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Cap. 7

Reported Speech

secuencia de tiempos · verbos introductorios · preguntas indirectas

¿Qué es el reported speech?

El reported speech (discurso indirecto) se usa para transmitir lo que alguien ha dicho sin citar sus palabras exactas. Implica cambios en los tiempos verbales, pronombres y expresiones de tiempo.

"Estoy cansado", dijo él.
→
He said he was tired.
"Vivimos aquí", dijeron.
→
They said they lived there.
¡Atención! En inglés, si el verbo introductorio está en pasado (said, told, asked), normalmente hay un cambio de tiempo verbal (backshift).

Declaraciones

said / told + (that) + cláusula con cambio de tiempo

Usamos said sin objeto indirecto. Usamos told con objeto indirecto.

Ella dijo: "Tengo hambre".
→
She said (that) she was hungry.
Él me dijo: "No sé la respuesta".
→
He told me (that) he didn't know the answer.
Error frecuente: Nunca digas "He told that...". Tell siempre necesita un objeto indirecto: told me / him / us....

Preguntas

Sin inversión ni auxiliares

En las preguntas indirectas, el orden de las palabras es como en una afirmación: sujeto + verbo. No se usan auxiliares como do/does/did.

"¿Dónde vives?", preguntó ella.
→
She asked where I lived.
"¿Has terminado?", me preguntó.
→
He asked me if I had finished.
"¿Por qué llegaste tarde?", quiso saber.
→
He wanted to know why I had arrived late.
Error típico: "She asked where did I live" es incorrecto. En preguntas indirectas, nunca hay inversión.

Órdenes y peticiones

asked / told + objeto + to / not to + infinitivo

Para órdenes o peticiones, usamos la estructura con to + infinitivo.

"Espera un momento", me pidió.
→
She asked me to wait a moment.
"No hagas ruido", nos dijo.
→
He told us not to make noise.
"Cierra la puerta", ordenó.
→
He ordered me to close the door.
¡Cuidado! La forma negativa es not to + infinitivo, nunca "don't + infinitivo".

Cambios en tiempos y expresiones

Cambio de tiempos
Presente simple → Pasado simple
Presente continuo → Pasado continuo
Presente perfecto → Pasado perfecto
Will → Would
Can → Could
Must → Had to
Expresiones de tiempo/lugar
now → then
today → that day
tomorrow → the next/following day
yesterday → the day before
here → there
this → that

Errores comunes

Interferencia del español

He told that he was busy.
→
He said that he was busy.
Tell necesita objeto: "He told me that..."
She asked where did he live.
→
She asked where he lived.
Nunca hay inversión en preguntas indirectas.
They asked us don't go.
→
They asked us not to go.
La forma negativa es not to + infinitivo.
He said he is tired.
→
He said he was tired.
Con verbo introductorio en pasado, hay backshift.

Resumen

Declaraciones
said / told + (that) + cláusula
He said he was tired.
Preguntas wh-
asked + wh- + sujeto + verbo
She asked where I lived.
Sí/No preguntas
asked + if/whether + sujeto + verbo
He asked if I was ready.
Peticiones (+)
asked + obj + to + inf
She asked me to wait.
Peticiones (−)
asked + obj + not to + inf
She asked us not to go.
Cambios
tiempos · pronombres · expresiones
now→then, today→that day
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