Direct and Indirect Speech in English Estilo Directo e Indirecto en Inglés
1. What is Direct and Indirect Speech?(¿Qué es el Estilo Directo e Indirecto?)
a. Direct Speech
Direct speech is used to reproduce the exact words of a person. Quotation marks are used to indicate that someone's words are being directly quoted.(El estilo directo se utiliza para reproducir las palabras exactas de una persona. Se emplean comillas para indicar que se está citando directamente lo que alguien ha dicho.)
Example:
Direct Speech: She said, "I am going to the store."
(Ella dijo: "Voy a la tienda.")
b. Indirect Speech
Indirect speech is used to report what someone has said without quoting their exact words. In this case, quotation marks are not used, and there are often changes in pronouns and verb tenses.(El estilo indirecto se utiliza para reportar lo que alguien ha dicho sin citar sus palabras exactas. En este caso, no se utilizan comillas y a menudo hay cambios en los pronombres y tiempos verbales.)
Example:
Indirect Speech: She said that she was going to the store.
(Ella dijo que iba a la tienda.)
2. Formation of Indirect Speech(Formación del Estilo Indirecto)
a. Changes in Verb Tenses
When converting from direct to indirect speech, there is usually a change in the verb tense. Here are some general rules:(Cuando se convierte del estilo directo al indirecto, generalmente hay un cambio en el tiempo verbal. Aquí hay algunas reglas generales:)
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple present → Simple past(Presente simple → Pasado simple) | "I eat apples." → She said that she ate apples.("Como manzanas." → Ella dijo que comía manzanas.) |
| Present continuous → Past continuous(Presente continuo → Pasado continuo) | "I am eating apples." → She said that she was eating apples.("Estoy comiendo manzanas." → Ella dijo que estaba comiendo manzanas.) |
| Simple past → Past perfect(Pasado simple → Pasado perfecto) | "I ate apples." → She said that she had eaten apples.("Comí manzanas." → Ella dijo que había comido manzanas.) |
| Simple future → Conditional(Futuro simple → Condicional) | "I will eat apples." → She said that she would eat apples.({"Comeré manzanas."} → Ella dijo que comería manzanas.) |
b. Changes in Pronouns and Adverbs
Pronouns and adverbs also change when converting to indirect speech:(Los pronombres y adverbios también cambian al pasar al estilo indirecto:)
- Pronouns: "I" changes to "she/he", "my" changes to "her/his", etc.(Pronombres: "I" cambia a "she/he", "my" cambia a "her/his", etc.)
- Time and place adverbs:(Adverbios de tiempo y lugar:)
- "now" changes to "then"
- "today" changes to "that day"
- "tomorrow" changes to "the next day"
- "yesterday" changes to "the day before"
Example:
Direct Speech: He said, "I will call you tomorrow."
Indirect Speech: He said that he would call me the next day.
(Estilo Directo: Él dijo: "Te llamaré mañana."
Estilo Indirecto: Él dijo que me llamaría al día siguiente.)
3. Use of Indirect Speech(Uso del Estilo Indirecto)
Indirect speech is commonly used in formal situations or when summarizing what someone has said without quoting them verbatim.(El estilo indirecto se utiliza comúnmente en situaciones formales o cuando se quiere resumir lo que alguien ha dicho sin citarlo textualmente.)
Examples of Use
- Reports or Summaries:
The teacher explained that the exam would be on Friday.
(El profesor explicó que el examen sería el viernes.)
- Everyday Conversations:
John told me that he was feeling sick.
(John me dijo que se sentía enfermo.)
- Narration of Events:
She mentioned that they had already left for the airport.
(Ella mencionó que ya habían salido hacia el aeropuerto.)
4. Complete Examples and Translations(Ejemplos Completos y Traducciones)
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| He said, "I can help you with your homework." | Él dijo: "Puedo ayudarte con tu tarea." |
| He said that he could help me with my homework. | Él dijo que podía ayudarme con mi tarea. |
| Maria asked, "Are you coming to the party?" | María preguntó: "¿Vas a venir a la fiesta?" |
| Maria asked if I was coming to the party. | María preguntó si iba a venir a la fiesta. |
| They told us, "We have finished our project." | Ellos nos dijeron: "Hemos terminado nuestro proyecto." |
| They told us that they had finished their project. | Ellos nos dijeron que habían terminado su proyecto. |
5. Important Notes(Notas Importantes)
- Use of "that": In informal English, it's common to omit the word "that" in indirect speech:(Uso de "that": En inglés informal, es común omitir la palabra "that" en el estilo indirecto:)
Direct: He said, "It's raining."
Indirect: He said (that) it was raining.
(Directo: Él dijo: "Está lloviendo."
Indirecto: Él dijo (que) estaba lloviendo.) - Questions: When reporting questions in indirect speech, the structure changes:(Preguntas: Cuando se reportan preguntas en estilo indirecto, la estructura cambia:)
Direct: She asked, "Where are you going?"
Indirect: She asked where I was going.
(Directo: Ella preguntó: "¿Adónde vas?"
Indirecto: Ella preguntó adónde iba.) - Orders and Requests: For orders or requests, the infinitive is used:(Órdenes y Peticiones: Para órdenes o peticiones, se usa infinitivo:)
Direct: He said, "Close the door."
Indirect: He told me to close the door.
(Directo: Él dijo: "Cierra la puerta."
Indirecto: Él me dijo que cerrara la puerta.) - Modal Verbs: Some modal verbs change when converting to indirect speech:(Verbos Modales: Algunos verbos modales cambian al pasar al estilo indirecto:)
- Can → could
- May → might
- Must → had to