Direct and Indirect Speech in French

In French, like in English, we often need to report what someone else said or asked. This is done through direct and indirect speech. Direct speech reproduces the exact words of the speaker, while indirect speech reports the speaker's words indirectly, without using quotation marks.

In this lesson, we will focus on techniques to report questions, statements, and exclamatory expressions using direct and indirect speech in French. Let's get started!

Reporting Statements in Direct Speech

When reporting statements in direct speech, we simply quote the speaker's words. Here are a few examples:

• "Je suis fatigué." (I am tired.) She said, "Je suis fatiguée."
• "Il fait beau aujourd'hui." (The weather is nice today.) He said, "Il fait beau aujourd'hui."

Note that the verb tense and pronouns may change depending on the subject and context.

Reporting Statements in Indirect Speech

To report statements in indirect speech, we need to introduce a reporting verb (such as "dire" - to say) and make certain changes to the original sentence. Here's how it works:

1. Change the verb tense if necessary:

   • Present tense: no change
   • Past tense: move the verb to the past tense
   • Future tense: move the verb to the conditional tense

2. Adjust the pronouns:

   • Change the pronouns according to the person being referred to
   • Use the appropriate pronoun according to the rules of indirect speech

Let's look at some examples:

• "Je suis fatigué." (I am tired.) -> Elle a dit qu'elle était fatiguée. (She said she was tired.)
• "Il fait beau aujourd'hui." (The weather is nice today.) -> Il a dit qu'il faisait beau aujourd'hui. (He said the weather was nice today.)

Reporting Questions in Direct Speech

When reporting questions in direct speech, we use a question mark and quote the speaker's words. Here are a few examples:

• "Est-ce que tu viens ce soir ?" (Are you coming tonight?) She asked, "Est-ce que tu viens ce soir ?"
• "Qui est-ce ?" (Who is it?) He asked, "Qui est-ce ?"

Reporting Questions in Indirect Speech

To report questions in indirect speech, we also need to introduce a reporting verb and make changes to the question structure. Here's how it's done:

1. Use the appropriate reporting verb (such as "demander" - to ask) and conjugate it accordingly.

2. Change the question word order. In indirect questions, the subject comes before the verb.

3. Adjust the pronouns as needed.

Let's see some examples:

• "Est-ce que tu viens ce soir ?" (Are you coming tonight?) -> Elle a demandé si je venais ce soir. (She asked if I was coming tonight.)
• "Qui est-ce ?" (Who is it?) --> Il a demandé qui c'était. (He asked who it was.)

Reporting Exclamatory Expressions in Direct Speech

When reporting exclamatory expressions, we quote the speaker's words and use an exclamation mark. Here's an example:

• "Quelle belle journée !" (What a beautiful day!) she exclaimed, "Quelle belle journée !"

Reporting Exclamatory Expressions in Indirect Speech

To report exclamatory expressions in indirect speech, we again use a reporting verb and make the necessary changes. Here's an example:

• "Quelle belle journée !" (What a beautiful day!) -> Elle s'est exclamée que c'était une belle journée. (She exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.)

Remember to adjust the verb tense and pronouns accordingly.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you learned how to report questions, statements, and exclamatory expressions using direct and indirect speech in French. Keep practicing to become more comfortable with these techniques.

Remember to pay attention to verb tense and pronoun changes when switching from direct to indirect speech. With practice, you'll master the art of reporting speech in French. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)