Systematic Changes in Hindi Reported

When you report someone's words, you create a bridge using कि. This bridge changes the environment of the sentence. Everything inside the reported clause must align with the person doing the reporting. If Rahul said, "I am hungry," and you tell Meena, you can't say "Rahul said I am hungry." Meena will think you are the hungry one! You must change 'I' to 'He.' This is the 'Systematic Change.' It affects three main areas: pronouns, tenses, and proximity words. It’s like updating the GPS coordinates of a conversation. If you don't update them, your listener will get lost in the wrong time zone.

1. 1Start with the reporting verb, usually कहा (said) or बताया (told).
2. 2Add the conjunction कि to connect the two parts.
3. 3Shift the pronouns to match the subject of the reporting verb. मैं usually becomes वह.
4. 4Backshift the tense if the reporting verb is in the past. है becomes था.
5. 5Adjust proximity markers. आज (today) becomes उस दिन (that day).
6. 6For questions, replace कि with the question word or use यदि for yes/no questions.

Use reported speech when summarizing a long meeting for your boss. It’s perfect for writing news articles or academic papers. If you are retelling a movie plot to a friend, this is your go-to tool. It helps in job interviews when describing what your previous manager said about you. It’s also vital for legal or formal contexts where accuracy of 'who said what' matters. Basically, use it whenever you want to sound like a sophisticated narrator rather than a parrot. Think of it as the difference between a raw transcript and a polished report.

Don't use it if you want to preserve the raw emotion of a quote. In literature, direct speech is often better for drama. If someone is shouting "Help!", don't report it as "He said that he needed help." Just say "He shouted 'Help!'" Avoid it in very short, punchy text messages where space is limited. Also, if the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g., "He says..."), do not change the tense of the reported speech. If it’s a universal truth, like "The sun rises in the east," keep the tense exactly as it is. Grammar doesn't want to argue with science.

One big mistake is forgetting to change the pronoun. It leads to hilarious misunderstandings about who is doing what. Another classic is keeping the tense in the present. If you say उसने कहा कि वह आ रहा है, it sounds like he is still on his way right now. If he arrived yesterday, you must use आ रहा था. People also forget to change यहाँ (here) to वहाँ (there). If you are reporting a conversation that happened at a cafe while you are now at home, 'here' no longer makes sense. It’s like trying to use a map of Delhi while walking around Mumbai. It just won't work.

Direct speech is the 'copy-paste' of grammar. It uses quotation marks and keeps everything original. Reported speech is the 'paraphrase' of grammar. It integrates the quote into your own sentence structure. In English, we often drop the word 'that.' In Hindi, you almost never drop कि. Also, Hindi tense shifts are sometimes less rigid than English 'sequence of tenses,' but for C1 level, sticking to the systematic backshift makes your speech much more elegant and clear. It shows you have a bird's-eye view of the timeline.