B2 verb_system 3 Min. Lesezeit

Indirect Speech:

In Hindi indirect speech, pronouns change but the tense usually remains exactly what the original speaker used.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Use `कि` to connect clauses.
  • Change pronouns to fit context.
  • Usually KEEP the original tense.
  • Drop quotation marks completely.

Quick Reference

Feature Direct Speech Example Indirect Speech Example English Equivalent Logic
Tense (Present) वह बोला, "मैं खुश हूँ।" वह बोला कि वह खुश है। He said that he *is* happy.
Pronoun (I → He) राम ने कहा, "मैं काम कर रहा हूँ।" राम ने कहा कि वह काम कर रहा है। Ram said that *he* is working.
Pronoun (You → I/Me) उसने मुझसे पूछा, "तुम कौन हो?" उसने मुझसे पूछा कि मैं कौन हूँ। He asked me who *I* am.
Imperative (Command) माँ ने कहा, "दूध पियो।" माँ ने दूध पीने के लिए कहा। Mom said *to drink* milk.
Yes/No Question क्या तुम चलोगे? ...कि क्या मैं चलूँगा। ...if I will go.
Time Words कल (tomorrow) अगले दिन (next day) Tomorrow -> Next day

Wichtige Beispiele

3 von 8
1

Usne kaha ki vah nahi aaega.

He said that he will not come.

2

Adhyapak ne bataya ki pariksha radd ho gayi hai.

The teacher said that the exam has been cancelled.

3

Maine usse pucha ki vah kahan ja rahi hai.

I asked her where she was going.

🎯

The 'Time Travel' Trick

Don't backshift tenses like in English! If they said it in the present, keep it in the present. Imagine you are holding a recording of their voice.

⚠️

Pronoun Trap

Be careful with `मैं` (I). In indirect speech, if you use `मैं`, the listener thinks you are talking about YOURSELF, not the original speaker.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Use `कि` to connect clauses.
  • Change pronouns to fit context.
  • Usually KEEP the original tense.
  • Drop quotation marks completely.

Overview

So, you’ve mastered saying things directly. Great! But what happens when you want to gossip? Or simply report what someone else said? That’s where Indirect Speech (or Narration) comes in. Unlike English, where you have to perform mental gymnastics with tenses (backshifting), Hindi is actually quite chill about it. It lets you keep the original vibe of the speaker much more often. It’s like quoting someone without doing the air quotes.

How This Grammar Works

The magic word here is कि (that). It’s the glue that holds the reporter (you) and the original speaker together. In English, if John says "I am busy," you report it as "John said that he was busy." You shift the tense back. In Hindi, John says मैं व्यस्त हूँ. You report it as जॉन ने कहा कि वह व्यस्त है. Did you notice? The tense didn't change! He *is* busy. We stay in John's timeline.

Formation Pattern

  1. 1Here is the step-by-step recipe to turn a direct quote into indirect speech:
  2. 2The Reporter: Start with who said it. Use ने if it's past tense (e.g., उसने कहा).
  3. 3The Glue: Add कि (ki).
  4. 4The Pronoun Swap: Change the pronouns (I, my, we) to match the perspective of the reporter (he, his, they). If John talked about himself (मैं), you call him वह.
  5. 5The Tense Freeze: generally, keep the tense the same as the original quote. This is the biggest relief for English speakers! (There are exceptions, but stick to this for now).
  6. 6The Ending: Finish the sentence naturally.

When To Use It

Use this literally every time you are retelling a conversation.

  • Telling your boss what a client said.
  • Telling your mom what your sibling *actually* said.
  • Reporting news or events.
  • Writing summaries of stories or movies.

When Not To Use It

Don't use it if you want to be dramatic and quote someone exactly word-for-word for effect. In that case, just use direct speech with quotation marks. Also, avoid this pattern if you are just describing an action, like "He screamed." That’s just a verb, not reported speech.

Common Mistakes

  • The English Trap: Trying to change है to था because the reporting verb is कहा. Don't do it! If he said "I am hungry," report it as "He said that he *is* hungry."
  • Pronoun Confusion: Forgetting to change मैं to वह. If you say उसने कहा कि मैं बीमार हूँ, it sounds like *you* (the reporter) are sick, not him!
  • Question Marks: Keeping the question mark in reported questions. Drop it! The sentence becomes a statement.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

  • Direct Speech: Uses comma and quotation marks: राम ने कहा, "मैं जा रहा हूँ।"
  • Indirect Speech: Uses कि and no quotes: राम ने कहा कि वह जा रहा है।
  • English Indirect: Changes tense (is -> was). Hindi Indirect: Keeps tense (is -> is).

Quick FAQ

Q. Do I ever change the tense?

A. Rarely in spoken Hindi. Stick to the original tense; it sounds more natural and native-like.

Q. What about commands?

A. Good question! For "Sit down!", use the infinitive ने के लिए or the subjunctive. उसने मुझे बैठने के लिए कहा (He told me to sit).

Q. Can I skip कि?

A. In casual speech? Sometimes. But it’s much safer to keep it. It’s a very small word that does a lot of heavy lifting.

Reference Table

Feature Direct Speech Example Indirect Speech Example English Equivalent Logic
Tense (Present) वह बोला, "मैं खुश हूँ।" वह बोला कि वह खुश है। He said that he *is* happy.
Pronoun (I → He) राम ने कहा, "मैं काम कर रहा हूँ।" राम ने कहा कि वह काम कर रहा है। Ram said that *he* is working.
Pronoun (You → I/Me) उसने मुझसे पूछा, "तुम कौन हो?" उसने मुझसे पूछा कि मैं कौन हूँ। He asked me who *I* am.
Imperative (Command) माँ ने कहा, "दूध पियो।" माँ ने दूध पीने के लिए कहा। Mom said *to drink* milk.
Yes/No Question क्या तुम चलोगे? ...कि क्या मैं चलूँगा। ...if I will go.
Time Words कल (tomorrow) अगले दिन (next day) Tomorrow -> Next day
🎯

The 'Time Travel' Trick

Don't backshift tenses like in English! If they said it in the present, keep it in the present. Imagine you are holding a recording of their voice.

⚠️

Pronoun Trap

Be careful with `मैं` (I). In indirect speech, if you use `मैं`, the listener thinks you are talking about YOURSELF, not the original speaker.

💬

Honorifics Matter

If you are reporting what an elder said, ensure the verb ending reflects respect (plural form), even in indirect speech. E.g., `पापा ने कहा कि वे जा रहे हैं`.

💡

The 'Ki' Pause

In spoken Hindi, people often pause slightly after `कि`. It's a great way to buy time while you figure out the correct pronouns for the rest of the sentence!

Beispiele

8
#1 उसने कहा कि वह नहीं आएगा।

Usne kaha ki vah nahi aaega.

Focus: कि वह

He said that he will not come.

Original: 'मैं नहीं आऊँगा' (I will not come). Tense remains Future.

#2 अध्यापक ने बताया कि परीक्षा रद्द हो गई है।

Adhyapak ne bataya ki pariksha radd ho gayi hai.

Focus: रद्द हो गई है

The teacher said that the exam has been cancelled.

Even though the teacher 'said' (past), the exam 'has been' (present perfect) cancelled.

#3 मैंने उससे पूछा कि वह कहाँ जा रही है।

Maine usse pucha ki vah kahan ja rahi hai.

Focus: कहाँ जा रही है

I asked her where she was going.

Reporting a question. Notice the word order stays normal.

#4 पुलिस ने चोर को रुकने के लिए कहा।

Police ne chor ko rukne ke liye kaha.

Focus: रुकने के लिए

The police told the thief to stop.

Indirect Command. Uses `verb + ने के लिए`.

#5 उसने पूछा कि क्या मैं चाय पियूँगा।

Usne pucha ki kya main chai piyunga.

Focus: कि क्या

He asked if I would drink tea.

Yes/No question reported using `कि क्या`.

#6 उसने कहा कि वह कल व्यस्त था। (✗ Mistake)

Usne kaha ki vah kal vyast tha.

Focus: व्यस्त था

He said that he was busy yesterday.

Correction: If he originally said 'I am busy', use `है`. Only use `था` if he was referring to a past event *before* he spoke.

#7 रवि ने कहा कि मैं डॉक्टर हूँ। (✗ Mistake)

Ravi ne kaha ki main doctor hoon.

Focus: मैं

Ravi said that I am a doctor.

Confusing! This means the *reporter* is the doctor. Correct: `कि वह डॉक्टर है`.

#8 पिताजी ने सलाह दी कि हमें जल्दी उठना चाहिए।

Pitaji ne salah di ki humein jaldi uthna chahiye.

Focus: सलाह दी

Father advised that we should get up early.

Formal advice/suggestion.

Teste dich selbst

Complete the indirect speech for: राम ने कहा, 'मैं जा रहा हूँ।'

राम ने कहा ___ वह जा रहा है।

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: कि

We use `कि` (ki) as the connector 'that' in Hindi narration.

Change the pronoun: सीता ने कहा, 'मैं खुश हूँ।'

सीता ने कहा कि ___ खुश है।

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: वह

Since Sita is speaking about herself, 'I' (`मैं`) becomes 'She' (`वह`) in indirect speech.

Report the command: 'रुको!' (Stop!)

उसने मुझे ___ के लिए कहा।

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: रुकने

For commands, we use the oblique infinitive (`verb + ne`) followed by `ke liye`.

🎉 Ergebnis: /3

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Direct vs. Indirect

Direct Speech
मैं आ रहा हूँ I am coming
इनवर्टेड कॉमा ("") Quotes used
Indirect Speech
वह आ रहा है He is coming
कि (ki) Connector used

Changing the Pronoun

1

Is the speaker talking about themselves?

YES ↓
NO
Keep original name/pronoun
2

Did they say 'Main' (I)?

YES ↓
NO
Check context
3

Change 'Main' to 'Vah' (He/She)

NO
Done

Reporting Different Sentence Types

🗣️

Statement

  • • Use 'kaha ki'
  • • Keep tense
❓

Question

  • • Use 'pucha ki'
  • • No question mark
🛑

Command

  • • Use 'kaha'
  • • Verb + ne ke liye

Häufig gestellte Fragen

21 Fragen

In formal writing, yes. In casual speech, you might hear people drop it, but using it is never wrong and makes your sentence clearer.

Then you keep it in the past! If he said मैं गया था (I went), you report उसने कहा कि वह गया था (He said that he went).

You can use कि क्या (that what...). For example: उसने पूछा कि क्या मैं तैयार हूँ (He asked if I am ready).

Yes, strictly speaking, कल becomes अगले दिन. But in casual conversation, if the 'tomorrow' hasn't happened yet relative to now, people often just say कल.

Use अनुरोध किया (requested) instead of just 'said'. उसने मदद के लिए अनुरोध किया.

Use पूछा (pucha) which means 'asked'. Don't use कहा (said) for questions.

Absolutely! मैंने सोचा कि... (I thought that...) follows the exact same rules.

Just like in English, यहाँ (here) might become वहाँ (there) and यह (this) might become वह (that) if the location has changed.

Not really. Hindi doesn't invert subjects and verbs like English does, so the order stays mostly the same.

You can say उसने मुझसे कहा कि... or उसने मुझे बताया कि... (He told/informed me that...).

Universal truths always stay in present tense. Teacher said that the sun rises in the east -> ...ki suraj purab mein ugta hai.

You describe the emotion. उसने खुशी से कहा कि... (He said with happiness that...).

No! Never use inverted commas (quotation marks) in indirect speech.

Sometimes for vivid storytelling, speakers might switch tenses, but for B2 level, stick to the 'same tense' rule.

It is called प्रत्यक्ष कथन (Pratyaksh Kathan).

It is called अप्रत्यक्ष कथन (Apratyaksh Kathan) or simply नैरेशन (Narration).

Use न + infinitive or मना किया. उसने जाने से मना किया (He forbade to go).

Not rude, but it can sound repetitive if you keep saying 'He said, quote...' 'She said, quote...'. Indirect is smoother.

It's best to avoid it in a single sentence as it gets confusing.

People might misunderstand who you are talking about. It's the most critical part of the rule!

All the time! Whenever characters gossip or plot, they are using indirect speech.

War das hilfreich?

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