Indirect Speech in Spanish

Quick Answer

El estilo indirecto(indirect speech/reported speech) is used in Spanish to report what someone has said without quoting them directly. In this article, you’ll learn the difference between direct and indirect speech and about the different types of indirect speech.

Direct Speech vs. Indirect Speech

Just like in English, we can report what another person said with direct speech or indirect speech. Direct speech is used to narrate the exact words expressed by the speaker. It is primarily used in writing.

Let’s take a look at a few examples using direct speech!

examples
"Te llamaré", dijo Ricardo. “I’ll call you,” Ricardo said.
"Me equivoqué", admitió el chico. “I made a mistake,” the boy admitted.

By using indirect speech, we don’t have to repeat what the speaker has said word-for-word. By omitting the direct quotation, we can paraphrase someone else's words, focusing more on the content of what someone said, rather than their exact words. Note that, since it is used to relay what someone said, it is almost always used in a past tense.

Let’s change the previous examples of direct speech to indirect speech.

examples
Ricardo dijo que me llamaría. Ricardo said he would call me.
El chico admitió que se había equivocado. The boy admitted he had made a mistake.

He Said, She Said

There are three types of indirect speech: indirect statements, indirect questions, and indirect commands. Let’s take a closer look.

Indirect Statements

Reporting verbs, followed by the conjunction que(that), are used to introduce someone else's statement indirectly. Decir(to say/to tell) is the most common verb used to report a statement, but there are many more:

Spanish	English
admitir	to admit
afirmar	to state
agregar	to add
anunciar	to announce
comentar	to comment
concluir	to conclude
contar	to tell
contestar	to answer
declarar	to declare
explicar	to explain
informar	to inform
prometer	to promise
responder	to respond

Let’s take a look at some examples!

examples
El detective afirmó que había confirmado la coartada del sospechoso. The detective stated that he had confirmed the suspect’s alibi.
El atleta admitió que no esperaba ganar. The athlete admitted that he didn’t expect to win.

Indirect Questions

When reporting a question, we use the verb preguntar(to ask) or the verb phrase querer saber(to want to know) followed by si(if/whether).

For example:

examples
Mi profesor me preguntó si había estudiado para el examen. My professor asked me if I had studied for the exam.
Mamá quiere saber si vamos a limpiar la casa hoy o mañana. Mom wants to know whether we’re going to clean the house today or tomorrow.

When reporting who, what, where, when, why, or how questions, use preguntar or querer saber followed by the question word. Since it is indirect speech, we do not need to use question marks.

For example:

examples
Me preguntó adónde iba. He asked me where I was going.
Querían saber quiénes éramos. They wanted to know who we were.

Indirect Commands or Requests

To report a command, we use a variety of reporting verbs followed by que. Here is a list of the most common verbs used to report a command or request:

Spanish	English
decir	to tell
exigir	to demand
implorar	to implore
insistir	to insist
mandar	to order
pedir	to ask
querer	to want
rogar	to beg

Check out these examples!

examples
El dentista me pidió que abriera la boca. The dentist asked me to open my mouth.
El policía les mandó que se arrodillaran. The policeman ordered them to kneel.

Important Changes

Tenses

When using indirect speech, you often need to change the verb tense. Here's a table to help you remember what tense you need to use!

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
present	imperfect
preterite or present perfect	past perfect
future	conditional
future perfect	conditional perfect
imperative or present subjunctive	imperfect subjunctive
present perfect subjunctive	past perfect subjunctive

For example:

examples
"Nunca te dejaré", me prometió. “I’ll never leave you,” he promised me.
Me prometió que nunca me dejaría. He promised me he would never leave me.
"¡Siéntate!", mandó mi madre. “Sit down,” my mother commanded.
Mi madre me mandó que me sentara. My mother commanded me to sit down.

Pronouns and Possessives

When changing direct speech to reported speech, make sure to change any necessary pronouns and possessive adjectives.

For example:

examples
"No quiero darte mi número", le dijo la chica. “I don’t want to give you my number,” the girl told him.
La chica le dijo que no quería darle su número. The girl told him that she didn’t want to give him her number.

Time and Place Expressions

Finally, when using indirect speech, we need to change references to time and place. Here’s a list of the most common changes:

Direct Speech	Translation	Reported Speech	Translation
hoy	today	ese día	that day
ahora	now	entonces	then
ayer	yesterday	el día anterior	the day before
mañana	tomorrow	el día siguiente	the following day
aquí	here	allí	there

For example:

examples
"Lo haré mañana", dijo Liz. “I’ll do it tomorrow,” Liz said.
Liz dijo que lo haría al día siguiente. Liz said that she would do it the following day.