Dominando el Estilo Indirecto en Inglés: Reported Speech Explicado

Diferencias entre el Estilo Directo y el Estilo Indirecto (Reported Speech)

El estilo directo reproduce las palabras exactas de alguien, usualmente entre comillas. El estilo indirecto (o reported speech) cuenta lo que alguien dijo, pero sin citar textualmente, lo que a menudo implica cambios en los tiempos verbales, pronombres y otras expresiones.

Estilo Directo

Ejemplo: He said: "I don't want to go home yet."

Estilo Indirecto o Reported Speech

Ejemplo: He said (that) he didn't want to go home yet.

Uso de "that"

En el estilo indirecto, la conjunción that después del verbo introductor es opcional. Su inclusión tiende a hacer la frase ligeramente más formal.

Ejemplo: He said that he didn't want to go home yet. (Más formal)

Ejemplo: He said he didn't want to go home yet. (Menos formal)

Cambios de Tiempos Verbales en el Estilo Indirecto (Backshift)

Cuando el verbo introductor (reporting verb como say, tell, ask) está en un tiempo pasado (ej. said, told, asked), el tiempo verbal de la oración original generalmente "retrocede" un tiempo hacia el pasado. Este fenómeno se conoce como backshift.

Excepción: El cambio de tiempo verbal (backshift) puede ser opcional o no aplicarse si la afirmación original sigue siendo cierta o es una verdad universal.

Ejemplo de excepción (verdad universal):

• Directo: They told me: "Water boils at 100 degrees."
  Indirecto: They told me (that) water boils at 100 degrees.

Ejemplo de cambio de tiempo verbal (regla general):

• Directo: She said: "He has to work all weekend."
  Indirecto: She said (that) he had to work all weekend.

Tabla de Cambios de Tiempos Verbales (Backshift)

Si el verbo introductor está en pasado y no aplica ninguna excepción, los tiempos verbales cambian de la siguiente manera:

• Presente Simple → Pasado Simple
  "I am happy." → He said he was happy.
• Presente Continuo → Pasado Continuo
  "She is studying." → He said she was studying.
• Pasado Simple → Pasado Perfecto Simple
  "They went home." → He said they had gone home.
• Pasado Continuo → Pasado Perfecto Continuo
  "I was sleeping." → He said he had been sleeping.
• Presente Perfecto → Pasado Perfecto
  "We have finished." → He said they had finished.
• Pasado Perfecto → Pasado Perfecto (no cambia más)
  "She had already left." → He said she had already left.
• Futuro Simple (will) → Condicional Simple (would)
  "I will call you." → He said he would call me.
• Can → Could
  "I can swim." → He said he could swim.
• Must (obligación) → Had to
  "You must finish this." → He said I had to finish that.
• May (posibilidad) → Might
  "It may rain." → He said it might rain.
• May (permiso) → Could
  "You may go." → He said I could go.

Reporting Verbs: Tipos y Estructuras Comunes

Los reporting verbs introducen el discurso indirecto. Diferentes verbos pueden requerir diferentes estructuras:

• Verbo + (that) + cláusula: say, claim, explain, insist, agree, complain, deny, reply, admit, announce, mention, promise, state, suggest*.
  Ejemplo: He explained that he was late.
• Verbo + pronombre objeto + (that) + cláusula: tell, inform, notify, persuade, remind, assure, convince.
  Ejemplo: She told me that she would come.
• Verbo + infinitivo con "to": offer, refuse, agree, promise, decide, threaten, demand, volunteer, want, hope, intend.
  Ejemplo: They offered to help.
• Verbo + pronombre objeto + infinitivo con "to": ask (pedir/preguntar), tell (ordenar/decir), order, invite, encourage, warn, advise, instruct, request, urge.
  Ejemplo: She asked me to wait.
• Verbo + gerundio (-ing): suggest*, admit, deny, regret, mention, recommend, consider, finish, keep, mind, miss, practise.
  Ejemplo: He suggested going to the cinema.
• Verbo + preposición + gerundio (-ing):
  • apologise for -ing: He apologised for being late.
  • thank for -ing: She thanked them for coming.
  • insist on -ing: He insisted on paying.
  • dream of/about -ing: I dreamt of visiting Paris.
  • complain about -ing: They complained about the noise.

*Nota: Suggest puede ir seguido de gerundio o de una cláusula con "that" (ver sección de Sugerencias).

Transformaciones Adicionales en el Estilo Indirecto

Cambios en Expresiones de Tiempo y Lugar

Algunas expresiones de tiempo y lugar también cambian al pasar al estilo indirecto, para reflejar el cambio de perspectiva temporal y espacial desde el momento original del habla:

• Now → then, at that moment
• Today → that day
• Tonight → that night
• Yesterday → the day before / the previous day
• Tomorrow → the next day / the following day
• This week/month/year → that week/month/year
• Next week/month/year → the following week/month/year / the next week/month/year
• Last week/month/year → the week/month/year before / the previous week/month/year
• Ago → before / previously (ej. two days ago → two days before)
• Here → there
• This/These (demostrativos) → that/those (cuando se refieren a cosas cercanas en el momento del habla original)
  "I like this car." → He said he liked that car.

Cambios en Pronombres Personales (Sujeto y Objeto) y Posesivos

Los pronombres personales y posesivos cambian según la perspectiva de la persona que reporta el discurso, es decir, quién habla a quién.

Pronombres Personales

• Ejemplo 1 (cambio de "I" y "you"):
  • Directo: She said to me, "I don't know you."
  • Indirecto: She told me (that) she didn't know me.
• Ejemplo 2 (cambio de "we"):
  • Directo: He said, "We are late."
  • Indirecto (si "we" no incluye a la persona que reporta): He said (that) they were late.
  • Indirecto (si "we" incluye a la persona que reporta y a quien escucha el reporte): He said (that) we were late.

Posesivos

• Ejemplo:
  • Directo: He said, "That's not my book."
  • Indirecto: He said that wasn't his book.

Estructuras Especiales en Estilo Indirecto

Peticiones e Imperativos

Las peticiones e imperativos se reportan usando un reporting verb (como ask, tell, order, command, request, warn, advise, instruct) seguido de un objeto y la estructura (not) + to + infinitivo.

• Directo: "Shut up!" he said to me.
  Indirecto: He told me to shut up. / He ordered me to shut up.
• Directo: "Don't open that window," she said to them.
  Indirecto: She told them not to open that window. / She warned them not to open that window.

Preguntas

Al pasar las preguntas del estilo directo al indirecto, estas pierden su estructura interrogativa directa (inversión verbo-sujeto, signo de interrogación) y adoptan el orden de una frase afirmativa: sujeto + verbo. El tiempo verbal también sigue las reglas de backshift.

Se utilizan reporting verbs como ask, wonder, want to know, inquire.

Preguntas con Partícula Interrogativa (WH-questions)

Se mantiene la partícula interrogativa (what, who, where, when, why, how) como conector, seguida de la estructura sujeto + verbo (no invertida).

• Directo: He asked: "Where are you?"
  Indirecto: He asked me where I was.
• Directo: She wondered: "What time does the film start?"
  Indirecto: She wondered what time the film started.

Preguntas de Sí/No (Yes/No Questions)

Estas preguntas se introducen en estilo indirecto con if o whether, seguido de la estructura sujeto + verbo.

• Directo: She asked: "Are you OK?"
  Indirecto: She asked me if I was OK. / She asked me whether I was OK.
• Directo: He asked: "Do you like coffee?"
  Indirecto: He asked her if she liked coffee.

Sugerencias

Las sugerencias con el verbo suggest se pueden reportar de varias formas:

• Suggest + gerundio (-ing):
  Directo: "Let's leave early," he said.
  Indirecto: He suggested leaving early.
• Suggest + that + sujeto + should + infinitivo (sin "to"):
  Directo: "You should leave early," they said to us.
  Indirecto: They suggested that we should leave early.
• Suggest + that + sujeto + verbo en subjuntivo (forma base del verbo): (Más formal o común en inglés americano)
  Indirecto: They suggested that we leave early.