Indirect Speech:

Indirect speech is like a bridge. It connects the speaker's original words to your listener. In English, we use "that" to connect things. In Hindi, we use the magical word ki. This little word does a lot of heavy lifting. When you switch from direct to indirect, things change. Pronouns shift because the perspective has changed. Tenses might shift too, but Hindi is quite relaxed. Unlike English, Hindi often keeps the original tense. This is a huge relief for you! It is like a grammar traffic light that stays green. You just need to focus on who is talking.

1. 1To build an indirect sentence, follow these steps:
2. 2Start with the reporting person and verb. For example, usne kaha (he/she said).
3. 3Add the connector ki (that) right after the verb.
4. 4Change the pronouns to match the new perspective. main (I) usually becomes voh (he/she).
5. 5Keep the tense of the original statement. Or, adjust it slightly for clarity.
6. 6Remove the quotation marks. They have no place here.

You will use this constantly in real life. Imagine you are at a job interview. You need to tell the boss what your old manager said. "My manager said that I am hardworking." In Hindi: Mere manager ne kaha ki main mehanti hoon. Use it when ordering food for a friend. "He said he wants spicy curry." Use it when asking for directions. "That man said the station is nearby." It is perfect for summarizing long meetings. It is also the backbone of any good neighborhood gossip session. Yes, even native speakers use it to spice up stories.

Sometimes, you should stick to direct speech. If you want to be 100% precise, use quotes. Legal documents usually avoid indirect speech. If someone said something very funny or unique, quote them. "I'm not lazy, I'm on energy-saving mode." That loses its charm in indirect speech. Also, avoid it if the sentence becomes too confusing. If there are five different "he's" in one sentence, stop. Just use the person's name instead. Don't make your listener play a guessing game.

The biggest mistake is forgetting to change pronouns. If Rahul says "I am tired," and you say Rahul ne kaha ki main thaka hoon, you just said *you* are tired! Use voh (he) instead. Another mistake is overthinking the tense. You don't always need to move to the past tense. If the fact is still true, keep it present. Also, don't forget the ki. It is the glue that holds the sentence together. Without it, the sentence falls apart. It's like trying to eat soup with a fork. Possible, but unnecessarily difficult.

Direct speech is the twin brother of indirect speech. Direct speech uses " " and keeps everything exactly as said. Indirect speech is more flexible and conversational. You might also confuse this with isliye (therefore) or kyonki (because). Those explain reasons. ki simply reports information. Think of ki as a window. You are looking through it at what someone else said. It doesn't change the view, just the frame.