Indirect Speech

Level 3

Indirect speech (Ligjërata e zhdrejtë) reports what someone said without using their exact words. It requires a reporting verb (like 'tha' - said), a conjunction (like 'se' - that), and systematic changes to verb tenses and pronouns.

How It Works

Indirect speech is used to integrate someone else's message into your own sentence. It consists of a main clause (the reporting verb) and a subordinate clause (the reported content).

1. Conjunctions:

  • Statements: Use se or që (e.g., Tha se...).
  • Questions: Use a or nëse for yes/no questions, or the original question word like ku or pse.
  • Commands: Use the subjunctive particle të (e.g., Më tha të shkoja).

2. Tense Shifts (Backshifting):
Tense shifts occur only when the reporting verb is in a past tense (Aorist, Imperfect, or Perfect). If the reporting verb is in the Present, the tense remains unchanged.

3. Deictic Shifts:
Pronouns and time/place markers must change to reflect the reporter's perspective. Unë (I) becomes ai/ajo (he/she), këtu (here) becomes atje (there), and sot (today) becomes atë ditë (that day).

Examples (5)

  1. Direct: "Jam i lumtur." → Indirect: Ai tha se ishte i lumtur.

    Direct: "I am happy." → Indirect: He said that he was happy.

    Word by Word: He said that (he) was the happy.

    The present tense 'jam' shifts to the imperfect 'ishte' because the reporting verb 'tha' is in the past.

  2. Direct: "Do të vij nesër." → Indirect: Ajo tha se do të vinte të nesërmen.

    Direct: "I will come tomorrow." → Indirect: She said that she would come the next day.

    Word by Word: She said that (she) will to come the tomorrow.

    The future 'do të vij' shifts to the future-in-the-past 'do të vinte', and 'nesër' shifts to 'të nesërmen'.

  3. Direct: "Ku banon?" → Indirect: Më pyeti se ku banoja.

    Direct: "Where do you live?" → Indirect: He asked me where I lived.

    Word by Word: Me (he) asked that where (I) lived.

    In indirect questions, the question word 'ku' is retained, and the verb shifts to the imperfect.

  4. Direct: "Hape dritaren!" → Indirect: Më tha të hapja dritaren.

    Direct: "Open the window!" → Indirect: He told me to open the window.

    Word by Word: Me (he) said to open the window.

    Commands in direct speech shift to the subjunctive mood (të + verb) in indirect speech.

  5. Direct: "E kam parë filmin." → Indirect: Tha se e kishte parë filmin.

    Direct: "I have seen the movie." → Indirect: He said that he had seen the movie.

    Word by Word: Said that it (he) had seen the movie.

    The present perfect 'e kam parë' shifts to the pluperfect 'e kishte parë'.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the speaker's own 'jam' (I am) when you report what someone said.

    Different MeaningTha se jam i lodhur.
    Tha se ishte i lodhur.

    'Tha se jam i lodhur' means 'he said that I am tired'. To report what he said about himself, use the third person: 'Tha se ishte i lodhur'. If he is still tired now, 'Tha se është i lodhur' is also correct.

  • Keeping direct speech punctuation with indirect speech conjunctions.

    Tha se: "ishte i lodhur".
    Tha se ishte i lodhur.

    Once you use the conjunction 'se', you are no longer quoting directly, so colons and quotation marks must be removed.

  • Using the indicative mood for reported commands.

    Më tha që hap derën.
    Më tha të hapja derën.

    Commands must be reported using the subjunctive mood (të + verb), not the simple present indicative.

How It Connects

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Indirect SpeechLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn indirect speech, you must be able to connect clauses using subordinating conjunctions and understand how to shift verb tenses (specifically to the imperfect and pluperfect) and personal pronouns to reflect the reporter's perspective.

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Words in This Pattern

senësea