When the reporting verb is in the past (dijo, contó, explicó, preguntó), the verbs inside the reported clause usually slide one step backward in time. This phenomenon is often called backshifting or the concordancia de tiempos. The logic is simple: if the original statement was made before the moment of reporting, it should sound like it belongs to the past.
The Core Shifts
Here is the standard pattern. Each row shows the tense in the original direct speech and the tense it becomes in indirect speech after a past reporting verb.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| Presente: como | Imperfecto: comía |
| Pretérito: comí | Pluscuamperfecto: había comido |
| Pretérito perfecto: he comido | Pluscuamperfecto: había comido |
| Futuro: comeré | Condicional: comería |
| Futuro perfecto: habré comido | Condicional perfecto: habría comido |
| Presente de subjuntivo: coma | Imperfecto de subjuntivo: comiera |
| Imperativo: ¡come! | Imperfecto de subjuntivo: comiera |
Two tenses stay put: the imperfect and the pluperfect are already "far enough back," so they do not change.
Present Becomes Imperfect
A present-tense statement in the original becomes an imperfect when reported from the past. The imperfect describes a situation that was ongoing at the time of speaking.
«Tengo hambre.» → Dijo que tenía hambre.
'I'm hungry.' → He said that he was hungry.
«Vivimos en Quito.» → Contaron que vivían en Quito.
'We live in Quito.' → They said that they lived in Quito.
Preterite Becomes Pluperfect
If the speaker referred to an action already completed before they spoke, the reported version pushes it even further into the past with the pluperfect.
«Llegué ayer.» → Explicó que había llegado el día anterior.
'I arrived yesterday.' → He explained that he had arrived the day before.
«Compré el boleto.» → Me dijo que había comprado el boleto.
'I bought the ticket.' → She told me that she had bought the ticket.
Future Becomes Conditional
Because the conditional is, grammatically speaking, the "past of the future," it is the natural replacement for a future-tense verb in reported speech.
«Iré a la fiesta.» → Prometió que iría a la fiesta.
'I will go to the party.' → He promised that he would go to the party.
«Llamaremos más tarde.» → Dijeron que llamarían más tarde.
'We will call later.' → They said that they would call later.
Subjunctive Also Shifts
A present subjunctive becomes an imperfect subjunctive when the reporting verb is in the past. This is especially common after verbs that already require the subjunctive, like querer que or pedir que.
«Quiero que vengas.» → Me dijo que quería que yo fuera.
'I want you to come.' → She told me that she wanted me to come.
«Espero que llueva.» → Comentó que esperaba que lloviera.
'I hope it rains.' → He commented that he hoped it would rain.
Imperative Becomes Imperfect Subjunctive
Direct commands cannot survive as imperatives inside a subordinate clause. They are restated with que + imperfect subjunctive. See Reporting Commands for the full picture.
«¡Estudia más!» → Me dijo que estudiara más.
'Study more!' → He told me to study more.
When Nothing Shifts
If the reporting verb is in the present (dice, cuenta, explica), no backshift is required because the original message is still valid at the moment of reporting. See Dice que vs. Dijo que.
Tense shifts are the backbone of indirect speech. Once you internalize this table, the rest of reported speech becomes mostly about adjusting pronouns, time words, and punctuation.
Related Topics
- Reported Speech OverviewB1 — How Spanish reports what someone else said using direct and indirect speech.
- Dice que vs Dijo queB1 — How the tense of the reporting verb changes whether you backshift the embedded verb.
- Reporting CommandsB2 — How direct commands become subordinate clauses with the subjunctive in indirect speech.