Dominando el Reported Speech: Ejemplos y Reglas de Estilo Indirecto

Reported Speech: Estilo Indirecto en Inglés

El Reported Speech (o estilo indirecto) se utiliza para contar lo que otra persona ha dicho sin citar sus palabras textualmente. A continuación, presentamos una serie de ejemplos divididos por categorías: afirmaciones, órdenes y preguntas.

1. Statements (Afirmaciones)

En las afirmaciones, solemos retroceder un tiempo verbal (backshift) respecto al discurso directo.

• Direct speech: “He works in a bank”
  Reported speech: She said that he worked in a bank.
• Direct speech: “We went out last night”
  Reported speech: She told me that they had gone out the night before.
• Direct speech: “I’m coming!”
  Reported speech: She said that she was coming!
• Direct speech: “I was waiting for the bus when he arrived”
  Reported speech: She told me that she had been waiting for the bus when he arrived.
• Direct speech: “I’d never been there before”
  Reported speech: She said that she had never been there before.
• Direct speech: “I didn’t go to the party”
  Reported speech: She told me that she hadn’t gone to the party.
• Direct speech: “Lucy’ll come later”
  Reported speech: She said that Lucy would come later.

2. Commands (Órdenes y Peticiones)

Para las órdenes y peticiones, utilizamos la estructura de verbo de reporte + objeto + infinitivo con 'to'.

• Direct speech: “Please help me carry this”
  Reported speech: She asked me to help her carry that!
• Direct speech: “Please come early”
  Reported speech: She asked me to come early!
• Direct speech: “Please buy some milk”
  Reported speech: She asked me to buy some milk!
• Direct speech: “Do your homework!”
  Reported speech: She told me to do my homework!
• Direct speech: “Tidy your room!”
  Reported speech: She told me to tidy my room!
• Direct speech: “Wait here!”
  Reported speech: She told me to wait there!
• Direct speech: “Don’t do that!”
  Reported speech: She told me not to do that!
• Direct speech: “Eat your dinner!”
  Reported speech: She told me to eat my dinner!
• Direct speech: “Don’t make a mess!”
  Reported speech: She told me not to make a mess!
• Direct speech: “Do the washing-up!”
  Reported speech: She told me to do the washing-up!

3. Questions (Preguntas)

En las preguntas indirectas, el orden de las palabras vuelve a ser el de una afirmación (sujeto + verbo) y no se utilizan auxiliares como do o did.

Wh- Questions

• Direct speech: “Where is he?”
  Reported speech: She asked me where he was.
• Direct speech: “What are you doing?”
  Reported speech: She asked me what I was doing.
• Direct speech: “Why did you go out last night?”
  Reported speech: She asked me why I had gone out the night before.
• Direct speech: “Who was that beautiful woman?”
  Reported speech: She asked me who that beautiful woman had been.
• Direct speech: “How is your mother?”
  Reported speech: She asked me how my mother was.
• Direct speech: “What are you going to do at the weekend?”
  Reported speech: She asked me what I was going to do at the weekend.

Yes/No Questions

• Direct speech: “Do you live in London?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if I lived in London.
• Direct speech: “Did he arrive on time?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if he had arrived on time.
• Direct speech: “Have you been to Paris?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if I had been to Paris.
• Direct speech: “Can you help me?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if I could help her.
• Direct speech: “Are you working tonight?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if I was working that night.
• Direct speech: “Will you come later?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if I would come later.
• Direct speech: “Is this the road to the station?”
  Reported speech: She asked me if that was the road to the station.