Getting started
Your friend Alex missed the football training. Afterwards he asks you what the coach said. The coach's words were:
"I am not happy with the results. We need more training before the match."
You don't repeat the coach word for word. You report what he said:
The coach said that he wasn't happy with the results. He said they needed more training before the match.
This is reported speech (also called indirect speech). You use it all the time: in conversations, in emails, in news reports and when you summarise a text.
Auf Deutsch: Reported speech ist die indirekte Rede. Im Deutschen benutzt man dafür oft den Konjunktiv („Er sagte, er sei nicht zufrieden“). Das Englische benutzt dafür keinen Konjunktiv. Stattdessen ändern sich Pronomen, oft die Zeitform und manche Zeitangaben.
Explanation
Direct and reported speech
- Direct speech gives the exact words in quotation marks: Sara said, "I like this song."
- Reported speech gives the content without quotation marks: Sara said (that) she liked the song.
The word that can be left out, especially in speech.
say and tell
The two most common reporting verbs are say and tell.
- say + (that): She said (that) she was tired.
- tell + person + (that): She told me (that) she was tired.
You tell somebody something. You can't say She said me or She told that.
Auf Deutsch: tell braucht immer eine Person dahinter (told me, told us, told the class). Bei say steht keine Person, höchstens said to me.
Pronouns change
The speaker's point of view changes, so pronouns and possessives often change too.
| direct speech | reported speech |
|---|---|
| Tom: "I have lost my key." | Tom said he had lost his key. |
| Anna to me: "You can borrow my bike." | Anna told me I could borrow her bike. |
| The twins: "We love our new school." | The twins said they loved their new school. |
Always ask: Who is speaking now, and who is meant?
No change after a present reporting verb
If the reporting verb is in the present (says, tells, thinks), the tense stays the same:
- "I am late." → She says she is late.
- "The film starts at eight." → He says the film starts at eight.
This is common when you pass on a message straight away, for example on the phone. When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the tense usually shifts back. You learn this in the next lesson.
Examples
Example 1: Passing on a message
Your mum is on the phone with your aunt and you are listening.
Aunt: "We are arriving on Sunday. We are bringing the dog."
Mum (to you): Aunt Kate says they are arriving on Sunday. She says they are bringing the dog.
The reporting verb is in the present, so the tenses do not change. Only the pronouns change: we becomes they.
Example 2: say or tell?
- Max said that the bus was late.
- Max told us that the bus was late.
- Max said to us that the bus was late. (possible, but less common)
- wrong: Max said us … / Max told that …
Rule
Reported speech passes on what someone said, without quotation marks. say (that) …, tell + person (that) … Change the pronouns to fit the new speaker. After a present reporting verb (says), the tense stays the same.
Exercises
Grundlagen
- said or told? a) She ___ me that she was hungry. b) He ___ that he didn't have time. c) They ___ us that the shop was closed.
- Report the sentences. Use says (no tense change). a) Lena: "I am at the station." b) Dad: "We need some milk." c) Ben: "My phone doesn't work."
Weiter
- Change the pronouns. Use says. a) Mrs Green to the class: "You can use my dictionary." b) Paul and Jo: "Our team plays on Saturday."
- Correct the mistakes. a) She said me that she was ill. b) He told that the test was easy. c) Kim says that I like your jacket. (Kim's words: "I like your jacket.")
Knobeln
- You are on the phone with a friend from Manchester. Your little sister wants to know what your friend is saying. Report five sentences with She says …. Invent your friend's sentences first.
Lösungen
- a) told b) said c) told
- a) Lena says (that) she is at the station. b) Dad says (that) we need some milk. c) Ben says (that) his phone doesn't work.
- a) Mrs Green tells the class (that) they can use her dictionary. b) Paul and Jo say (that) their team plays on Saturday.
- a) She told me that she was ill. or She said that she was ill. b) He said that the test was easy. or He told us that the test was easy. c) Kim says that she likes your jacket. (Kim is speaking about herself, so I becomes she.)
- For example: She says it's raining in Manchester. She says she has a new puppy. She says her school starts at quarter to nine. She says she wants to visit us next summer. She says she misses us.