Learn Spanish (Latin America): Me contaron que él todavía odiaba su viejo apodo. - They told me that he still hated his old nickname.

This sentence uses reported speech. Because the reporting verb contaron is in a past tense, the tense of the original statement shifts back. The original quote was likely in the present tense, such as 'he still hates' (él todavía odia). In reported speech, a present tense verb shifts to the imperfect (odiaba).

If the original quote was already in the past, how would the reported speech change?

If the original statement was already in the imperfect tense, like 'he still hated' (él todavía odiaba), it does not change. The imperfect tense stays imperfect in reported speech. If the original was in the preterite, it would usually shift to the past perfect (había odiado).

Why is the adjective viejo placed before apodo instead of after it?

Placing an adjective before the noun in Spanish often gives it a figurative or subjective meaning. Here, viejo apodo means a 'former nickname' or a nickname he has had for a long time. If it were apodo viejo, it would lean more toward a literal meaning, like a nickname that is historically ancient.

Could I use me dijeron instead of me contaron?