🗣️ Reported Speech & Tense Changes

Reported speech (or indirect speech) is when we report what someone else said without quoting their exact words. The verb tense usually changes depending on the time of reporting.

🗣 Tounsi: Reported speech ya3ni ki tahki 3la 7ad chnoua 9al, bdoon mat9oul kalamou b nafsou. Tense ybaddel kif n7kiw 3la haja saret fel passé.

⏳ Tense Changes in Reported Speech

• Present Simple → Past Simple
  "I work hard" → He said he worked hard.
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
  "She is studying" → He said she was studying.
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect
  "I have eaten" → He said he had eaten.
• Will → Would
  "They will come" → He said they would come.

📌 Note: If the reporting verb (said, told, etc.) is in the past, the verb tense shifts back.

🎯 Reporting Verb Accuracy

Use the correct reporting verbs depending on the situation:

• say / said – General reporting
  Ex: He said he was tired.
• tell / told – Needs a person
  Ex: He told me he was tired.
• ask / asked – For questions
  Ex: She asked if I liked pizza.
• advise / suggest / order / promise – For specific speech acts
  Ex: He advised me to study harder.

❗ Reported Speech Errors to Avoid

• ❌ He said "she is happy" ✅ He said she was happy
• ❌ She told that ✅ She told me that...
• ❌ He asked me do I like ✅ He asked if I liked

❓ Reporting Questions

• Yes/No Questions:
  "Do you like it?" → She asked if I liked it.
• Wh- Questions:
  "Where is she?" → He asked where she was.
• No Question Mark in reported speech!

🗣 Tounsi: Fi su2al mreporti, na7iw l question mark w nbaddlou l syntax. "When will you come?" → He asked when I would come.

🔄 Mixed Reporting – Statements, Questions, Commands

• Statement: "I’m hungry." → He said he was hungry.
• Yes/No Question: "Did you see it?" → She asked if I had seen it.
• Wh- Question: "What are you doing?" → He asked what I was doing.
• Command: "Close the door!" → She told me to close the door.

📝 Reported Speech Exercises

1. Change to reported speech:
   "I will help you," she said.
   ✅ She said she would help me.
2. Find the error and correct it:
   ❌ He asked me what do I want.
   ✅ He asked me what I wanted.
3. Report the question:
   "Where did you go?" she asked.
   ✅ She asked where I had gone.

📌 Reminder: Tense shifts backward, no question marks, and no direct quotes in reported speech.