🎯 Why This Matters
To report conversations and relay information.
Accurate reporting of others' words and ideas.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Backshift of tenses. When reporting speech, English shifts tenses back. Spanish does this too, but learners struggle with the English pattern.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Question word order
Problem: Direct question order feels natural
Watch out: Saying 'She asked where did I work' instead of 'She asked where I worked'
✅ Fix: Reported questions = STATEMENT order (Subject + Verb), no 'do/did'
🧠 Mental Note: In reported questions, remove the question structure entirely
🇪🇸 Backshift is similar
Advantage: Spanish also backshifts tenses in reported speech
Watch out: But the pattern isn't always identical
✅ Fix: Present → Past, Past → Past Perfect, Will → Would
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
The Time Machine
Everything moves one step back in time: Present→Past, Past→Past Perfect, Will→Would.
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
Said that reduction
Spanish Habit: Pronouncing 'that' clearly
English Reality: 'That' is often omitted or reduced in reported speech
Examples:
- He said that → He said /hi sed/ (that dropped)
- She told me that → She told me /ʃi toʊld mi/
Practice: 'That' is optional in reported speech: 'He said he was tired' is fine
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Teacher strongly recommended
Time Investment: 8 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| said (that) | dijo que | He said that he was busy |
| told me (that) | me dijo que | She told me that she would come |
| asked | preguntó | He asked where I worked |
| wondered | se preguntaba | She wondered if it was true |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Present to Past backshift
✅ CORRECT: "She said she was tired."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Ella dijo que estaba cansada."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She said she is tired."
Why wrong? When the reporting verb is past (said), the reported verb shifts back too
Example 2: Will to Would
✅ CORRECT: "He said he would call me."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Él dijo que me llamaría."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "He said he will call me."
Why wrong? WILL → WOULD in reported speech
Example 3: Question reporting
✅ CORRECT: "She asked where I lived."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Ella preguntó dónde vivía."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She asked where did I live. / She asked where do I live."
Why wrong? Reported questions: NO question word order, NO auxiliary 'do'
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!