Reported speech: imperativos (tell/ask sb to…)
Cuando reportamos órdenes, instrucciones o peticiones, usamos estructuras con to + verbo: “Sit down.” → He told me to sit down.
1) Mapa rápido
Modelo básico:
Directo: “Do your homework.”
Reportado: He told me to do my homework.
Piensa: “Me dijo que hiciera X” → He told me to do X. “Me dijo que no hiciera X” → He told me not to do X.
2) De imperativo a reported speech (órdenes simples)
El imperativo en inglés usa la forma base del verbo sin sujeto:
• “Come here.”
• “Read this.”
• “Be quiet.”
En estilo indirecto usamos:
- tell / tell + objeto + to + infinitivo
- order (orden más fuerte)
| Directo (imperativo) | Reported (orden) | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| “Close the window.” | He told me to close the window. | Me dijo que cerrara la ventana. |
| “Wait here.” | She told us to wait here. | Nos dijo que esperáramos aquí. |
| “Be quiet.” | The teacher told them to be quiet. | El profesor les dijo que se callaran. |
| “Stand up.” | He ordered us to stand up. | Nos ordenó que nos pusiéramos de pie. |
Con tell casi siempre mencionamos la persona: tell me / tell him / tell them.
3) Imperativos negativos: don’t → not to
Para órdenes negativas (don’t + verbo) usamos not to + verbo en estilo indirecto.
| Directo (negativo) | Reported | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| “Don’t open the door.” | He told me not to open the door. | Me dijo que no abriera la puerta. |
| “Don’t touch that.” | She told the children not to touch that. | Les dijo a los niños que no tocaran eso. |
| “Don’t be late.” | My boss told me not to be late. | Mi jefe me dijo que no llegara tarde. |
| “Don’t use your phone in class.” | The teacher told us not to use our phones in class. | El profesor nos dijo que no usáramos el celular en clase. |
La negación va delante de to: not to go, not to speak, etc.
4) Peticiones suaves: “Can you…?”, “Could you…?”, “Please…”
Peticiones con can/could/will/would o please se reportan también con ask/tell + objeto + to.
| Directo | Reported | Comentario |
|---|---|---|
| “Can you help me, please?” | She asked me to help her. | “please” se integra en el tono, ya no se escribe. |
| “Could you close the window?” | He asked me to close the window. | Petición educada → ask + to. |
| “Please, sit down.” | He told us to sit down. | Imperativo con “please”. |
| “Will you send me the file?” | He asked me to send him the file. | Petición futura. |
ask + objeto + to suena más suave que tell + objeto + to (que puede sonar más a orden).
5) Verbos útiles para instrucciones (B1)
Podemos usar más verbos, según el contexto:
| Verbo | Patrón | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| tell | tell + sb + to + V | He told me to wait. |
| ask | ask + sb + to + V | She asked them to be quiet. |
| order | order + sb + to + V | The officer ordered them to stop. |
| advise | advise + sb + to + V | The doctor advised me to rest. |
| warn | warn + sb + (not) to + V | He warned us not to touch the wire. |
| remind | remind + sb + to + V | She reminded me to call my mother. |
Todos estos verbos siguen el patrón verbo + objeto + (not) to + infinitivo.
6) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *He told to me to go.* | He told me to go. | Con tell no usamos “to” antes del objeto. |
| *She asked me that I close the window.* | She asked me to close the window. | Para imperativos usamos to + V, no “that + oración”. |
| *He told me don’t be late.* | He told me not to be late. | Negativo → not to + V. |
| *She said me to wait.* | She told me to wait. / She said (that) I should wait. | say no va con objeto directo + to + V. Usamos tell. |
| *He asked if to help him.* | He asked me to help him. | Con peticiones tipo imperativo → ask sb to + V, no “if to”. |
7) Mini-práctica
- Convierte a reported speech (usa told):
a) “Turn off the TV.” (he / me)
b) “Be careful.” (she / us)
c) “Don’t be late.” (my boss / me)
d) “Don’t talk in class.” (the teacher / the students)
e) “Sit down.” (he / them) - Convierte a reported speech (usa asked):
a) “Can you help me?” (she / me)
b) “Could you open the window?” (he / me)
c) “Please, wait here.” (they / us)
d) “Will you call me later?” (she / him)
e) “Don’t tell anyone.” (he / me) - Completa con to / not to y el verbo correcto:
a) He told me ______ (be) quiet.
b) She asked us ______ (wait) outside.
c) My parents told me ______ (not / go) out late.
d) The doctor advised me ______ (rest).
e) She warned me ______ (not / touch) the dog. - Corrige si es necesario:
a) He told to me don’t smoke.
b) She asked me that I help her.
c) They said me to sit down.
d) My boss told me to not be late.
e) She asked if I to close the door. - Traduce al inglés usando reported imperatives:
a) Me dijo que apagara la luz.
b) Me pidió que lo llamara más tarde.
c) Me dijeron que no usara el celular.
d) El profesor nos recordó que estudiáramos para el examen. (usa remind)
e) El médico me aconsejó que descansara. (usa advise)
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) He told me to turn off the TV.
b) She told us to be careful.
c) My boss told me not to be late.
d) The teacher told the students not to talk in class.
e) He told them to sit down.
2) a) She asked me to help her.
b) He asked me to open the window.
c) They asked us to wait here.
d) She asked him to call her later.
e) He asked me not to tell anyone.
3) a) to be b) to wait c) not to go d) to rest e) not to touch
4) a) He told me not to smoke.
b) She asked me to help her.
c) They told me to sit down.
d) My boss told me not to be late. (también: told me to not be late, pero not to es más común)
e) She asked me to close the door.
5) a) He told me to turn off the light.
b) He asked me to call him later.
c) They told me not to use my phone.
d) The teacher reminded us to study for the exam.
e) The doctor advised me to rest.
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Relative clauses definidas (who/which/that) para aprender a unir oraciones y describir personas y cosas con estructuras como “The man who lives next door…”.