Getting started
On the first day of the school exchange, your host mother in York gave you some instructions:
"Please take your shoes off in the house. Don't leave your phone in the bathroom. Be home by nine."
Later you tell your parents on the phone:
She asked me to take my shoes off in the house. She told me not to leave my phone in the bathroom. She told me to be home by nine.
Commands and requests are reported with a to-infinitive. This is easier than reporting statements, because there is no backshift.
Auf Deutsch: Aufforderungen und Bitten gibst du mit tell / ask + Person + to + Infinitiv wieder. Bei Verboten steht not to + Infinitiv.
Explanation
Commands and requests
| direct speech | reported speech |
|---|---|
| "Close the window." | He told me to close the window. |
| "Please help me." | She asked me to help her. |
| "Don't be late." | Mum told us not to be late. |
| "Could you wait a minute, please?" | He asked me to wait a minute. |
- tell + person + to … for orders and instructions
- ask + person + to … for polite requests
- not to for negative commands: told me not to shout (not: to not shout, don't to shout)
More reporting verbs
say and tell are fine, but other verbs show how something was said. Good writers use them to avoid repeating said.
| verb | pattern | example |
|---|---|---|
| advise | advise sb to do | The doctor advised me to rest. |
| remind | remind sb to do | She reminded me to bring my passport. |
| warn | warn sb (not) to do | He warned us not to swim there. |
| invite | invite sb to do | They invited me to stay for dinner. |
| offer | offer to do | He offered to carry my bag. |
| promise | promise to do / promise that | She promised to call me. |
| refuse | refuse to do | He refused to answer. |
| agree | agree to do | They agreed to meet at six. |
| suggest | suggest + -ing / that | She suggested going to the cinema. |
| explain | explain that | He explained that the bus was late. |
| admit | admit + -ing / that | She admitted that she had forgotten. |
Auf Deutsch: Achtung bei suggest: Es steht nie mit Person + to. Falsch: She suggested me to go. Richtig: She suggested going. oder She suggested that I (should) go.
Choosing the verb
Look at the function of the original words, not only at the words:
- "I'll carry that for you." is an offer: He offered to carry it for me.
- "Don't forget your keys." is a reminder: She reminded me to take my keys.
- "Let's go to the beach." is a suggestion: He suggested going to the beach.
- "No, I won't tell you." is a refusal: She refused to tell me.
Examples
Example 1: Instructions in a lab
Teacher: "Put on your safety glasses. Don't touch the hot plate. Please write down all your results."
The teacher told us to put on our safety glasses. She warned us not to touch the hot plate and asked us to write down all our results.
Example 2: Making a summary livelier
Plain version: Tom said, "I'll help you." Anna said, "Yes, please." Tom said, "Let's start tomorrow."
Better version: Tom offered to help Anna, and she accepted. He suggested starting the next day.
Rule
Commands and requests: tell / ask + person + to + infinitive. Negative: not to. Use reporting verbs like advise, remind, warn, offer, promise, refuse, suggest to show the function of what was said. Learn the pattern that goes with each verb.
Exercises
Grundlagen
- Report the commands. Use told me. a) "Sit down." b) "Don't talk." c) "Open your books."
- Report the requests. Use asked me. a) "Please call me back." b) "Could you lend me your pen?"
Weiter
- Report the sentences with the verb in brackets. a) "I'll do the washing-up." (offer) b) "Don't swim in the river, it's dangerous." (warn) c) "Remember to feed the cat." (remind) d) "Why don't we order pizza?" (suggest) e) "I won't apologise." (refuse)
- Correct the mistakes. a) She told me to not worry. b) He suggested me to take the train. c) They asked me don't make so much noise.
Knobeln
- Write a short dialogue (six lines) between two friends planning a weekend. Then report it in a paragraph without using said or told.
Lösungen
- a) He told me to sit down. b) He told me not to talk. c) He told me to open my books. (If the whole class was meant: He told us to open our books.)
- a) She asked me to call her back. b) She asked me to lend her my pen.
- a) He offered to do the washing-up. b) She warned me not to swim in the river because it was dangerous. c) He reminded me to feed the cat. d) She suggested ordering pizza. e) He refused to apologise.
- a) She told me not to worry. b) He suggested taking the train. or He suggested that I (should) take the train. c) They asked me not to make so much noise.
- For example: Lea suggested going to the lake on Saturday. Finn agreed but reminded her to check the weather. Lea promised to bring sandwiches, and Finn offered to pack the football.