Moving the pointing words
When you pass on someone's words, the tenses are not the only thing that moves. Pronouns and possessives change because the speaker has changed (mi → su, tú → yo). Words for here and this usually change too when you report from another place.
| what was said | reported somewhere else |
|---|
| aquí | allí |
| este | ese / aquel |
| mi, tú | su, yo |
| venir | ir |
| traer | llevar |
He said ¿Qué haces aquí?: aquí → allí, tú → yo.
She said Este vestido es de mi hermana: este → ese, mi → su.
Venir → ir, traer → llevar
Venir and traer mean movement towards the speaker. Reported from somewhere else, they usually become ir and llevar; if you report it in the same place, they can stay.
He said Ven a mi despacho; you are not in it now.
The host said Trae vino; you report it from home, so llevar.
Summing it up
Often you don't repeat the words at all: you name what the person did. Aconsejar que + subjunctive reports advice. Advertir que goes by meaning: a warning to do or not to do something takes the subjunctive, a warning that something is so takes the indicative. Negar que usually takes the subjunctive.
He may have said Yo que tú, descansaría: you keep the advice, not the words.
| warning to act: subjunctive | warning of a fact: indicative |
|---|
| Nos advirtió que no nadáramos allí. | La policía nos advirtió que la carretera estaba cerrada. |
A warning not to do something: subjunctive.
A warning that something is so: indicative, estaba.
Insistir en que: a claim or a demand
| claim: indicative | demand: subjunctive |
|---|
| Insistió en que él no sabía nada. | Insistió en que nos quedáramos a cenar. |
Keep the en: insistió que is a common mistake.
