When reading stories, novels, or theater scripts in French, you will see a specific structure used to report who is speaking. Clauses that follow or interrupt dialogue, like "he says" or "she asks," are called incises. In written French, they use subject-verb inversion.
Noun Subjects
When the subject of the reporting clause is a noun (like "the protagonist" or "the director"), simply place the verb before the subject. No hyphen is used.
Pronoun Subjects
When the subject is a pronoun (like il or elle), swap the verb and the pronoun, and join them with a hyphen.
Notice that if the verb ends in a vowel (like an e or a) and the pronoun begins with a vowel (il, elle, on), you must insert a -t- between them to make pronunciation smoother.
Reflexive Verbs in Reporting Clauses
Many common verbs for speaking are reflexive, such as s'exclamer (to exclaim) and s'écrier (to cry out). When inverting a reflexive verb, the reflexive pronoun (se, s') stays firmly in front of the verb.
Reading Scripts
While reading theater texts, you will also encounter the word didascalie. This is the formal term for a stage direction, which tells the actors how to deliver their lines or behave on stage.