B1 Portuguese GrammarReported Speech
Report what others said using Portuguese indirect speech. Master the tense shifts, pronoun changes, and time expressions needed when converting direct quotes to reported speech. Learn common reporting verbs like dizer, contar, perguntar, and afirmar.
1Basic Tense Shifts
When the reporting verb is in the past, tenses shift back. Present becomes imperfect: "Estou cansado" → Ele disse que estava cansado. Perfect becomes pluperfect: "Já comi" → Ele disse que já tinha comido. Future becomes conditional: "Vou sair" → Ele disse que ia sair.
Tense Shift Rules
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present (estou) | Imperfect (estava) |
| Preterite (fiz) | Pluperfect (tinha feito) |
| Perfect (tenho feito) | Pluperfect (tinha feito) |
| Future (farei/vou fazer) | Conditional (faria/ia fazer) |
Examples
Ela disse que estava doente.
She said she was sick.
Present → Imperfect: estou → estava
Ele contou que tinha perdido as chaves.
He said he had lost the keys.
Preterite → Pluperfect: perdi → tinha perdido
A Maria disse que ia ao médico.
Maria said she was going to the doctor.
Future → Conditional: vou → ia
Eles afirmaram que não sabiam nada.
They stated that they didn't know anything.
Present → Imperfect: sabem → sabiam
2Pronoun and Reference Changes
When reporting speech, pronouns shift perspective: eu becomes ele/ela, meu becomes seu/dele, aqui becomes ali/lá, agora becomes naquele momento. Time expressions also change: hoje → naquele dia, amanhã → no dia seguinte, ontem → no dia anterior.
Reference Shifts
| Direct | Reported | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eu | ele/ela | I → he/she |
| meu/minha | seu, dele/dela | my → his/her |
| aqui | ali, lá | here → there |
| hoje | naquele dia | today → that day |
| amanhã | no dia seguinte | tomorrow → the next day |
Examples
Ele disse: 'Perdi a minha carteira.' → Ele disse que tinha perdido a carteira dele.
'I lost my wallet.' → He said he had lost his wallet.
eu → ele, minha → dele
Ela disse que ia voltar no dia seguinte.
She said she would come back the next day.
amanhã → no dia seguinte
O João contou que tinha estado lá na véspera.
João said he had been there the day before.
aqui → lá, ontem → na véspera
A Ana disse que naquele momento não podia falar.
Ana said that at that moment she couldn't talk.
agora → naquele momento
3Reporting Questions
For yes/no questions, use se (if/whether): "Vens?" → Perguntou se eu vinha. For wh-questions, keep the question word but change to statement word order: "Onde moras?" → Perguntou onde eu morava. The question mark disappears in reported speech.
Question Reporting
| Type | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No | 'Estás bem?' | Perguntou se eu estava bem. |
| Where | 'Onde moras?' | Perguntou onde eu morava. |
| What | 'O que fazes?' | Perguntou o que eu fazia. |
| When | 'Quando chegas?' | Perguntou quando eu chegava. |
Examples
Ela perguntou se eu queria café.
She asked if I wanted coffee.
Yes/no question with se
O professor perguntou o que tÃnhamos feito.
The teacher asked what we had done.
Wh-question with o que
Perguntaram-me onde eu tinha nascido.
They asked me where I had been born.
Indirect question with onde
Quis saber por que eu tinha chegado tarde.
He wanted to know why I had arrived late.
quis saber = wanted to know
4Reporting Commands and Requests
Commands are reported with que + subjunctive or para + infinitive. "Fecha a porta!" → Pediu que eu fechasse a porta / Pediu-me para fechar a porta. Negative commands use para não + infinitive: "Não faças isso!" → Disse-me para não fazer isso.
Reporting Verbs for Commands
| Verb | Meaning | Construction |
|---|---|---|
| pedir | to ask/request | pedir que + subjunctive |
| mandar | to order | mandar + infinitive |
| aconselhar | to advise | aconselhar a + infinitive |
| proibir | to forbid | proibir de + infinitive |
Examples
O médico pediu que eu descansasse mais.
The doctor asked me to rest more.
pedir que + imperfect subjunctive
A mãe mandou-os ir para a cama.
The mother told them to go to bed.
mandar + infinitive (direct command)
Aconselhou-me a não aceitar a proposta.
He advised me not to accept the offer.
aconselhar a não + infinitive
O pai proibiu-a de sair à noite.
Her father forbade her from going out at night.
proibir de + infinitive