Reported speech · past
When the reporting verb is in the past, the present becomes the imparfait, the passé composé becomes the plus-que-parfait, and the future becomes the conditional. demain becomes le lendemain, hier becomes la veille.
Examples
- Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.He said that he was tired.
- Il a dit qu'il partirait le lendemain.He said he would leave the next day.
How it works
The present-reporting lesson keeps the tense. Here the reporting verb is past (a dit, a demandé), so the quoted tense steps back.
The tense shift
The time words
An order in the past
Common mistakes
What you'll practise
1. The tense shift
After a past reporting verb: present becomes the imparfait, the passé composé becomes the plus-que-parfait, the future becomes the conditional (the would-form).
- Elle a dit qu'elle était partie.She said that she had left.
2. demain and hier
demain becomes le lendemain. hier becomes la veille. aujourd'hui becomes ce jour-là.
- Il a dit qu'il était parti la veille.He said he had left the day before.
3. An order in the past
a demandé de plus the infinitive (the dictionary form). No question mark. si still means whether.
- Il m'a demandé de partir.He asked me to leave.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.