что (косвенная речь)
Reported Statement with Что
Use 'что' (that) to report facts, thoughts, or perceptions. Unlike English, Russian does not 'backshift' tenses; you keep the tense the original speaker used.
How It Works
In Russian, reported speech (косвенная речь) is introduced by the conjunction что. The most critical rule for English speakers to remember is the absence of backshifting.
- Relative Tense: If someone said 'I am working' (present), and you report it later, you say 'He said that he is working' (Он сказал, что работает). Using the past tense here would imply he had been working before he spoke.
- Punctuation: A comma is mandatory before 'что' to separate the main clause from the subordinate clause.
- Verbs of Reporting: This pattern follows verbs like сказать (to say), думать (to think), видеть (to see), or знать (to know).
- Pronoun Shift: While the tense stays the same, pronouns must change to reflect the new perspective (e.g., 'I' becomes 'he').
- The 'то, что' Construction: If the main verb requires a preposition (like 'insist on'), the dummy pronoun 'то' is used in the required case before 'что' (e.g., настаивать на том, что...).
Examples (4)
- Он сказал, что он занят.
He said that he was busy.
Word by Word: He said, that he [is] busy.
The original speaker said 'I am busy' (present). In Russian, the present tense is kept in the reported speech.
- Я думал, что ты уже ушёл.
I thought that you had already left.
Word by Word: I thought, that you already left.
The past tense 'ушёл' indicates the action happened before the thought occurred.
- Мы надеялись, что завтра будет солнце.
We hoped that it would be sunny tomorrow.
Word by Word: We hoped, that tomorrow will be sun.
The future tense 'будет' is used because the original hope was directed toward a future event.
- Она видела, что дети играют в саду.
She saw that the children were playing in the garden.
Word by Word: She saw, that children play in garden.
The present tense 'играют' shows the action was simultaneous with the act of seeing.
Common Mistakes
Not knowing that the past tense shows an earlier time.
Different MeaningОн сказал, что он был болен.Он сказал, что он болен.The sentence is correct, but 'был болен' means he was sick before he spoke. To say he was sick when he spoke, use the present tense 'болен'.
Omitting the comma before 'что'.
Я знаю что он придёт.Я знаю, что он придёт.Russian grammar strictly requires a comma before the conjunction 'что' in subordinate clauses.
Not knowing the difference between 'что' and 'чтобы'.
Different MeaningМама сказала, что я купил хлеб.Мама сказала, чтобы я купил хлеб.The sentence is correct, but it reports a fact: Mom said that I bought bread. To report a command (Mom told me to buy bread), use 'чтобы'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn reported speech with 'что', learners first need to understand how to form basic complement clauses. Crucially, they must also be comfortable with Russian verb tenses (past and present), as Russian does not use the 'backshift' found in English; instead, the tense in the 'что' clause remains the same as it was in the original spoken statement.
- что + Complement ClauseComplement Clause with Что
This pattern provides the basic syntactic structure for complement clauses using the conjunction 'что', which is the foundation for reported speech.
Level 3 - -л/-ла/-лоPast Tense Gender Agreement
Understanding the past tense is essential because reported speech often involves reporting past utterances, and learners must distinguish between the tense of the reporting verb and the relative tense of the reported clause.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- чтобы + Past TenseDesired Action with Чтобы
Used for reporting desires or commands, whereas 'что' reports facts.
Level 3 - лиIndirect Yes-no Question with Ли
Used for reporting yes/no questions instead of statements.
Level 3 - Indirect wh-question
Used for reporting 'wh-' questions (who, where, when) instead of statements.
Level 3 - говорить/сказатьAspect Pair Говорить and Сказать
The most common verbs used to introduce reported speech with 'что'.
Level 2 - потому что / поэтомуCause and Result
Uses 'что' as part of a causal conjunction to explain reasons.
Level 3 - якобы (частица)Doubtful Report Якобы
Used to report a statement while expressing doubt about its truthfulness.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice что (косвенная речь) in Bubblegum
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