Reported Forms in the First and Second Person
Only the third person drops the auxiliary. With аз, ти, ние and вие you keep съм, си, сме, сте: Аз съм бил виновен, така ли? (So I am supposedly the one to blame?)
How It Works
1. The forms. The auxiliary stays, and the participle depends on the tense being reported:
- Present and imperfect, with the imperfect л-participle: аз съм четял, ти си четял, ние сме четели, вие сте четели.
- Aorist, with the ordinary л-participle: аз съм чел, ти си чел, ние сме чели.
- Future: щял съм да чета, щял си да четеш.
- Perfect and pluperfect: бил съм чел, бил си чел.
For съм itself the reported form is бил: аз съм бил, ти си бил, ние сме били. The participle agrees with the speaker or listener, so a woman says аз съм била.
2. They often look like the perfect. In the third person the reported form drops е (see reported forms in the third person), so той чел and той е чел differ. In the first and second person there is no such signal: ти си чел can be the perfect (you have read) or a reported aorist (you read, they say). Forms built on the imperfect participle are different: ти си четял is never the perfect. It is a reported form, although in the first and second person the same words can also be the speaker's own conclusion (see conclusive forms). Context and intonation make the meaning clear.
3. Repeating a claim about yourself or the listener. This is often ironic or defensive:
- Аз съм бил мързелив? Кой го каза? (I'm supposedly lazy? Who said that?)
- Казват, че си живеел в Лондон. Вярно ли е? (They say you live in London. Is it true?)
4. Things you did without knowing. If you know about your own action only from others, the reported form fits: Като малка съм плачела всяка нощ. (When I was little, I apparently cried every night.) Цяла нощ съм хъркал. (I apparently snored all night.)
5. Surprise at a discovery. The same forms can show that you have just found something out: Ти си знаел през цялото време! (So you knew all along!) Вие сте били братя! (So you are brothers!) This use is covered in reported forms expressing surprise.
6. Neutral self-narration. For a neutral account of your own conscious action, use the ordinary tenses; a quoted or ironic report of that action can use a reported form: Вчера четох цял ден. (Yesterday I read all day.)
Examples (6)
- Аз съм бил виновен, така ли?
So I'm supposedly the one to blame?
The speaker repeats someone's claim with disbelief. Бил is the reported form of съм.
- Казват, че си живеел в Лондон.
They say you live (or lived) in London.
Живеел comes from the imperfect л-participle, so this cannot be the ordinary perfect. After казват, че it is a reported form.
- Като бебе съм плачела всяка нощ.
As a baby I apparently cried every night.
A woman speaking: she knows this only from her parents, so she reports it. The participle is feminine.
- Ти си знаел през цялото време!
So you knew all along!
Surprise at a discovery the speaker has just made.
- Ние сме щели да се местим? За първи път чувам.
We're supposedly moving? This is the first I've heard of it.
The reported future with сме repeats a claim about the speaker.
- Значи ти си спечелил наградата!
So it was you who won the prize!
A discovery. Out of context the same words could be a plain perfect, you have won the prize.
Common Mistakes
Dropping съм or си in the first and second person.
Аз бил виновен, така ли?Аз съм бил виновен, така ли?Only the third person loses the auxiliary. With аз and ти, keep съм and си.
Using a reported form in a neutral account of your own known action.
Вчера съм четял цял ден, затова съм уморен.Вчера четох цял ден, затова съм уморен.For an ordinary account of your own known action, use the aorist. Съм четял can instead present someone else’s version, an ironic echo or a reassessment; it does not prove you were unaware of what happened.
Forgetting agreement when a woman speaks about herself.
Аз съм бил виновна, така ли?Аз съм била виновна, така ли?The participle agrees with the speaker: a woman says била.
How It Connects
Learn This First
First and second person reported forms follow the third person.
- Reported Present and Imperfect
Reported imperfect forms supply съм четял and си четял for the first two persons.
Level 4 - щял да + VerbThe Reported Future
Reported future forms supply щял съм да and щял си да.
Level 4 - The Reported Perfect and Pluperfect
Reported anterior forms supply съм бил чел and си бил чел.
Level 4
Related Patterns
- Reported Forms in the Third Person
The third-person forms, which drop е and са.
Level 3 - Witnessed, Reported and Inferred Forms
The overview of witnessed, reported and inferred forms.
Level 3 - Reported Forms Expressing Surprise
The same forms used to express surprise at a discovery.
Level 6 - The Present Perfect
In the first and second person many reported forms look exactly like the perfect.
Level 2 - The Imperfect -л ParticipleThe Imperfect Л-Participle
The participle behind reported present and imperfect forms such as си четял.
Level 4 - Dubitative Forms
Adding another бил turns a reported form into open disbelief.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Reported Forms in the First and Second Person in Bubblegum
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