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Reported Speech

Indirect statements and tense shift

Indirect speech with que

Statements are reported with que.

💬 Examples
Il dit qu'il est fatigué.
He says (that) he is tired.
📝 dire que + clause
Elle pense que c'est vrai.
She thinks (that) it's true.
📝 que introduces the clause
Tenses shift back in the past

Present→imperfect, passé composé→pluperfect, future→conditional.

📊 Tense shift in reported speech
Direct Reported (past)
présent imparfait
passé composé plus-que-parfait
futur conditionnel
impératif de + infinitif
💬 Examples
Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.
He said he was tired.
📝 present → imperfect
Elle a dit qu'elle viendrait.
She said she would come.
📝 future → conditional
Questions use si or the question word

A reported yes/no question uses si.

💬 Examples
Il demande si tu viens.
He asks if you're coming.
📝 si = if (indirect question)
Je ne sais pas où il est.
I don't know where he is.
📝 Question word is kept