Lección

She said that... He told me that...

Basic reported speech

≈ 15 min 8 bloque(s)

Text

She said that... He told me that...

Esta lección explica cómo informar lo que dijo otra persona. Usamos verbos de reporte como 'say' y 'tell' para introducir el estilo indirecto. Diferencias clave: 'say' a menudo no lleva objeto directo, mientras que 'tell' requiere un objeto (tell someone). Al convertir el discurso directo en indirecto, normalmente cambiamos el tiempo verbal (retroceso de tiempos) y ajustamos las expresiones temporales/espaciales.

  • Estructura con 'say': Sujeto + say(said) + (that) + cláusula — p. ej. She said (that) she was late.
  • Estructura con 'tell': Sujeto + tell(told) + objeto + (that) + cláusula — p. ej. He told me (that) he was late.
  • Retroceso de tiempos: presente → pasado, will → would, present perfect → past perfect, etc.
  • Cambios de tiempo/lugar: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there.

La palabra 'that' es opcional en el habla pero útil en la escritura.

Table

Reported Speech: Direct → Reported (say/tell)

Direct speech Reported speech with 'said' Reported speech with 'told' (with object)
"I work in finance," she said. She said (that) she worked in finance. She told me (that) she worked in finance.
"We are meeting at 3 PM," they said. They said (that) they were meeting at 3 PM. They told us (that) they were meeting at 3 PM.
"I have finished the report," he said. He said (that) he had finished the report. He told his manager (that) he had finished the report.
"I will send the file tomorrow," she said. She said (that) she would send the file the next day. She told me (that) she would send the file the next day.
"I am leaving now," she said. She said (that) she was leaving then. She told him (that) she was leaving then.
"Don't forget the meeting," he said. He said (that) we shouldn't forget the meeting. He told the team (that) they shouldn't forget the meeting.

Tip

Regla clave: 'say' vs 'tell' y retroceso de tiempos

Recuerda estos puntos esenciales al formar el estilo indirecto:

  • 'Tell' requiere una persona como objeto: tell someone (He told me that...).
  • 'Say' puede usarse con o sin 'that': She said (that) the meeting was at 9.
  • Retroceso de tiempos cuando el verbo introductorio está en pasado: presente → pasado, present perfect → past perfect, will → would.
  • Ajusta las expresiones de tiempo/lugar: today → that day, yesterday → the day before, here → there.

Si el verbo introductorio está en presente (ej. 'She says'), normalmente no se realiza el retroceso de tiempos.

Example

Ejemplos en contexto

She said that the meeting would start at 10 AM.

Ella dijo que la reunión empezaría a las 10.

He told me that he had already sent the invoice.

Él me dijo que ya había enviado la factura.

They said that they were still waiting for approval.

Dijeron que todavía estaban esperando la aprobación.

The manager told the team that the deadline had been moved.

El gerente dijo al equipo que la fecha límite se había cambiado.

Tip

Errores comunes a evitar

Los estudiantes cometen a menudo errores predecibles en el estilo indirecto. Fíjate en esto:

  • No retroceder el tiempo verbal cuando el verbo introductorio está en pasado (p. ej. mantener 'will' en lugar de 'would').
  • Usar 'tell' sin objeto (incorrecto: 'He told that...').
  • Olvidar cambiar las expresiones de tiempo/lugar (p. ej. 'tomorrow' en lugar de 'the next day').
  • Mantener la puntuación o el orden de palabras del discurso directo al convertir a indirecto.

Revisa el tiempo del verbo introductorio y si 'tell' necesita un objeto.

Quiz

Choose the correct reported speech sentence for: "They said, 'We will review the budget tomorrow.'"

Pista: Recuerda el retroceso de tiempos y el cambio en expresiones temporales.

Quiz

Complete: She said that _____ the report the next day.

Pista: Retrocede el tiempo futuro cuando el verbo introductorio está en pasado.

Quiz

Choose the correct sentence:

Pista: Piensa si el verbo necesita una persona después.

Puntos clave

GrammarPoint

reported speech

noun CEFR B1 //rɪˈpɔːrtɪd spiːtʃ//

Manera de informar lo que dijo otra persona sin citarla textualmente.

discurso indirecto

In reported speech, 'I am' often becomes 'she said she was'.

En discurso indirecto, 'I am' suele convertirse en 'she said she was'.

GrammarPoint

backshift

noun CEFR B2 //ˈbækˌʃɪft//

El cambio de tiempos verbales al convertir el discurso directo en indirecto.

retroceso de tiempos

Direct: "I will finish." → Reported: He said he would finish.

Directo: «I will finish.» → Indirecto: He said he would finish.

Vocabulary

say

verb CEFR A2 //seɪ//

Expresar algo con palabras; verbo introductorio para el habla.

decir

She said that the office would close early.

Ella dijo que la oficina cerraría temprano.

Vocabulary

tell

verb CEFR A2 //tɛl//

Dar información a alguien; verbo introductorio que requiere un objeto (tell someone).

decir a / informar

He told me that the figures were ready.

Él me dijo que las cifras estaban listas.

GrammarPoint

that (conjunction)

conjunction CEFR A2 //ðæt//

Una conjunción usada para introducir cláusulas reportadas; a menudo opcional en el habla.

que

She said (that) the presentation was excellent.

Ella dijo (que) la presentación fue excelente.

GrammarPoint

time expression shift

expression CEFR B1 //taɪm ɪksˈprɛʃən ʃɪft//

Cambiar palabras como 'today' o 'tomorrow' al convertir el discurso directo en indirecto.

cambio de expresiones temporales

Direct: 'I will call you tomorrow.' → Reported: He said he would call me the next day.

Directo: «I will call you tomorrow.» → Indirecto: He said he would call me the next day.