Reported Speech 

O reported speech representa o discurso indireto em inglês.

Utilizamos essa forma quando queremos reproduzir a fala de outra pessoa, ou

seja, quando vamos reportar o que já foi dito por alguém.

Portanto, é muito empregado para narrar histórias e fatos que já aconteceram.

Exemplos:

Direct Speech: I am not feeling well.

Reported Speech: He said that he wasn’t feeling well.

Regras de Formação

Para que o discurso indireto siga as regras de formação corretas, é importante

estar atento aos tempos verbais. pois eles irão mudar dependendo de qual
tempo foi utilizado pelo falante.

 Present Simple → Past Simple

 Present Continuous → Past Continuous
 Present Perfect → Past Perfect
 Past Simple → Past Perfect (no change)
 Past perfect → Past perfect
 Will → Would
 Am/Is/are going to → was/were Going to

Tabela de Formação do Reported Speech

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple → I like your new car. Past Simple → He said (that) he liked my new car.
Present Continuous → I am
Past Continuous → She said (that) she was getting married.
getting married.
Present Perfect → We have
Past Perfect → He said (that) they had bought the tickets.
bought the tickets.
Past perfect → I had never been there
Past perfect → He said that he had never been there before
before
Past Simple → I missed the train. Past Perfect → He said (that) he had missed the train.
Can → I can speak German. Could → He said that he could speak German.
May → I may go to Lisbon tomorrow. Might → He said that he might go to Lisbon the following day.
Will → I will see you later. Would → He said (that) he would see me later.

1
Tabela de Formação do Reported Speech

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Would → I would help you if I could. Would → He said that he would help me if he could.
Should → I should call my mother. Should → He said that he should call his mother.
Could → I could swim when I was five. Could → He said that he could swim when he was five.
Ought to →I ought to attend the Ought to → She said that she ought to attend the lectures daily.
lectures daily.
We oughtn´t tell a lie He said that we oughtn’t tell a lie.
Might → I might be late for the
Might → she said that she might be late for the meeting.
meeting.
Must / had to →She said that she must study for the exam. Or,
Must → I must study for the exam.
she said that she had to study for the exam.
Am/Is/are going to → I am going
Was/were going to → He said he was going to a class.
to join the class.

Explicação

A partir dos exemplos acima, podemos notar que algumas palavras se alteram
na passagem do discurso direto para o indireto:

I have bought this book. → She said she had bought that book.

Além disso, alguns lugares, pronomes e indicações de tempo também podem

ser alterados com a passagem do discurso direto para o indireto.

Mudança de pronomes:

We are meeting at my house. → She said that they were meeting at her house.

Mudança de lugares:

I got here by train. → She said he had got there by train.

Mudança do tempo:

I met him last night. → She said she had met him the night before.

Veja abaixo algumas mudanças nos pronomes, lugares e expressões de tempo

utilizadas no discurso indireto em inglês.

 I → he/she
 We → they
 Me → him, her

2
 This → that
 These → those
 Here → there
 Now → then, at that time
 Today → that day
 Tomorrow → the next day / the following day
 Last night → the night before
 ago → before
 Yesterday → the previous day; the day before

Normalmente, utilizamos os verbos Say and Tell para introduzir o discurso

indireto mas a diferença entre say e tell é a seguinte:

Tell someone something

But

Say something to someone

Direct speech: I write home every weekday.

Indirect speech: He said that he wrote home every day.
He told me that he wrote home every day.

Direct speech: I go to my class every day.

Indirect speech: He said that he went to his class every day.
He told me that he went to his class every day.

Direct speech: She can speak German.

Indirect speech: He said that she could speak German.
He told me that she could speak German.

Direct speech: I may be able to go.

Indirect speech: He said that he might be able to go.
He told me that he might be able to go.

Nota: Em qualquer dos casos acima, that pode ser omitido:

He said he might be able to go.
He told me he might be able to go.

Note: If the reporting verb is in the present simple tense, present continuous,
present perfect or future tense, the verb in the reported sentence will not change,
e.g.
Direct speech: ”This work is too difficult.”

3
Indirect speech: He says /he is saying / he has said / he will say that the work is
too difficult.
Also, if the sentence expresses a fact that is supposed to be universally true and
not merely applicable to the time when the statement was made, the present
simple tense may be used in reported speech, e.g.
Direct speech: The sun is 92 million miles away.
Indirect speech: He said that the sun is 92 million miles away.
The present simple tense may be used also with a statement expressing a
repeated or habitual action. e.g.
Direct speech: I get up at seven o´clock every morning.
Indirect speech: He said that he gets up at seven o´clock every morning.
Direct speech: My wife always drinks coffee for breakfast.
Indirect speech: He said that his wife always drinks coffee for breakfast.

Practice
Change the direct speech into reported speech. Use 'she said' at the
beginning of each answer. It's the same day, so you don't need to
change the time expressions.

1) "He works in a bank."

2) "We went out last night."
3) "I'm coming!"
4) "I was waiting for the bus when he arrived."
5) "I'd never been there before."
6) "I didn't go to the party."
7) "Lucy will come later."
8) "He hasn't eaten breakfast."
9) "I can help you tomorrow."
10) "You should go to bed early."
11) "I don't like chocolate."
12) "I won't see you tomorrow."
13) "She's living in Paris for a few months."
14) "I visited my parents at the weekend."
15) "She hasn't eaten sushi before."
16) "I hadn't travelled by underground before I came to London."
17) "They would help if they could."

4
18) "I'll do the washing-up later."
19) "He could read when he was three."
20) "I was sleeping when Julie called."

Answers

1) "He works in a bank." [ She said that he worked in a bank. ]

2) "We went out last night." [ She said that they had gone out last
night. ]
3) "I'm coming!" [ She said that she was coming. ]
4) "I was waiting for the bus when he arrived." [ She said that she
had been waiting for the bus when he arrived. ]
5) "I'd never been there before." [ She said that she had never
been there before. ]
6) "I didn't go to the party." [ She said that she hadn't gone to the
party. ]
7) "Lucy will come later." [ She said that Lucy would come later. ]
8) "He hasn't eaten breakfast." [ She said that he hadn't eaten
breakfast. ]
9) "I can help you tomorrow." [ She said that she could help me
tomorrow. ]
10) "You should go to bed early." [ She said that I should go to
bed early. ]
11) "I don't like chocolate." [ She said that she didn't like
chocolate. ]
12) "I won't see you tomorrow." [ She said that she wouldn't see
me tomorrow. ]
13) "She's living in Paris for a few months." [ She said that she
was living in Paris for a few months. ]
14) "I visited my parents at the weekend." [ She said that she
had visited her parents at the weekend. ]
15) "She hasn't eaten sushi before." [ She said that she hadn't
eaten sushi before. ]
16) "I hadn't travelled by underground before I came to London."
[ She said that she hadn't travelled by underground before she
came to London. ]
17) "They would help if they could." [ She said that they would
help if they could. ]

5
 18) "I'll do the washing-up later." [ She said that she would do the
washing-up later. ]
19) "He could read when he was three." [ She said that he could
read when he was three. ]
20) "I was sleeping when Julie called." [ She said that she had
been sleeping when Julie called. ]

Practice
Say and Tell Exercise
Put in 'said' or 'told'

1) Julie _______that she would join us after work.

2) She _______me that she was going running this evening.
3) John ________us that he couldn't come to the party.
4) John ________that he had been to the cinema at the weekend.
5) She ________them she wanted to quit.
6) David _________that he was going to arrive at eight.
7) They ________that they didn't want to meet us on Tuesday.
8) I ________him I wasn't impressed.
9) Lucy ________Julie that she was leaving on Wednesday.
10) We _______that we were going on holiday the following week.
11) Jack _______my mother he would be in Spain this week.
12) I _________that I hated mushrooms.
13) She ________she loved chocolate.
14) They ________they were meeting Luke today.
15) They _______us they were going to the museum this afternoon.
16) He ________he wouldn't start without us.
17) I _________them I'd bring pudding.
18) Jonathan ________it would rain today.
19) They ________us that it was fine to come late.
20) The boss ________me that I should do some more work on this report.

Answers

Say and Tell Exercise

Put in 'said' or 'told'

6
1) Julie said that she would join us after work.
2) She told me that she was going running this evening.
3) John told us that he couldn't come to the party.
4) John said that he had been to the cinema at the weekend.
5) She told them she wanted to quit.
6) David said that he was going to arrive at eight.
7) They said that they didn't want to meet us on Tuesday.
8) I told him I wasn't impressed.
9) Lucy told Julie that she was leaving on Wednesday.
10) We said that we were going on holiday the following week.
11) Jack told my mother he would be in Spain this week.
12) I said that I hated mushrooms.
13) She said she loved chocolate.
14) They said they were meeting Luke today.
15) They told us they were going to the museum this afternoon.
16) He said he wouldn't start without us.
17) I told them I'd bring pudding.
18) Jonathan said it would rain today.
19) They told us that it was fine to come late.
20) The boss told me that I should do some more work on this
report.