Reported Speech - Tense Changes

Reported speech happens when you report what someone said. You are not using a direct quote anymore. You are integrating their words into your own sentence. The most important part is the reporting verb. Words like dire, expliquer, or affirmer set the stage. If these verbs are in the present, life is easy. Nothing changes inside the report. But if the reporting verb is in the past, things shift. This is called the backshift or la concordance des temps. You move the original tense one step into the past. It is like shifting gears on a bicycle. You do this to show that the original action is over. It creates a clear distance between the speaking and the reporting. It is a very elegant system once you see the pattern.

1. 1To master this, follow these four simple steps.
2. 2Identify the reporting verb. Is it in a past tense like il a dit?
3. 3Look at the original tense used by the speaker.
4. 4Apply the magic shift rule to that tense.
5. 5Update any time markers or pronouns to match the new context.
6. 6Here is the shift cheat sheet:
7. 7Présent becomes Imparfait.
8. 8Passé Composé becomes Plus-que-parfait.
9. 9Futur Simple becomes Conditionnel Présent.
10. 10Futur Antérieur becomes Conditionnel Passé.
11. 11Impératif becomes de + Infinitif.
12. 12Think of it as a step backward on a timeline. The Présent moves to the descriptive past. The Passé Composé moves to the 'past of the past'. The Futur moves to the 'future in the past'. It is very consistent.

You will use this constantly in real life. Use it when retelling a story to a friend. Use it during a job interview to quote a former boss. It is essential for reporting news or writing articles. If you are giving directions you heard from someone else, use it. It helps you avoid sounding like a robot repeating quotes. It makes your French sound fluid and natural. You will use it when summarizing a movie or a book. It is also great for clarifying misunderstandings. "But you said you were coming!" becomes Mais tu as dit que tu venais ! in French. It adds a layer of sophistication to your speech. It shows you understand the relationship between different events in time.

Do not shift the tenses if the reporting verb is present. If someone says Il dit que..., the tenses stay the same. This happens when the information is still true right now. Also, do not shift if you are reporting a general truth. For example, "He said that the Earth is round." The Earth is still round, so the present is fine. You also don't need to shift the Imparfait or Plus-que-parfait. They are already as far back as they can go. They stay exactly as they are. Think of them as the end of the line. Don't overcomplicate things if the reporting verb is il dit. It is like a green light; just keep going as normal.

The biggest mistake is keeping the Futur Simple. Many people say Il a dit qu'il viendra. This sounds very jarring to a French ear. You must use the Conditionnel instead: Il a dit qu'il viendrait. Another trap is forgetting to change time words. If you say hier in a report, it might be confusing. Use la veille instead to be precise. Pronouns also need your attention. If Marc says "I am tired," you say "He said he was tired." Don't forget to change je to il. It sounds silly, but we all forget sometimes. Lastly, don't forget the que. In English, we often drop "that." In French, que is mandatory. It is the glue that holds the sentence together.

Compare this to direct speech. Direct speech is easy; you just use quotation marks. Il a dit : "Je mange." Indirect speech is more integrated: Il a dit qu'il mangeait. It is also different from the Subjunctive. We use the Subjunctive for doubt or emotion. Reported speech is usually for reporting facts or statements. Don't confuse the Conditionnel here with a hypothetical "if" sentence. In reported speech, the Conditionnel is just a future tense that got moved. It is not about a condition; it is about the timeline. Think of it as a "future-in-the-past." This distinction helps you choose the right ending for your verbs.