Contar lo que otros dijeron sin estar ahí
La máquina del tiempo: backshift
| Directo | Reportado | Cambio |
|---|---|---|
| "I am ready" | She said she WAS ready | present → past |
| "I will call" | He said he WOULD call | will → would |
| "I can help" | They said they COULD help | can → could |
| "I have done it" | She said she HAD done it | pres. perf → past perf |
| "I did it" | He said he HAD done it | past → past perf |
- SAY vs TELL: tell necesita un objeto personal ("She TOLD ME"), say no ("She SAID"). Nunca "said to me" (informal) → "told me."
- Marcadores: now → then; today → that day; here → there; tomorrow → the next day; this → that.
Preguntas e imperativos reportados
- PREGUNTAS: se vuelven afirmativas SIN orden de pregunta y con if/whether: "Do you like it?" → "He asked (me) IF I LIKED it" (no "…asked did I like").
- Preguntas con WH: "Where do you live?" → "She asked WHERE I LIVED" (el verbo va detrás del sujeto).
- ÓRDENES y consejos: tell/advise + objeto + TO + infinitivo: "Sit down" → "He TOLD ME TO SIT down"; negativo "TO NOT wait."
Reading passage · "After the town hall meeting"
Notice how every quote has been pushed one tense into the past:
At the meeting, the mayor announced that the council would build a new park. She told residents that the work had already begun and that they should expect some noise. When a journalist asked whether the money was enough, she replied that it was, although budget officers had warned that costs might rise. One neighbour said he had lived there for thirty years and asked when the trees would be planted. The mayor promised she would publish the plan the next day. Nobody told me the meeting was over until I had already left.
Detrás del texto
- "would build" = reportado de "we WILL build". "had already begun" = de "it HAS begun."
- "asked whether the money WAS enough" = pregunta cerrada reportada con if/whether + orden afirmativo.
- "told me (that) the meeting WAS over" = tell + objeto + cláusula.
Cuando NO se retrocede
- Verdades permanentes o si sigue vigente: "She said the Earth GOES around the Sun" (a veces se mantiene el presente).
- Si el verbo introductorio ya está en presente ("She SAYS…"), no hay backshift: los tiempos se quedan.
Practice — Basic
Report: She said, "I am tired." → She said she ___ tired.
"Sit down!" → He told me ___ down.
"He asked me where did I live" es correcto.
Practice — Intermediate
Match the direct sentence to its reported form:
Reporta: "We can come tomorrow," they said. → They said they come .
Practice — Advanced
Which reported sentence has an ERROR?
Marca la línea o las líneas con error y pulsa Comprobar.
Report a short conversation: write 4 direct quotes (one statement, one question, one order, one with "will"), then rewrite them as reported speech. Show the backshift.
Se evalúa decir bien: statement said, question asked if/wh-order, order told + to, will→would.
Tu texto se guarda sólo en este dispositivo.
Learn English with Mr. Duncan · Reported speechBackshift con ejemplos claros.
Key cards
Toca una tarjeta para ver la respuesta.
Referir dichos con backshift
Aquí se mira lo que ya fuiste acertando. Pulsa «Comprobar» para saber si puedes seguir.
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