Tense Changes in Reported Speech

Level 5

After a past verb like dixo, move each tense one step back: Vou mañá → Dixo que ía ao día seguinte; Chegarei tarde → Avisou de que chegaría tarde.

How It Works

The shifts

  • present: Vou. → copretérito: Dixo que ía.
  • future: Chegarei tarde. → pospretérito: Dixo que chegaría tarde.
  • preterite: Xa vin a película. → antepretérito: Dixo que xa vira a película.
  • command: Ven! → imperfect subjunctive: Díxome que viñese.
  • question: Estás cansada? → Preguntoume se estaba cansada.

For the preterite, speakers often keep the same tense (Dixo que xa viu a película); the antepretérito makes the order of events clearer. Never use haber + participle: say vira, not había visto.

Time and place words

  • mañá → ao día seguinte
  • onte → o día anterior
  • hoxe → aquel día
  • aquí → alí

When nothing shifts

With a reporting verb in the present, the tenses stay: Di que vén mañá. With a past reporting verb, you may keep the present if the fact is still true now: Dixo que vive en Vigo.

For the basics of reporting, see reported statements and indirect questions.

Examples (6)

  1. Dixo que ía ao día seguinte.

    He said he was going the next day.

    Original words: Vou mañá.

  2. Avisou de que chegaría tarde.

    She warned that she would be late.

    Original words: Chegarei tarde.

  3. Contoume que xa vira a película.

    She told me she had already seen the film.

    Original words: Xa vin a película.

  4. Pedíronnos que non fixésemos ruído.

    They asked us not to make any noise.

    Original words: Non fagades ruído!

  5. Preguntoume se estaba cansada.

    She asked me if I was tired.

    Original words: Estás cansada?

  6. Di que vén mañá.

    He says he is coming tomorrow.

    The reporting verb is in the present, so nothing shifts.

Common Mistakes

  • Using haber + participle for the earlier past.

    Dixo que xa o había feito.
    Dixo que xa o fixera.

    Galician uses the simple antepretérito, fixera, not a compound with haber.

  • Reporting a request with the conditional.

    Díxome que viría á festa. (meaning: she told me to come)
    Díxome que viñese á festa.

    A reported command or request takes the imperfect subjunctive. Díxome que viría means she said she would come.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Tense Changes in Reported SpeechLevel 5

Learn This First

Reported speech can shift several tense and mood forms with the reporting viewpoint.