Portuguese grammar · Intermediate (B1)
Reported speech
How to report what someone said with disse que: tense changes, questions with se, requests with pedir que, and words for time and place.
Diz que and disse que
“Reported speech” tells someone what another person said, without quoting the exact words. When the reporting verb is in the present (, ), the tenses stay the same: (He says he's tired).
When it is in the past (, ), the verb usually moves one step back in time, as in English: → . If what was said is still true, you can keep the present: . In speech Brazilians often use as well as .
| Tense of the words said | Reported after | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present: | imperfect | (He said he was tired.) |
| preterite: | pluperfect | (She said she had seen the film.) |
| + infinitive: | + infinitive | (He said he was going to call.) |
| future: | conditional | (She said she would come back.) |
| imperfect: | no change | (He said he lived there.) |
The subjunctive in reported speech
The present subjunctive becomes the imperfect subjunctive: → . The future subjunctive also becomes the imperfect subjunctive, a change with no model in English or Spanish: → .
- Ela disse que esperava que eu viesse.She said she hoped I would come.
- Ele disse que, se chovesse, não ia.He said that if it rained, he wouldn't go.
- Disseram que, quando o voo chegasse, iam nos avisar.They said they would let us know when the flight arrived.
Reported questions
Yes-or-no questions are reported with (if, whether): → . Questions with a question word keep it: → . The word order is the same as in a normal sentence.
- Ela perguntou se eu queria café.She asked if I wanted coffee.
- Ele me perguntou onde eu morava.He asked me where I lived.
- Perguntei a que horas o museu abria.I asked what time the museum opened.
Commands and requests
Report an order or a request with or + subjunctive, or, more often in speech, or + (personal) infinitive: → or .
- Ele pediu que eu esperasse ali.He asked me to wait there.
- Ela pediu para a gente não fazer barulho.She asked us not to make any noise.
- A médica falou para eu descansar.The doctor told me to rest.
People, time and place
As in English, pronouns and possessives change to fit the new speaker ( → , → ), and words for time and place change when the report is made later or somewhere else.
| Words said | Reported later |
|---|---|
| , | |
| , | |
| , | , |
Reporting verbs
In the news and in writing, more precise verbs replace : (state), (announce), (assure), , (admit), (add), (promise) and (answer). (deny) takes the subjunctive: .
- O prefeito garantiu que a obra terminaria em março.The mayor assured everyone that the work would finish in March.
- Ele reconheceu que tinha errado.He admitted he had made a mistake.
- Ela negou que soubesse do problema.She denied knowing about the problem.