El reported speech se usa para contar lo que alguien dijo, sin repetir sus palabras exactas. En esta lección vemos afirmaciones y los cambios básicos de tiempo (backshift).
1) Mapa rápido
Modelo básico:
Sujeto + said/told + (objeto) + (that) + cambio en la oración
• Directo: “I’m busy.”
• Reportado: She said (that) she was busy.
En inglés hablado, that a menudo se omite: He said he was tired.
2) Direct speech vs reported speech
A) Estilo directo
- Usa comillas con las palabras exactas de la persona.
- Verbos introductorios: say, tell, explain, answer…
• He said, “I’m hungry.”
• “I live in London,” she said.
B) Estilo indirecto (reported)
Reescribimos sin comillas y adaptamos la frase:
• He said (that) he was hungry.
• She said (that) she lived in London.
| Paso | Qué hacemos | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elige un verbo de reporte (said, told me). | He said… / She told me… |
| 2 | Quita comillas y ajusta pronombres. | “I” → he / she · “you” → I / we / they… |
| 3 | Aplica el backshift (cambio de tiempo) si el verbo de reporte está en pasado. | am → was · do → did · will → would… |
3) Cambios de pronombres y de expresiones de tiempo/lugar
A) Pronombres
Los pronombres cambian según quién habla y a quién contamos la historia.
| Directo | Quién habla | Reportado |
|---|---|---|
| “I am tired.” | Él habla de sí mismo. | He said (that) he was tired. |
| “We love this place.” | Ellos hablan de su grupo. | They said (that) they loved that place. |
| “You are late.” | Él habla de mí. | He told me (that) I was late. |
B) Expresiones de tiempo y lugar (básico B1)
• “I’m busy now.” → He said (that) he was busy then.
• “I’ll see you tomorrow.” → She said (that) she would see me the next day.
• “We are staying here.” → They said (that) they were staying there.
En la práctica, a veces los hablantes NO cambian estas palabras si el contexto es claro, pero para exámenes es mejor hacer los cambios.
4) Backshift: cambios básicos de tiempo (B1)
Si el verbo de reporte está en pasado (said, told), normalmente movemos el tiempo un paso hacia el pasado.
| Directo | Reported | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple | “I work here.” → He said (that) he worked there. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | “I am studying English.” → She said (that) she was studying English. |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect (básico) | “I bought a new phone.” → He said (that) he had bought a new phone. |
| will | would | “I will call you.” → She said (that) she would call me. |
| can | could | “I can help you.” → He said (that) he could help me. |
| have to | had to | “I have to go.” → She said (that) she had to go. |
Para verdades generales (sun, Earth, facts) el tiempo puede quedarse igual: “The Earth goes round the Sun.” → He said (that) the Earth goes / went round the Sun.
5) Say vs Tell
| Verbo | Estructura | Ejemplos (reported) |
|---|---|---|
| say | say (that) + oración | • He said (that) he was tired. • She said (that) she didn’t know. |
| say to | say to + persona | • He said to me (that) he was tired. |
| tell | tell + persona (+ that) + oración | • He told me (that) he was tired. • She told us (that) she had a new job. |
NO digas *“He told that he was tired”*. Con tell siempre necesitamos una persona: told me / told her / told them.
6) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *He said me that he is tired.* | He told me (that) he was tired. / He said (that) he was tired. | Con say no usamos objeto persona directo; con tell sí. |
| *She told that she was happy.* | She told us (that) she was happy. / She said (that) she was happy. | tell + persona. Falta el objeto. |
| *He said that he is busy now.* (en contexto pasado) | He said (that) he was busy then. | Verbo de reporte en pasado → aplicamos backshift y cambio de tiempo. |
| *She said that she will call me.* (pasado) | She said (that) she would call me. | will → would en reported speech. |
| *He said he was live in London.* | He said (that) he lived in London. | Solo cambiamos el tiempo una vez: live → lived. |
7) Mini-práctica
- Convierte a reported speech (usa said):
a) “I’m tired.” (he)
b) “We live in Madrid.” (she)
c) “I can’t come today.” (they)
d) “I’m studying English now.” (she)
e) “I will call you tomorrow.” (he) - Convierte a reported speech (usa told me):
a) “You are late.” (he)
b) “You have to work on Saturday.” (my boss)
c) “You did a great job.” (she) - Completa con la forma correcta (backshift):
a) “I like this place.” → He said (that) he ______ this place.
b) “I’m waiting for you.” → She said (that) she ______ for me.
c) “I bought a new car.” → He said (that) he ______ a new car.
d) “I can help you.” → She said (that) she ______ help me. - Elige la opción correcta (say / tell):
a) He (said / told) that he was tired.
b) She (said me / told me) that she was busy.
c) They (told / told us) that they would be late.
d) My teacher (said to us / told) that the test was tomorrow. - Traduce al inglés usando reported speech (afirmaciones):
a) “Estoy ocupado ahora”, dijo él. → He said…
b) “No puedo venir hoy”, me dijo ella. → She told me…
c) “Vivimos aquí”, dijeron. → They said…
d) “Tienes que estudiar más”, me dijo mi profesor. → My teacher told me…
e) “Llamaré mañana”, dijo. → He said…
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) He said (that) he was tired.
b) She said (that) they lived in Madrid. / She said (that) she lived in Madrid. (según contexto)
c) They said (that) they couldn’t come that day.
d) She said (that) she was studying English then.
e) He said (that) he would call me the next day.
2) a) He told me (that) I was late.
b) My boss told me (that) I had to work on Saturday.
c) She told me (that) I had done a great job.
3) a) liked b) was waiting c) had bought d) could
4) a) said b) told me c) told us d) said to us
5) a) He said (that) he was busy then.
b) She told me (that) she couldn’t come that day.
c) They said (that) they lived there.
d) My teacher told me (that) I had to study more.
e) He said (that) he would call the next day.
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Reported speech: preguntas sí/no y wh- para aprender a reportar preguntas cerradas (Do you like…?) y preguntas con wh- (Where do you live?).