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Reported speech: il dit que, il demande si, il me dit de
B1
Catalogue
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Reporting what someone says, asks or orders: il dit que, il demande si, ce que, où, il me dit de venir, il lui dit de ne pas partir. Pronouns and possessives follow the speaker: je suis fatigué becomes il dit qu'il est fatigué.
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1. Il dit que: reported statements
A statement is reported with a verb of saying or thinking followed by que.
- Sophie dit que le café est froid.Sophie says the coffee is cold.
- Lucas répond qu'il a froid.Lucas answers that he is cold.
- Je pense que Tom a raison.I think Tom is right.
Formation
- The commonest verbs of saying and thinking are dire, répondre, expliquer, écrire, annoncer, savoir, penser and croire.
- Before a vowel, que becomes qu'.
- The présent (present simple) of dire is je dis, tu dis, il dit, nous disons, vous dites, ils disent.
- After a reporting verb in the présent, the spoken tense is kept: Mes amis écrivent qu'ils arrivent lundi. (“My friends write that they are arriving on Monday.”)
Common mistakes
Sophie dit le café est froid.→ Sophie dit que le café est froid.English can leave out that (She says she is tired), but que is never left out in French.Lucas dit qui il a froid.→ Lucas dit qu'il a froid.After a verb of saying, the link is the conjunction que, never the relative pronoun qui.
Show the answer Marie dit ___ le train est en retard. queShow the answer
Show the answer Paul répond ___ il n'a pas faim. qu'Show the answer
2. Il demande si, ce que, où: reported questions
A reported question is introduced by si, or by its own question word: où, quand, pourquoi.
- Il demande si Sophie est là.He asks if Sophie is there.
- Elle demande s'il fait froid.She asks if it is cold.
- Tom demande où elle travaille.Tom asks where she works.
- Lucas demande ce que tu lis.Lucas asks what you are reading.
- Il demande ce qui se passe.He asks what is happening.
Formation
- A question with no question word is reported with si.
- Before il and ils only, si becomes s'.
- A question word is kept at the front of the reported question: où, quand, pourquoi, quelle heure.
- Qu'est-ce que becomes ce que, qu'est-ce qui becomes ce qui, and Est-ce que is dropped.
Word order
- The inversion is dropped, and the reported question has the order of a statement: Où habite-t-elle ? (“Where does she live?”) becomes où elle habite.
- After a question word, a noun subject may also follow the verb: Il demande où travaille Sophie. (“He asks where Sophie works.”)
Common mistakes
Il demande que Sophie est là.→ Il demande si Sophie est là.English if in a reported question is si, never que.Lucas demande que tu lis.→ Lucas demande ce que tu lis.English what in a reported question is ce que, never que alone.
Show the answer « Est-ce que Léa est prête ? » Paul demande ___ Léa est prête. siShow the answer
Show the answer « Est-ce qu'il pleut ? » Marie demande ___ il pleut. s'Show the answer
3. Il me dit de + infinitive: reported commands
An order or a piece of advice is reported with de and an infinitive, which replaces the imperative.
- Sophie dit à Lucas d'ouvrir la fenêtre.Sophie tells Lucas to open the window.
- Lucas lui dit de venir.Lucas tells him to come.
- Il demande à Sophie d'écouter.He asks Sophie to listen.
- Sophie nous dit de ne pas courir.Sophie tells us not to run.
Formation
- The imperative becomes de and the infinitive: Ouvre la fenêtre ! (“Open the window!”) gives d'ouvrir la fenêtre.
- Viens ! (“Come!”) gives de venir, and Prends le train ! (“Take the train!”) gives de prendre le train.
- Before a vowel, de becomes d': Sois calme ! (“Be calm!”) gives d'être calme.
- In a negative order, ne pas is placed together before the infinitive: de ne pas courir.
The person told
- The person told is an indirect object: me, te, lui, nous, vous or leur before the verb.
- After the verb, the person told is introduced by à: dire à Sophie de…
- Demander à quelqu'un de and conseiller à quelqu'un de are built in the same way.
Common mistakes
Il me dit que dormir.→ Il me dit de dormir.English tell me to sleep is me dire de dormir, never me dire que dormir.Il me dit à dormir.→ Il me dit de dormir.After dire, the infinitive is introduced by de, so me dire à dormir is wrong.
Show the answer « Ferme la porte ! » Marie dit à Paul ___ fermer la porte. deShow the answer
Show the answer « Attendez ici ! » Le médecin nous dit ___ attendre ici. d'Show the answer
4. Pronouns and possessives change with the speaker
Reported words are seen from the point of view of the person who reports them.
- Tom dit qu'il est content.Tom says he is happy.
- Tom me dit que je travaille trop.Tom tells me I work too much.
- Lucas me dit qu'il m'appelle demain.Lucas tells me he will call me tomorrow.
- Sophie dit que son père est médecin.Sophie says her father is a doctor.
Pronouns
- Je becomes il or elle, nous becomes ils or elles, and the verb agrees with the new subject.
- Said to the reporter, tu becomes je and te becomes me: Léa me dit que je suis en retard. (“Léa tells me I am late.”)
- Vous said to other people becomes ils or elles.
Possessives
- Mon becomes son, ma becomes sa, mes becomes ses, and notre becomes leur.
- Said to the reporter, ton becomes mon.
Common mistake
Sophie dit que sa père est médecin.→ Sophie dit que son père est médecin.Son agrees with père, a masculine noun, not with Sophie: son père is “his father” and “her father”.
Show the answer « Je suis fatigué », dit Paul. Paul dit qu'___ est fatigué. ilShow the answer
Show the answer « Nous partons demain », disent Léa et Tom. Léa et Tom disent qu'___ partent demain. ilsShow the answer
5. Reported speech: mixed practice
In reported speech, the link depends on what is reported: que, si or a question word, or de.
- Léa explique qu'elle est malade.Léa explains that she is ill.
- Tom veut savoir quand le film commence.Tom wants to know when the film starts.
- Mes amis me disent de rester.My friends tell me to stay.
Remember
- A statement is reported with que, an order with de. A question is reported with si or a question word: Il demande si le train est à l'heure. (“He asks if the train is on time.”)
- The pronouns and possessives change with the person who reports the words: Marie me demande ce que je cherche. (“Marie asks me what I am looking for.”)
Show the answer Léa répond ___ elle ne sait pas. qu'Show the answer
Show the answer « C'est ouvert ? » Le client demande ___ le magasin est ouvert. siShow the answer
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