Backshifting tenses in past-tense reported speech

Level 3

If the reporting verb (like a dit or croyait) is in the past, the reported action's tense must change: Present becomes Imparfait, Futur becomes Conditionnel, and Passé Composé becomes Plus-que-parfait.

How It Works

In French, when you report speech using a past-tense reporting verb (e.g., il a dit, elle a affirmé), the tense of the original statement must 'backshift' to maintain the correct time relationship.

The Main Shifts:

Commands and Imperatives:
Unlike statements, commands do not shift to a past tense. Instead, they use the construction de + infinitive. For example: « Pars ! » becomes Il m'a dit de partir.

Important Nuances:
1. Pronoun Shifts: You must change subject and object pronouns (e.g., je → il/elle) to reflect who is speaking and who is being spoken to.
2. Static Tenses: If the original speech is already in the Imparfait, Plus-que-parfait, or Conditionnel, the tense does not change.
3. No Shift in the Present: If the reporting verb is in the present (Il dit que...), the tenses do not change.
4. Time Markers: Words like demain (tomorrow) often change to le lendemain (the next day) to match the past perspective.

Examples (6)

  1. « Je suis fatigué. » → Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.

    “I am tired.” → He said he was tired.

    Word by Word: He has said that he was tired.

    The present tense 'suis' shifts to the imperfect 'était' because the reporting verb 'a dit' is in the past. Note how the pronoun 'je' also shifts to 'il' to match the reporter's perspective.

  2. « Nous partirons demain. » → Elle a affirmé qu'ils partiraient le lendemain.

    “We will leave tomorrow.” → She stated they would leave the next day.

    Word by Word: She has affirmed that they would leave the next day.

    The future 'partirons' shifts to the conditional 'partiraient' (the future-in-the-past).

  3. « J'ai déjà mangé. » → Il a expliqué qu'il avait déjà mangé.

    “I have already eaten.” → He explained that he had already eaten.

    Word by Word: He has explained that he had already eaten.

    The passé composé 'ai mangé' shifts back to the plus-que-parfait 'avait mangé'.

  4. « Fais tes devoirs ! » → Elle m'a dit de faire mes devoirs.

    “Do your homework!” → She told me to do my homework.

    Word by Word: She me has said of to do my homework.

    Commands in the imperative shift to the construction 'de + infinitive' in reported speech.

  5. « J'aurai fini à midi. » → Il a dit qu'il aurait fini à midi.

    “I will have finished at noon.” → He said he would have finished at noon.

    Word by Word: He has said that he would have finished at noon.

    The futur antérieur 'aurai fini' shifts to the conditionnel passé 'aurait fini'.

  6. « Il faisait froid. » → Elle a dit qu'il faisait froid.

    “It was cold.” → She said it was cold.

    Word by Word: She has said that it was cold.

    Tenses like the imparfait, plus-que-parfait, and conditionnel are 'static' and do not backshift further.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the future tense instead of the conditional in past reported speech.

    Il a dit qu'il viendra demain.
    Il a dit qu'il viendrait le lendemain.

    After a past verb like 'a dit', French usually uses the conditional (viendrait). The simple future is possible when the event is still in the future as you speak, for example when you report it the same day.

  • Forgetting to change time markers like 'demain' or 'hier'.

    Hier, il a dit qu'il viendra demain.
    Hier, il a dit qu'il viendrait aujourd'hui.

    Time is relative to the moment of speaking. If you report a past 'tomorrow', it might be 'today' or 'the next day' now.

How It Connects

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Backshifting tenses in past-tense reported speechLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn tense shifts in reported speech, you must first understand the basic structure of indirect discourse (using 'dire que'). Additionally, you need to be proficient in the formation of the Imparfait and the Conditionnel, as these are the specific tenses used to replace the Present and Future tenses respectively when the reporting verb is in the past.

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