preguntó dónde vivía.
A question word does not need que in front of it.
Try it
"Trabajo aquí" → Dijo que ___ allí.
"Te llamaré" → Dijo que me ___.
"Vivía en Comas" → Dijo que ___ en Comas.
"Ven mañana" → Me dijo que ___ al día siguiente.
"He terminado" → Dijo que ___ terminado.