Indirect Speech – Free Exercise

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Exercise

Choose the correct pronouns and articles to complete the indirect speech.

  1. Helena: «¡Estoy enferma!»
    → Helena dice que está enferma.[Helena says she’s sick.]|1st person in direct speech becomes 3rd person in indirect speech.
  2. Andrés: «¿Por qué ríe ella?»
    → Andrés pregunta por qué ríe .[Andrés is asking why she’s laughing.]|3rd person stays the same in indirect speech.
  3. Los niños: «Un día seremos mayores».
    → Los niños dicen que un día serán mayores.[The children say they’re going to be big someday.]|1st person in direct speech becomes 3rd person in indirect speech.
  4. La vecina me ha dicho: «Tu pastel de crema estaba delicioso».
    → La vecina me ha dicho que pastel de crema estaba delicioso.[The neighbour said that my cream cake was delicious.]|The person being addressed in the direct speech is repeating the sentence in indirect speech (signal: me ha dicho)|tu → mi.
  5. Yo he respondido: «¡Es mi plato estrella!»
    → Yo he respondido que es plato estrella.[I replied that it’s my speciality.]|The sentence in direct speech is being repeated by the same person in indirect speech, so the pronoun doesn’t change.

Write the following sentences in indirect speech.

  1. Julia: «Soy buena en matemáticas».
    →Julia afirmó  .[Julia claimed that she’s good at maths.]|reporting verb in the past: presente → imperfecto
  2. Nosotros: «El cartero pasó a las 9».
    → Nosotros confirmamos   a las 9.[We confirm/confirmed that the postman comes/came at 9.]|reporting verb confirmamos could be presente or indefinido|reporting verb in present: tense stays the same in indirect speech|reporting verb in preterite: indefinido → pluscuamperfecto
  3. La profesora: «Esta mañana había mucho tráfico».
    → La profesora contó  .[The teacher said that there had been a lot of traffic this morning.]|reporting verb in the past: Imperfecto → imperfecto or pluscuamperfecto
  4. El alcalde: «La ciudad está en shock».
    → El alcalde explica  .[The mayor explains that the city is in shock.]|reporting verb in the present: no change
  5. Los niños: «No nos gusta la comida».
    → Los niños se han quejado de  .[The children complained that they didn’t like the food.]|reporting verb in pretérito perfecto: no change

Write the questions in indirect speech.

  1. Javier: «¿Te has lavado las manos?»
    → Javier pregunta a su hijo  .[Javier asked his son if he had washed his hands.]|reporting verb in the present → no change|In indirect speech, yes-no questions begin with si.
  2. El profesor: «¿Cuándo murió Carlos V?»
    → El profesor preguntó  .[The teacher asked when Carlos V had died.]|reporting verb in the past: indefinido → pluscuamperfecto
  3. Verónica: «¿Por qué lloráis?»
    → Verónica preguntó a sus amigos  .[Veronica asked her friends why they were crying.]|reporting verb in the past: presente → imperfecto
  4. Mi hermana: «¿Quieres jugar a las cartas?»
    → Mi hermana me pregunta todos los días  .[My sister asks me every day if I want to play cards.]|reporting verb in the present: no change|In indirect speech, yes-no questions begin with si.
  5. El revisor: «¿En qué estación se baja usted?»
    → El revisor preguntó al viajero  .[The ticket inspector asked the passenger which station he was getting out at.]|reporting verb in the past: presente → imperfecto