Reported Speech and Backshifting
When you report what someone said, thought, or claimed in the past, your main reporting verb (like sa, said) is in the past tense. Because of this, the verb in the reported att-clause (that-clause) usually shifts "back" one step into the past tense as well.
| Direct Speech (Present) | Reported Speech (Past) |
|---|---|
| vill (want) | ville (wanted) |
| vet (know) | visste (knew) |
| är (is/are) | var (was/were) |
| She said that she wanted to hide the truth. | Hon sa att hon ville dölja sanningen. |
| The boss whispered that he knew the secret. | Chefen viskade att han visste hemligheten. |
| The colleague claimed that the lie was dangerous. | Kollegan påstod att lögnen var farlig. |
Future in the Past and Word Order
If the original statement referred to the future using ska (will), it backshifts to skulle (would) when reported in the past.
Additionally, reported statements are subordinate clauses. This means they follow strict subordinate word order: sentence adverbs like aldrig (never), bara (just), or inte (not) must be placed before the conjugated verb.
| The neighbor said that she would never spread the lie. | Grannen sa att hon aldrig skulle sprida lögnen. |
| He whispered that it was just a joke. | Han viskade att det bara var ett skämt. |
Dealing with Rumors: Other Reporting Verbs
When navigating gossip or clearing up misunderstandings, you will use a variety of reporting verbs like förneka (deny) or vara övertygad (be convinced).
Note that some reporting expressions require the preposition om (about/of) right before the att-clause. The rules for backshifting and adverb placement remain exactly the same.
| Lars denied that he exaggerated the story. | Lars förnekade att han överdrev berättelsen. |
| The woman was convinced that the rumor was true. | Kvinnan var övertygad om att ryktet stämde. |
| He assured me that the excuse was not made up. | Han försäkrade mig om att ursäkten inte var påhittad. |
