Reported speech: guía completa del estilo indirecto en inglés

Direct Speech (Estilo directo):
Sarah said, «I’m going to the cinema tonight.»
(Sarah dijo: «Voy a ir al cine esta noche»)

Reported Speech (Estilo indirecto):
Sarah said that she was going to the cinema that night.
(Sarah dijo que iba a ir al cine esa noche)

Ejemplo 1:
Direct: «I love chocolate,» she said.
Reported: She said that she loved chocolate.

Ejemplo 2:
Direct: «We’re moving to London next month,» they told me.
Reported: They told me that they were moving to London the following month.

Ejemplo 3:
Direct: «I’ve already seen that film,» John said.
Reported: John said that he had already seen that film.

Regla general:

• Primera persona (I, me, my, mine): Cambia según el sujeto de la frase original
• Segunda persona (you, your, yours): Cambia según el interlocutor
• Tercera persona (he, she, they, etc.): Normalmente no cambia

Ejemplo 1:
Direct: Lucy said to me, «I’ll help you with your homework.»
Reported: Lucy told me that she would help me with my homework.
(I → she; you → me; your → my)

Ejemplo 2:
Direct: Tom said, «My sister is visiting me this weekend.»
Reported: Tom said that his sister was visiting him that weekend.
(My → his; me → him)

Situación: Son las 10:00 de la mañana del lunes. A las 9:00, Sarah dijo: «I’ll finish this today.»

A las 10:00 del mismo lunes:
Sarah said she would finish it today. ✓
(Todavía es «today», así que no hace falta cambiar)

El martes:
Sarah said she would finish it the day before. ✓
(Ya no es «today», así que cambiamos)

SAY

Estructura: say + (that) + clause
NO lleva objeto directo de persona

✓ She said that she was tired.
✗ She said me that she was tired.

TELL

Estructura: tell + someone + (that) + clause
SÍ lleva objeto directo de persona

✓ She told me that she was tired.
✗ She told that she was tired.

ASK

Estructura: ask + (someone) + if/whether + clause (para yes/no questions)
ask + (someone) + wh-word + clause (para wh-questions)

✓ He asked if I was ready.
✓ She asked me where I lived.

Estructura: Subject + said/told + (that) + reported clause

Ejemplos:

Direct: «I’m feeling much better now,» she said.
Reported: She said that she was feeling much better then.

Direct: «We’ve lived here for ten years,» they told us.
Reported: They told us that they had lived there for ten years.

Direct: Mark said, «I don’t like spicy food.»
Reported: Mark said that he didn’t like spicy food.

Estructura: Subject + asked + (someone) + if/whether + reported clause

Importante: El orden es sujeto + verbo (NO hay inversión)

Ejemplos:

Direct: «Do you like coffee?» he asked me.
Reported: He asked me if I liked coffee.
✗ He asked me if did I like coffee. (INCORRECTO)

Direct: «Have you finished your homework?» my mother asked.
Reported: My mother asked if I had finished my homework.
✗ My mother asked if had I finished my homework. (INCORRECTO)

Direct: «Are you coming to the party?» Sarah asked Tom.
Reported: Sarah asked Tom whether he was coming to the party.

Estructura: Subject + asked + (someone) + wh-word + reported clause

Importante: La palabra interrogativa (what, where, when, why, how, etc.) se mantiene, pero el orden es sujeto + verbo

Ejemplos:

Direct: «Where do you live?» she asked me.
Reported: She asked me where I lived.
✗ She asked me where did I live. (INCORRECTO)

Direct: «What time does the train leave?» he asked.
Reported: He asked what time the train left.
✗ He asked what time did the train leave. (INCORRECTO)

Direct: «Why are you laughing?» Jenny asked.
Reported: Jenny asked why I was laughing.

Direct: «How long have you been waiting?» the doctor asked.
Reported: The doctor asked how long I had been waiting.

Estructura: Subject + told + someone + (not) to + infinitive

Ejemplos:

Direct: «Sit down!» the teacher said to the students.
Reported: The teacher told the students to sit down.

Direct: «Don’t touch that!» she said to the child.
Reported: She told the child not to touch that.

Direct: «Be quiet!» the librarian said to us.
Reported: The librarian told us to be quiet.

Direct: My boss said, «Finish the report by Friday.»
Reported: My boss told me to finish the report by Friday.

Estructura: Subject + asked + someone + (not) to + infinitive

Ejemplos:

Direct: «Could you help me with this, please?» she asked.
Reported: She asked me to help her with that.

Direct: «Would you mind closing the window?» he asked.
Reported: He asked me to close the window.

Direct: «Please don’t tell anyone,» Sarah said to me.
Reported: Sarah asked me not to tell anyone.

Direct: «Can you pass me the salt?» my father asked.
Reported: My father asked me to pass him the salt.

Present Simple → Past Simple

Direct: «I work in a bank,» she said.
Reported: She said that she worked in a bank.

Direct: «They don’t eat meat,» he told me.
Reported: He told me that they didn’t eat meat.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous

Direct: «I’m watching a great series,» Tom said.
Reported: Tom said that he was watching a great series.

Direct: «The children are playing in the garden,» she said.
Reported: She said that the children were playing in the garden.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Direct: «I’ve never been to Japan,» he said.
Reported: He said that he had never been to Japan.

Direct: «We’ve just arrived,» they told us.
Reported: They told us that they had just arrived.

Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct: «I’ve been learning English for three years,» she said.
Reported: She said that she had been learning English for three years.

Past Simple → Past Perfect

Direct: «I saw that film last week,» John said.
Reported: John said that he had seen that film the week before.

Nota: A veces el Past Simple puede mantenerse si el contexto temporal está claro:
«I met her in 2015,» he said.
He said that he met/had met her in 2015. (ambas son correctas)

Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct: «I was sleeping when you called,» she said.
Reported: She said that she had been sleeping when I called.

Modales que CAMBIAN:

Will → Would
Direct: «I’ll call you tomorrow,» he said.
Reported: He said that he would call me the next day.

Can → Could
Direct: «I can speak three languages,» she said.
Reported: She said that she could speak three languages.

May → Might
Direct: «I may be late,» Tom said.
Reported: Tom said that he might be late.

Must → Had to
Direct: «I must finish this today,» she said.
Reported: She said that she had to finish that that day.

Nota: Must también puede mantenerse cuando expresa una deducción:
«He must be very rich,» she said.
She said that he must be very rich.

Modales que NO CAMBIAN:

Would
Direct: «I would never do that,» he said.
Reported: He said that he would never do that.

Could
Direct: «I could swim when I was five,» she said.
Reported: She said that she could swim when she was five.

Might
Direct: «It might rain tomorrow,» they said.
Reported: They said that it might rain the next day.

Should
Direct: «You should see a doctor,» she told me.
Reported: She told me that I should see a doctor.

Ought to
Direct: «We ought to leave now,» he said.
Reported: He said that they ought to leave then.

Direct: «I had already left when you arrived,» she said.
Reported: She said that she had already left when I arrived.

Direct: «They had been waiting for two hours,» he told me.
Reported: He told me that they had been waiting for two hours.

Direct: «I had never seen anything like that before,» John said.
Reported: John said that he had never seen anything like that before.

Verdades universales:

Direct: The teacher said, «The Earth orbits the Sun.»
Reported: The teacher said that the Earth orbits the Sun. ✓
(También sería correcto: «…that the Earth orbited the Sun», pero es menos natural)

Direct: «Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius,» she explained.
Reported: She explained that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

Hechos que siguen siendo ciertos:

Direct: «I live in Madrid,» he said.
Reported: He said that he lives in Madrid. ✓ (si todavía vive allí)
He said that he lived in Madrid. ✓ (también correcto, más formal)

Direct: «My sister is a doctor,» Tom told me.
Reported: Tom told me that his sister is a doctor. ✓ (si sigue siendo doctora)

1. Cuando algo sigue siendo relevante ahora:

Direct: «I’m not feeling well,» she said (hace 5 minutos).
Reported: She said she’s not feeling well. ✓ (si todavía está enferma)
She said she wasn’t feeling well. ✓ (también correcto)

2. Cuando reportamos algo inmediatamente:

Direct: «I’m hungry,» Tom said.
Reported (inmediatamente): Tom says he’s hungry. ✓
Reported (más tarde): Tom said he was hungry. ✓

3. Con gustos y preferencias permanentes:

Direct: «I love chocolate,» she said.
Reported: She said she loves chocolate. ✓
She said she loved chocolate. ✓

Direct: «I’m tired,» she says.
Reported: She says that she’s tired. ✓
✗ She says that she was tired. (INCORRECTO)

Direct: «I’ve finished my homework,» Tom tells his mother.
Reported: Tom tells his mother that he’s finished his homework. ✓

Direct: «Where do you live?» she asks me.
Reported: She asks me where I live. ✓

Nota: Esto también aplica cuando el verbo introductor está en present perfect:
«I’m leaving,» he has said.
He has said that he’s leaving. ✓

❌ INCORRECTO:

✗ She said me that she was tired.
✗ He told that he was leaving.

✅ CORRECTO:

✓ She told me that she was tired.
✓ She said that she was tired.
✓ He told us that he was leaving.
✓ He said that he was leaving.

Recuerda:
• SAY + (that) + clause (sin objeto de persona)
• TELL + someone + (that) + clause (con objeto de persona obligatorio)

❌ INCORRECTO:

✗ He asked where was the station.
✗ She asked if did I like coffee.
✗ They asked what time does the train leave.

✅ CORRECTO:

✓ He asked where the station was.
✓ She asked if I liked coffee.
✓ They asked what time the train left.

Regla de oro: En reported questions, el orden es siempre sujeto + verbo, como en una afirmación normal.

❌ INCORRECTO:

Direct: Sarah said to me, «I’ll call you tomorrow.»
✗ Sarah said that I would call you tomorrow.

✅ CORRECTO:

✓ Sarah told me that she would call me the next day.

❌ INCORRECTO:

Direct: «I saw you here yesterday,» Tom said.
✗ Tom said that I saw you here yesterday.

✅ CORRECTO:

✓ Tom said that he had seen me there the day before.

Situación 1: Transmitiendo un mensaje

«I saw Sarah this morning. She said she couldn’t come to the party tonight because she has to work late.»
(Vi a Sarah esta mañana. Dijo que no podía venir a la fiesta esta noche porque tiene que trabajar hasta tarde)

Situación 2: Contando una conversación

«I spoke to the landlord yesterday. He told me that the rent would increase next month, but he also said he would fix the heating before winter.»
(Hablé con el casero ayer. Me dijo que el alquiler subiría el mes que viene, pero también dijo que arreglaría la calefacción antes del invierno)

Situación 3: Explicando instrucciones

«The doctor told me to take these tablets three times a day and to avoid dairy products for a week. She also said I should come back if the symptoms don’t improve.»
(La doctora me dijo que tomara estas pastillas tres veces al día y que evitara los lácteos durante una semana. También dijo que debería volver si los síntomas no mejoran)

B2 First (FCE):

• Use of English – Part 3 (Word Formation): A veces hay que transformar frases a estilo indirecto
• Use of English – Part 4 (Key Word Transformations): Muy común encontrar transformaciones de directo a indirecto
• Writing – Part 2 (Report/Article): Útil para reportar opiniones o resultados de encuestas

Ejemplo típico de Key Word Transformation:
«I’ll help you with your homework,» Tom said to me.
OFFERED
Tom _________________ with my homework.
Respuesta: Tom offered to help me with my homework.

C1 Advanced (CAE):

• Use of English – Part 4: Transformaciones más complejas con reporting verbs avanzados
• Writing: Se espera un uso sofisticado de diferentes reporting verbs
• Speaking – Part 3: Útil para reportar opiniones de tu compañero

C2 Proficiency (CPE):

• Se espera dominio completo de todas las estructuras de reported speech
• Uso natural de reporting verbs sofisticados
• Capacidad para reportar ideas complejas con precisión

Ejemplo periodístico:

«The Prime Minister announced yesterday that the government would introduce new measures to tackle climate change. She explained that the measures would include a carbon tax and increased investment in renewable energy. When asked about the potential economic impact, she insisted that the long-term benefits would outweigh any short-term costs.»

(La Primera Ministra anunció ayer que el gobierno introduciría nuevas medidas para abordar el cambio climático. Explicó que las medidas incluirían un impuesto al carbono y una mayor inversión en energías renovables. Cuando se le preguntó sobre el posible impacto económico, insistió en que los beneficios a largo plazo superarían cualquier coste a corto plazo)

Ejemplo académico:

«Smith (2020) argues that social media has fundamentally changed how we communicate. He suggests that these changes are not entirely positive and warns that we may be losing important face-to-face communication skills. However, Jones (2021) disagrees, claiming that social media has actually enhanced our ability to maintain relationships across distances.»

(Smith (2020) sostiene que las redes sociales han cambiado fundamentalmente cómo nos comunicamos. Sugiere que estos cambios no son del todo positivos y advierte que podríamos estar perdiendo importantes habilidades de comunicación cara a cara. Sin embargo, Jones (2021) no está de acuerdo y afirma que las redes sociales han mejorado nuestra capacidad para mantener relaciones a distancia)

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