Time in Reported Speech

Level 6Sounds Like neupravni govor bez mehaničkog slagan̂a vremena

In Serbian indirect speech, verb tenses do not shift backward mechanically just because the main reporting verb is in the past. Instead, the subordinate clause keeps the tense relative to the original utterance: present for simultaneous actions, past (perfect) for earlier actions, and future for later actions.

How It Works

In standard Serbian, indirect speech (неуправни говор) is governed by relative tense usage (релативна употреба времена). The temporal anchor of the reported clause is not the speaker's current moment of speaking, but the moment when the reported speech act or thought occurred.

Because of this, there is no mechanical tense shift (механичко слагање времена):

  • Simultaneity (истовременост): When the reported action takes place at the same time as the reporting verb, use the present tense (презент), usually with imperfective aspect (несвршени вид). For example, Рекла је да ради means 'She said she was working' (at that moment). Shifting to past here would change the meaning to an anterior action.
  • Anteriority (превременост): When the reported action happened prior to the reporting event, use the standard past tense (перфекат). Do not substitute the pluperfect (плусквамперфекат) as a mechanical reflex; standard perfect handles anteriority naturally.
  • Posteriority (послевременост): When the reported action will happen after the reporting event, use the future tense (футур I). Avoid using the conditional (потенцијал) simply to translate English 'would' unless an actual condition is present.

Adjusting Deictic Expressions:
While verb tenses remain relative to the reported situation, spatial and temporal markers (deictics) adjust only when the time or place of the reporting speech act differs from the original utterance. For example, if reported on a later date, данас shifts to тог дана, јуче to претходног дана or дан раније, and сутра to сутрадан or наредног дана. However, if reported on the very same day or in the exact same location, no shift occurs (e.g., reporting a morning statement later that afternoon: Рекао је да ће доћи данас).

Examples (4)

  1. Рекла ми је да не може да разговара јер пише извештај.

    She told me that she couldn't talk because she was writing a report.

    Word by Word: She-told me that not can to talk because writes report.

    Both verbs in the subordinate clauses (не може, пише) remain in the present tense because they describe states simultaneous with the past reporting event.

  2. Обећали су да ће нас позвати чим стигну.

    They promised that they would call us as soon as they arrived.

    Word by Word: Promised they-are that will us call as-soon-as arrive.

    Future I (ће позвати) expresses posteriority relative to the past promise. English shifts this to 'would call', but Serbian uses the ordinary future.

  3. Тврдио је да није видео моју поруку.

    He claimed that he had not seen my message.

    Word by Word: Claimed he-is that not-is seen my message.

    The perfect tense (није видео) expresses that the event occurred before the speech act. Serbian uses the standard perfect rather than a past perfect.

  4. Питао је где живимо и чиме се бавимо.

    He asked where we lived and what we did for a living.

    Word by Word: Asked he-is where we-live and with-what self we-deal.

    In embedded questions, simultaneous states remain in the present tense (живимо, бавимо се) even when governed by a past verb (питао је).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the past tense in the clause when you mean a state at the same time.

    Different MeaningМислио сам да си био код куће.
    Мислио сам да си код куће.

    "Мислио сам да си био код куће" is correct, but it means "I thought you had been at home" (earlier). To say you were at home right then, use the present tense: "да си код куће".

  • Using the conditional where a plain future is meant.

    Different MeaningРекао је да би сутрадан дошао.
    Рекао је да ће сутрадан доћи.

    "Рекао је да би сутрадан дошао" is correct, but "би дошао" makes the coming conditional ("he would come, if..."). For a plain statement about the future, use futur I: "да ће сутрадан доћи".

  • Keeping "сутра" when you mean the day after he spoke.

    Different MeaningЈован је пре три дана рекао да ће доћи сутра.
    Јован је пре три дана рекао да ће доћи сутрадан.

    "Рекао је да ће доћи сутра" is correct if you mean tomorrow from now. When you mean the day after he spoke, use "сутрадан" or "наредног дана".

How It Connects

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Time in Reported SpeechLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand how time reference is maintained in reported speech without mechanical English-style backshifting, learners need a solid grasp of basic indirect speech mechanics and an understanding of how relative tense functions across complex clauses in Serbian.