Reported speech is how we tell someone what another person said: She said she was tired. We use it all the time, in gossip, at work, in messages and in stories. Learn the basic changes first, then the tense shifts and reported questions.O discurso indireto é a forma de contar a alguém o que outra pessoa disse: She said she was tired. Usamos isso o tempo todo, em fofocas, no trabalho, em mensagens e em histórias. Aprenda primeiro as mudanças básicas e depois a mudança dos tempos verbais e as perguntas indiretas.
A2 Say and tell: the basics
In direct speech, we repeat the exact words with quotation marks. In reported speech, we use a reporting verb (say or tell), often that, and we change the pronouns so the sentence makes sense from our point of view.No discurso direto, repetimos as palavras exatas entre aspas. No discurso indireto, usamos um verbo de relato (say ou tell), muitas vezes that, e mudamos os pronomes para que a frase faça sentido do nosso ponto de vista.
- “I’m hungry.” → Lucas said he was hungry. (O Lucas disse que estava com fome.)
- “I live in Piracicaba.” → She told me she lived in Piracicaba. (Ela me disse que morava em Piracicaba.)
- “We love this song.” → They said that they loved that song. (Eles disseram que adoravam aquela música.)
- “My phone is broken.” → Bia said her phone was broken. (A Bia disse que o celular dela estava quebrado.)
Say or tell?
say
No person after it. If you want to mention the person, use say to.Não tem pessoa depois. Se quiser mencionar a pessoa, use say to.
He said (that) he was late. (Ele disse que estava atrasado.)
tell
Always needs the person right after it, with no to.Sempre precisa da pessoa logo depois, sem to.
He told me (that) he was late. (Ele me disse que estava atrasado.)
Brazilian trap
✗ He said me the answer. ✓ He told me the answer.Em português, “ele me disse” tem pessoa, então é natural tentar “said me”. Mas say não aceita pessoa direto: use told me ou said to me.
The basic tense change
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the verb usually moves one step back: present simple becomes past simple, and am / is / are become was / were. Portuguese does the same: “Estou cansado” becomes “Ele disse que estava cansado”.Quando o verbo de relato está no passado (said, told), o verbo normalmente volta um tempo: o presente simples vira passado simples, e am / is / are viram was / were. O português faz o mesmo: “Estou cansado” vira “Ele disse que estava cansado”.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| “I am busy.” | She said she was busy. |
| “I work at a bank.” | He said he worked at a bank. |
| “We don’t like rain.” | They said they didn’t like rain. |
| “I can swim.” | Tom said he could swim. |
Teacher’s tip
In conversation, people often drop that: She said she was tired is just as correct as She said that she was tired.Na conversa, as pessoas muitas vezes omitem o that: She said she was tired é tão correto quanto She said that she was tired.
B1 Tense shifts, time words and questions
At B1, you need the full pattern of changes. Each tense goes one step into the past, and some modals change too.No B1, você precisa do padrão completo de mudanças. Cada tempo verbal volta um passo para o passado, e alguns modais também mudam.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| “I’m studying.” (present continuous) | She said she was studying. |
| “I saw the film.” (past simple) | He said he had seen the film. |
| “We’ve finished.” (present perfect) | They said they had finished. |
| “I will call you.” (will) | She said she would call me. |
| “I’m going to travel.” (going to) | He said he was going to travel. |
| “You must rest.” (must) | The doctor said I had to rest. |
When the tense does not change
If the reporting verb is in the present (says, has said), keep the original tense: Mom says dinner is ready. If the information is still true, the change is optional: She said she lives in Recife (she still lives there).Se o verbo de relato está no presente (says, has said), mantenha o tempo original: A mãe disse que o jantar está pronto. Se a informação ainda é verdade, a mudança é opcional: She said she lives in Recife (ela ainda mora lá).
Would, could, should, might and had done do not change.Would, could, should, might e had done não mudam.
Time and place words
When we report later or somewhere else, words like today, tomorrow and here often change too, just like in Portuguese.Quando relatamos depois ou em outro lugar, palavras como today, tomorrow e here muitas vezes também mudam, assim como em português.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| today / tonight | that day / that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| next week / last week | the following week / the week before |
| here / this / now | there / that / then |
- “I’ll see you tomorrow.” → He said he would see me the next day. (Ele disse que me veria no dia seguinte.)
- “I bought this jacket yesterday.” → She said she had bought that jacket the day before. (Ela disse que tinha comprado aquela jaqueta no dia anterior.)
Reported questions
Reported questions use normal sentence order (subject + verb), with no do / does / did and no question mark. Use if or whether for yes/no questions, and keep the question word (where, what, why) for the others.As perguntas indiretas usam a ordem normal da frase (sujeito + verbo), sem do / does / did e sem ponto de interrogação. Use if ou whether para perguntas de sim/não e mantenha a palavra interrogativa (where, what, why) nas outras.
- “Where do you live?” → She asked me where I lived. (Ela me perguntou onde eu morava.)
- “Are you coming to the party?” → Gabi asked if I was coming to the party. (A Gabi perguntou se eu ia à festa.)
- “Why did you leave early?” → My boss asked why I had left early. (Meu chefe perguntou por que eu tinha saído cedo.)
- “Can you help me?” → Rafa asked whether I could help him. (O Rafa perguntou se eu podia ajudá-lo.)
Reported commands and requests
For orders and requests, use tell / ask + person + (not) to + base verb. There is no tense change here.Para ordens e pedidos, use tell / ask + pessoa + (not) to + verbo na forma base. Aqui não há mudança de tempo verbal.
- “Close the door, please.” → The teacher asked me to close the door. (A professora me pediu para fechar a porta.)
- “Don’t use your phone.” → She told us not to use our phones. (Ela mandou a gente não usar o celular.)
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ She said me she was tired. ✓ She told me she was tired.Com pessoa logo depois, use tell, não say.
✗ He asked me where did I live. ✓ He asked me where I lived.Em perguntas indiretas, não use did e use a ordem sujeito + verbo.
✗ She asked if was I hungry. ✓ She asked if I was hungry.Depois de if, o sujeito vem antes do verbo.
✗ He told me don’t worry. ✓ He told me not to worry.Para ordens negativas, use not to + verbo.
✗ They said they will come. ✓ They said they would come.Depois de said, will normalmente vira would.
Quick Summary
| Use | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| say (no person) | She said she was busy. | Ela disse que estava ocupada. |
| tell + person | He told me he was sorry. | Ele me disse que sentia muito. |
| past simple → past perfect | She said she had called. | Ela disse que tinha ligado. |
| will → would | They said they would help. | Eles disseram que iam ajudar. |
| yes/no question | He asked if I was OK. | Ele perguntou se eu estava bem. |
| wh- question | She asked where I worked. | Ela perguntou onde eu trabalhava. |
| command | He told us not to run. | Ele mandou a gente não correr. |
Practice Time
Quiz