Reported speech: past to pluperfect
When reporting speech, statements originally spoken in the past tense shift even further back in time. If your reporting verb is in the past, original preterite or present perfect verbs shift to the pluperfect (pluscuamperfecto).
The pluperfect is formed using the imperfect of haber (había, habías, había, habíamos, habían) followed by a past participle.
| On the newscast, the anchor stated that the accident had occurred yesterday. | En el noticiero, el presentador afirmó que el accidente había ocurrido ayer. |
| The witness to the incident recounted that the shootout had started suddenly. | El testigo del suceso relató que el tiroteo había empezado de repente. |
Because the reporting verbs (afirmó, relató) are in the past, the original past-tense events shift to the pluperfect (había ocurrido, había empezado).
Irregular past participles
Watch out for irregular past participles, such as descubierto (descubrir), roto (romper), and leído (leer).
| During the broadcast, the correspondent confirmed that they had discovered an unreleased video. | Durante la transmisión, el corresponsal confirmó que habían descubierto un video inédito. |
| The anchor said that the fugitive had broken the camera. | El presentador dijo que el fugitivo había roto la cámara. |
| She confessed that she had read the confidential document. | Ella confesó que había leído el documento confidencial. |
Reporting questions
When reporting a question, use verbs like preguntar (to ask) or expressions like querer saber (to want to know). For yes/no questions, connect the reported speech with si (if/whether).
| The anchor asked if the guard had recounted the incident. | El presentador preguntó si el guardia había relatado el suceso. |
If the original question used a question word (like qué, dónde, or por qué), keep that word to connect the clauses.
| The correspondent wanted to know why the shootout had occurred on that street. | El corresponsal quiso saber por qué había ocurrido el tiroteo en esa calle. |