9.11 Reported (indirect) speech

When we report what someone said, we often need to make changes in order to maintain the meaning of the message. Most of the changes in English correspond to changes in Catalan, e.g.:

Silvia said, "I saw you yesterday".
(La Sílvia em va dir: "Et vaig veure ahir".)

Some weeks later I might report this as:

Silvia told me that she had seen me the day before.
(La Sílvia em va dir que m'havia vist el dia abans.)

A different person might report the same thing as:

Silvia told him that she had seen him the day before.
(La Sílvia li va dir que l'havia vist el dia abans.)

As we can see, changes in the pronouns (you → me, him) are paralleled in Catalan (et → me, li) and so is the change in the verb (saw → had seen, vaig veure → havia vist).

Notice the following typical correspondences between direct and reported expressions of place and time:

Direct speech		Reported speech
English	*Catalan*	English	*Catalan*
here	aquí	there	allà
today	avui	that day	aquell dia
this morning/ afternoon/evening	aquest...	that morning/ afternoon/evening	aquell...
this week/month	aquest...	that week/month	aquell...
yesterday	ahir	the day before, the previous day	el dia abans
two years ago	fa...	two years before	feia...
tomorrow	demà	the day after, the following day	l'endemà
in two hours, etc.	d'aquí a dues hores, etc.	two hours later	dues hores més tard

Notice also these typical correspondences for modal verbs:

Direct speech		Reported speech
can		could
will		would
must		must/had to
may		might
shall		should

However, there are two changes in reported speech in English that do not correspond to Catalan.

First, reported questions in English do not have the word order of direct questions. Compare, e.g.:

Direct question		Reported question
English	*Catalan*	English	*Catalan*
Are you English?	Ets anglesa?	I asked her if she was English.	Li vaig preguntar si era anglesa.
Where do you live?	On vius?	I asked her where she lived.	Li vaig preguntar on vivia.
Can you swim?	Saps nedar?	I asked her if she could swim.	Li vaig preguntar si sabia nedar.
What time did you arrive?	A quina hora vas arribar?	I asked her what time she had arrived.	Li vaig preguntar a quina hora havia arribat.

The structure of the reported question is also used in noun clauses.

Second, reported requests and orders have a different sentence structure from Catalan. Compare, e.g.:

Direct request/order		Reported request/order
English	*Catalan*	English	*Catalan*
Eat slowly.	Menja a poc a poc.	My mother always tells me to eat slowly.	La meva mare sempre em diu que mengi a poc a poc.
John, stand up!	John, aixeca't!	I told John to stand up.	Vaig dir al John que s'aixequés.
Please pass the salt.	Passa'm la sal, si us plau.	Peter asked me to pass the salt.	El Peter em va demanar que li passés la sal.
Everyone must be back by 9.	Tothom ha de tornar cap a les 9.	The officer ordered everyone to come back by 9.	L'oficial va ordenar que tothom tornés cap a les 9.

Notice the use of the object pronoun in this structure, e.g.:

Peter asked me to pass him the salt.
(El Peter em va demanar que li passés la sal.)

The official told her / him to wait.
(L'oficial li va dir que esperés.)

The official told them to wait.
(L'oficial els va dir que esperessin.)

Notice also that in English the reported request is always infinitive and so it does not change for past, present or future time. Also, since it is infinitive, it is negated with not, not don't. The structure is:

	Subject	Verb	Indirect object	(Not)	Infinitive
Past	The policeman	told	us		to wait	outside.
Past	The policeman	told	us	not	to wait	outside.
Present	The policeman	is telling	them		to wait	outside.
	The policeman	is telling	them	not	to wait	outside.
Future	The policeman	will tell	her		to wait	outside.
Future	The policeman	will tell	her	not	to wait	outside.

Here are examples of common reporting verbs and other verbs that have this structure:

	Verb	Object	(Not)	To + infinitive
We	advise	you	not	to be	late.
They	allowed	her		to stay.
My mother	asked	Peter		to help	us.
I	begged	them		to give	me more time.
They	compelled	the prisoners		to stand.
I	dared	him		to repeat	it.
The teacher	encourages	us		to read	novels.
I	expect	you		to be	here on time.
They	forbade	me		to sing.
The officer	forced	us		to undress.
I'll	get	them		to come	back later.
We	helped	my cousins		to pack.
They	instructed	us	not	to delay	our departure.
I'll	invite	Mary		to stay	with us.
We	left	them		to finish	the job.
I'd	like	you		to bring	your friend.
They	obliged	the students		to leave.
The police	ordered	everybody		to move	away.
I'll	persuade	your brother	not	to accept	the offer.
We'd	prefer	them		to pay	in cash.
They	recommend	passengers		to reserve	seats.
I'll	remind	him		to go	to the bank.
We	requested	the children		to return	the ball.
The rules	require	members		to pay	in advance.
Who	taught	you		to drive?
I'll	tell	Peter	not	to come	tomorrow.
I'm	trusting	her		to look	after them.
Mrs Brown	urged	everybody		to have	patience.
I	want	you all		to be	quiet.
They	warned	us	not	to touch	the wires.

Notice that we can use make, let and have in a similar structure but without to, e.g.:

My father made me clean all the shoes.
(El meu pare em va obligar a netejar totes les sabates.)

We let the children go to bed late on Saturdays.
(Deixem que els nens vagin tard al llit els dissabtes.)

I'll have John buy some more paper.
(Faré que en John compri més paper.)

Say, tell and ask are often misused. Here are the main uses. Of the three, only say can be used with direct speech, e.g.:

Brian said, "I'm hot".

Brian said, "Stand up!"

Brian said, "Are you hungry?"

As for reports, both say and tell can report statements, say without an indirect object, tell with an indirect object, e.g.:

Brian said that he was hot.

Brian told me that he was hot.

(Not: Brian ~~said me~~ that he was hot.)
(Not: Brian ~~told that~~ he was hot.)

Only tell can report commands, and always with an indirect object, e.g.:

Brian told me to stand up.

(Not: Brian ~~said~~ me to stand up.)

Only ask can report questions, with or without an indirect object, e.g.:

Brian asked (me) if I was hungry.

(Not: Brian ~~said/told~~ (me) if I was hungry.)