Back
Advanced

Reported & Indirect Speech

rằng and là for reported speech

rằng and là introduce reported statements

Both function like that in reported speech; là is more colloquial.

💬 Examples
Anh ấy nói rằng anh ấy bận.
He said that he is busy.
📝 rằng = that (formal)
Cô ấy bảo là sẽ đến.
She said (that) she will come.
📝 là = that (colloquial)
No tense shift in Vietnamese reported speech

The tense of the original statement is kept unchanged.

📊 Reporting verbs
Verb Meaning Example
nói say / tell nói rằng
bảo tell / say (informal) bảo là
cho biết inform cho biết là
nghĩ think nghĩ rằng
hy vọng hope hy vọng là
💬 Examples
Anh ấy nói: Tôi mệt. → Anh ấy nói là anh ấy mệt.
He said: I am tired. → He said he was/is tired.
📝 no tense change after reporting verb
Cô ấy nói sẽ đến sớm.
She said she will come early.
📝 sẽ retained from original
Pronouns shift to reflect the new speaker

The reported pronoun changes from the original utterance.

💬 Examples
Tôi thích phở. → Anh ấy nói anh ấy thích phở.
He said he liked pho.
📝 tôi → anh ấy shift
Em sẽ học. → Cô ấy nói cô ấy sẽ học.
She said she would study.
📝 em → cô ấy (context-appropriate)