You already know the basic rule of reported speech: after said, the tense goes one step back. But real conversations are full of exceptions. Sometimes the tense stays the same, modal verbs behave in different ways, and short answers, conditionals and exclamations need their own patterns. This post shows you the special cases that appear in exams and in real life.Você já conhece a regra básica do discurso indireto: depois de said, o tempo verbal volta um passo. Mas as conversas reais estão cheias de exceções. Às vezes o tempo verbal não muda, os verbos modais se comportam de jeitos diferentes, e respostas curtas, condicionais e exclamações têm estruturas próprias. Este post mostra os casos especiais que aparecem nas provas e na vida real.
B1+ When the tense can stay the same
The tense change is not a rule you must always follow. Its job is to show that something was said in the past. If the information is still true, or if it is a general fact, you can keep the original tense. Both versions are correct; keeping the tense simply shows that the information is still valid.A mudança de tempo verbal não é uma regra obrigatória. Ela serve para mostrar que algo foi dito no passado. Se a informação ainda é verdade, ou se é um fato geral, dá para manter o tempo original. As duas versões estão corretas; manter o tempo só mostra que a informação continua valendo.
Change the tense
Neutral choice. Use it when you do not know if the information is still true, or when it is no longer true.Escolha neutra. Use quando você não sabe se a informação ainda é verdade, ou quando ela já não é.
Rafa said he was living in Lisbon. (O Rafa disse que estava morando em Lisboa.)
Keep the tense
The information is still true now, and you want to make that clear.A informação ainda é verdade agora, e você quer deixar isso claro.
Rafa said he’s living in Lisbon. (O Rafa disse que está morando em Lisboa.)
- “Water boils at 100 °C (degrees Celsius).” → The teacher said water boils at 100 °C. (A professora disse que a água ferve a 100 °C.)
- “The museum closes on Mondays.” → The guide told us the museum closes on Mondays. (O guia disse que o museu fecha às segundas.)
- “I saw her at the mall.” → He said he saw her at the mall. (Ele disse que a viu no shopping.)
- “I was sleeping when you called.” → She said she was sleeping when I called. (Ela disse que estava dormindo quando eu liguei.)
Past simple and past continuous
In theory, the past simple becomes the past perfect (saw → had seen). In everyday speech, people often keep the past simple when the order of events is clear. The past continuous usually stays the same.Na teoria, o past simple vira past perfect (saw → had seen). Na fala do dia a dia, as pessoas muitas vezes mantêm o past simple quando a ordem dos fatos está clara. O past continuous normalmente não muda.
B1+ Modal verbs in reported speech
Some modal verbs change after said and others never change. The table shows each one. Notice that shall depends on its meaning: an offer or suggestion becomes a question with should, or a verb like offered.Alguns verbos modais mudam depois de said e outros nunca mudam. A tabela mostra cada um. Repare que shall depende do sentido: uma oferta ou sugestão vira uma pergunta com should, ou um verbo como offered.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| “I can drive.” | She said she could drive. |
| “I will help.” | He said he would help. |
| “It may rain.” | They said it might rain. |
| “You may leave.” (permission) | The teacher said we could leave. |
| “Shall I open the window?” | He asked if he should open the window. |
| “I need to rest.” | She said she needed to rest. |
| “You should apply.” | My teacher said I should apply. |
| “I could come later.” | Lia said she could come later. |
These never change
Could, would, should, might, ought to and had better stay exactly the same in reported speech. There is no step further back for them.Could, would, should, might, ought to e had better ficam exatamente iguais no discurso indireto. Não existe um passo mais para trás para eles.
Must: two meanings, two options
must = obligation
Use had to, or keep must if the obligation still exists.Use had to, ou mantenha must se a obrigação ainda existe.
“You must wear a helmet.” → He said we had to wear a helmet. (Ele disse que a gente tinha que usar capacete.)
must = deduction
When must means “I am sure”, it does not change.Quando must significa “tenho certeza”, ele não muda.
“You must be tired.” → She said I must be tired. (Ela disse que eu devia estar cansado.)
B2 Reporting conditionals
A first conditional talks about a real possibility, so it changes like any other sentence: present → past, will → would. Second and third conditionals already use past forms to talk about imaginary situations, so they stay the same.A primeira condicional fala de uma possibilidade real, então muda como qualquer outra frase: presente → passado, will → would. A segunda e a terceira condicionais já usam formas do passado para falar de situações imaginárias, então ficam iguais.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| “If it rains, I’ll stay home.” (first) | He said if it rained, he would stay home. |
| “If you study, you’ll pass.” (first) | Mom said if I studied, I would pass. |
| “If I had money, I’d travel.” (second) | She said if she had money, she’d travel. |
| “If I’d known, I’d have come.” (third) | He said if he’d known, he’d have come. |
Teacher’s tip
After reporting, a first conditional looks exactly like a second conditional: he said if it rained, he would stay home. Only the context tells you which one it was. That is normal, and native speakers do not worry about it.Depois de relatada, a primeira condicional fica igualzinha à segunda: he said if it rained, he would stay home. Só o contexto mostra qual era. Isso é normal, e os nativos não se preocupam com isso.
B2 Short answers, yes, no and so
Short answers keep only the auxiliary verb, and that auxiliary changes tense like the rest of the sentence. For yes and no, English simply uses said yes and said no. Words like think so and hope so keep so at the end.As respostas curtas mantêm só o verbo auxiliar, e esse auxiliar muda de tempo como o resto da frase. Para yes e no, o inglês usa simplesmente said yes e said no. Expressões como think so e hope so mantêm o so no final.
- “Will you help me?” “Yes, I will.” → I asked Tom to help me, and he said he would. (Pedi ajuda ao Tom, e ele disse que ia ajudar.)
- “Have you finished?” “No, I haven’t.” → She said she hadn’t. (Ela disse que não tinha terminado.)
- “Can I borrow your car?” “No.” → I asked my dad, but he said no. (Pedi para o meu pai, mas ele disse que não.)
- “Is the shop open?” “I think so.” → He said he thought so. (Ele disse que achava que sim.)
Brazilian trap
✗ He said that yes. ✓ He said yes. ✓ He said he would.Em português, dizemos “ele disse que sim”. Em inglês, não use that antes de yes ou no: diga he said yes, ou repita o auxiliar: he said he would.
B2 Thoughts, surprises and exclamations
Reporting what you thought or didn’t know
We also report our own thoughts with I thought, I didn’t know and I had no idea. Here, the verb after them normally goes into the past too, even when the information is still true. This is where Brazilians often slip, because in Portuguese we can say “achei que você é”.Também relatamos os nossos próprios pensamentos com I thought, I didn’t know e I had no idea. Aqui, o verbo depois deles normalmente também vai para o passado, mesmo quando a informação ainda é verdade. É aqui que os brasileiros costumam errar, porque em português dá para dizer “achei que você é”.
- I thought you were Argentinian! (Achei que você fosse argentino!)
- I didn’t know you had a sister. (Eu não sabia que você tinha uma irmã.)
- I had no idea it was so late. (Eu não fazia ideia de que já era tão tarde.)
- I was wondering if you could help me. (Eu queria saber se você poderia me ajudar.)
Reporting exclamations, greetings and thanks
Exclamations, greetings and thanks are not normal sentences, so we do not copy them after said that. We describe them with a full sentence or with a verb that shows what the person did.Exclamações, cumprimentos e agradecimentos não são frases comuns, então não copiamos essas falas depois de said that. Nós descrevemos com uma frase completa ou com um verbo que mostra o que a pessoa fez.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Português |
|---|---|---|
| “What a beautiful house!” | She said it was a beautiful house. | Ela disse que a casa era linda. |
| “Happy birthday!” | They wished me a happy birthday. | Eles me desejaram feliz aniversário. |
| “Thanks a lot!” | He thanked me. | Ele me agradeceu. |
| “Hi, everyone!” | She greeted everyone. | Ela cumprimentou todo mundo. |
Longer reports: linking several sentences
When you report two or more ideas, repeat that before the second one, or use verbs like added and explained. If the speaker mixed a statement and a question, report each part with its own verb.Quando você relata duas ou mais ideias, repita o that antes da segunda, ou use verbos como added e explained. Se a pessoa misturou uma afirmação e uma pergunta, relate cada parte com o seu próprio verbo.
- She said she was tired and that she wanted to go home. (Ela disse que estava cansada e que queria ir para casa.)
- He said the hotel was full. He added that there was another one nearby. (Ele disse que o hotel estava lotado. E acrescentou que havia outro perto dali.)
- “I’m lost. Where is the station?” → She said she was lost and asked where the station was. (Ela disse que estava perdida e perguntou onde ficava a estação.)
- The doctor explained that the test was simple and that it wouldn’t hurt. (O médico explicou que o exame era simples e que não ia doer.)
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ She said she would could come. ✓ She said she could come.Could não muda e nunca vem junto com would.
✗ He said that yes. ✓ He said yes.Não use that antes de yes ou no.
✗ I thought you are Brazilian. ✓ I thought you were Brazilian.Depois de I thought, o verbo vai para o passado.
✗ He said if it will rain, he will stay home. ✓ He said if it rained, he would stay home.Na primeira condicional relatada, os dois verbos voltam um passo.
✗ She said that happy birthday. ✓ She wished me a happy birthday.Cumprimentos são relatados com verbos como wish e greet.
✗ He said he was lost and where the station was. ✓ He said he was lost and asked where the station was.Cada parte precisa do seu verbo: said para a afirmação, asked para a pergunta.
Quick Summary
| Use | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| still true | Rafa said he’s living in Lisbon. | O Rafa disse que está morando em Lisboa. |
| general fact | She said water boils at 100 °C. | Ela disse que a água ferve a 100 °C. |
| may → might | They said it might rain. | Eles disseram que podia chover. |
| shall (offer) | He asked if he should open it. | Ele perguntou se devia abrir. |
| first conditional | He said if it rained, he’d stay. | Ele disse que, se chovesse, ficaria. |
| short answer | I asked Tom, and he said he would. | Perguntei ao Tom, e ele disse que sim. |
| thought | I thought you were Argentinian. | Achei que você fosse argentino. |
| greeting | They wished me a happy birthday. | Eles me desejaram feliz aniversário. |
Practice Time
Quiz