Office gossip travels fast! When you want to share what someone else has said or spread some workplace news, you use reported speech.
The basic structure
To report what someone else says in the present tense, simply use a reporting verb like decir (to say), followed by que (that), and then the statement.
Unlike in English where "that" can often be dropped (e.g., "He says he is leaving"), in Spanish, the que is mandatory.
| The colleague says that the director is going to resign. | El colega dice que el director va a renunciar. |
| The woman says that the boss is going to confirm the raise. | La mujer dice que el jefe va a confirmar el aumento. |
Other reporting verbs
You don't have to just use decir. Verbs like comentar (to comment), explicar (to explain), contar (to tell), and responder (to reply) follow the exact same pattern.
| The boss comments that they are going to hire the boy. | El jefe comenta que van a contratar al chico. |
| The colleague explains that the new position has a low salary. | El compañero explica que el nuevo puesto tiene un sueldo bajo. |
Según (According to)
If you want to mention the source of a rumor or message without using a specific reporting verb, you can use según (according to).
| According to the rumor, they are going to hire a girl for the position. | Según el rumor, van a contratar a una chica para el puesto. |
| According to the message, the project leader is going to resign. | Según el mensaje, el líder del proyecto va a renunciar. |
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