Reported Speech in Portuguese

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is used to convey what someone else has said in a conversation. In Portuguese, it is important to apply the rules of reported speech correctly to maintain the accuracy of the original message. Let's explore the key elements and rules of reported speech in Portuguese.

1. Verb Tense Changes

When reporting someone's speech, it is common to shift the verb tenses to reflect the perspective of the reporter. Here are the general rules for verb tense changes in reported speech:

• Present tense becomes past tense.
• Past tense becomes past perfect.
• Future tense becomes conditional tense.
• Present perfect tense becomes past perfect.
• Conditional tense remains unchanged.

Examples:

• Direct Speech: Ele disse, "Eu estudo português." (He said, "I study Portuguese.")

• Reported Speech: Ele disse que estudava português. (He said that he studied Portuguese.)

• Direct Speech: Ela perguntou, "Vocês serão meus colegas?" (She asked, "Will you be my colleagues?")

• Reported Speech: Ela perguntou se seriam seus colegas. (She asked if they would be her colleagues.)

Remember to adjust the verb tenses accordingly when reporting someone's speech.

2. Pronoun Changes

Another important aspect of reported speech is changing the pronouns to reflect the shift from the speaker's perspective to the reporter's perspective. Here are the pronoun changes in reported speech:

• Direct speech pronouns (eu, tu, você, nós, vocês) become indirect speech pronouns (ele, ela, você, nós, vocês).
• Third person pronouns (ele, ela, eles, elas) remain unchanged.

Examples:

• Direct Speech: "Eu não sei." (I don't know.)

• Reported Speech: Ele disse que não sabia. (He said he didn't know.)

• Direct Speech: "Nós gostamos de praia." (We like the beach.)

• Reported Speech: Ele disse que eles gostavam de praia. (He said they liked the beach.)

Adapt the pronouns according to the context when reporting someone's speech.

3. Reporting Verbs

In Portuguese, there are specific verbs that are commonly used to introduce reported speech. Here are some examples:

• Dizer (to say): Ele disse que...
• Perguntar (to ask): Ela perguntou se...
• Comentar (to comment): Ele comentou que...
• Responder (to respond): Ela respondeu que...

Using these reporting verbs helps to clearly indicate that you are relaying someone else's speech.

Examples:

• Direct Speech: "Eu estudo muito." (I study a lot.)

• Reported Speech: Ele comentou que estudava muito. (He commented he studied a lot.)

• Direct Speech: "Onde está o livro?" (Where is the book?)

• Reported Speech: Ele perguntou onde estava o livro. (He asked where the book was.)

Choose the appropriate reporting verb based on the intended meaning when using reported speech.

4. Indirect Questions

When reporting a question, it is essential to transform it into an indirect question. In Portuguese, the word order changes, and the question mark is removed. Here's how to transform a question into indirect speech:

• Direct question: "Vocês vão ao cinema?"
• Indirect question: Ele perguntou se eles iam ao cinema.

Example:

• Direct Question: "Você gosta de música?"
• Indirect Question: Ele perguntou se eu gostava de música.

Transform the direct question into an appropriate indirect question while reporting someone's speech.

5. Word Order

In reported speech, it is necessary to adapt the word order to make the sentence grammatically correct. Here are the general rules for word order in reported speech:

• Verb + subject inversion in direct questions becomes subject + verb in reported speech.
• Adverbial modifiers may need to be adjusted to fit the new sentence structure.

Examples:

• Direct Speech: "Qual é o seu nome?"

• Reported Speech: Ele perguntou qual era o meu nome.

• Direct Speech: "Onde você mora?"

• Reported Speech: Ela perguntou onde eu morava.

Ensure the correct word order when constructing sentences in reported speech.

Conclusion

In Portuguese, reported speech is an essential tool for relaying what others have said in a conversation. By applying the rules of verb tense changes, pronoun changes, using appropriate reporting verbs, transforming indirect questions, and adjusting word order, you can effectively and accurately convey the original message. Practice these rules to master reported speech in Portuguese.