Spanish Reported Speech in the Present: Relaying What Someone Says

In this lesson, you will relay what someone currently says, explains, reports, or asks. You will keep que in statement patterns, adjust personal references according to the new speaker, and report simple questions without copying direct-question word order. Past reporting and command reporting are reserved for later study.

Direct statement and reported statement

Direct:

Ana: — Ana: I work from home.

Reported:

— Ana says that she works from home.

The reporting verb dice is present. The subordinate verb does not need an automatic tense shift.

Keep que

Target:

— Carlos says that he has a meeting.

English can omit “that” in some contexts, but the target Spanish pattern keeps que between the reporting verb and the statement.

Other present reporting verbs

— Marta explains that the course starts Monday.
— The company reports that there are delays.
— The city council announces that it will open a new library.
— The technician confirms that the system works.

Adjust person references

Direct:

Carlos: — Carlos: I need my document.

Reported:

— Carlos says that he needs his document.

Mi changes to su because the person relaying the sentence is no longer Carlos.

Adjust object pronouns when necessary

Direct:

Marta: — Marta: Ana calls me every day.

Reported:

— Marta says that Ana calls her every day.

La now refers to Marta from the reporter's point of view.

Keep time words when they still fit

Direct:

Ana: — Ana: Today I work until six.

Reported on the same day:

— Ana says that today she works until six.

Do not change hoy automatically when the reporting context is still the same day.

Report a yes-no question with si

Direct question:

Carlos: — Carlos: Do you have time?

Reported:

— Carlos asks whether I have time.

Do not preserve the direct question marks or invert the clause as if it were still a direct question.

Report an information question with the question word

Direct:

Marta: — Marta: Where is the station?

Reported:

— Marta asks where the station is.

The question word remains, but the clause follows normal subordinate order.

Another information question

Direct:

Ana: — Ana: When does the meeting start?

Reported:

— Ana asks when the meeting starts.

Do not backshift automatically with a present reporting verb

Direct:

Carlos: — Carlos: The train leaves at eight.

Reported:

— Carlos says that the train leaves at eight.

You do not need to change sale to a past tense simply because the sentence is reported.

Separate source from content

In:

— The company says that there will be delays.

La empresa is the source. Habrá retrasos is the content of the statement.

Reporting the statement does not automatically mean the reporter personally confirms the content.

Short news relay

Original statement:

La empresa: — The company: The service will start working again at five.

Relay:

— The company says that the service will start working again at five.

Do not report commands yet

Direct commands and more complex past reporting patterns require additional changes and belong to later lessons. This lesson focuses on present reporting of statements and simple questions.

A practical present-reported-speech method

Identify who is the current source of the statement or question.
Use a present reporting verb such as dice, explica, informa, confirma, or pregunta.
Keep que in reported statements in the target patterns.
Adjust personal pronouns and possessives to the new point of view.
Use si for reported yes-no questions.
Keep the question word for reported information questions.
Do not copy direct-question word order into the subordinate clause.
Do not apply automatic tense backshift when the reporting verb is present.

From Reported Speech to Everyday Technology

You can now relay what someone currently says or asks while keeping references and links clear. The next lesson is Discussing Everyday Technology and Explaining Its Benefits and Problems in Spanish.