Titolo della lezione: Indirect Speech

‘to say’ and ‘to tell’

Indirect Speech
‘to say’ and ‘to tell’
Indirect Speech – to tell, to say

ƒ When reporting something that was stated in the past to a person in the present...

‰ use : to say (infinitive) said (past tense); (dire / detto)

to tell (infinitive) told (past tense); (dire / detto)

Example: ‘Mi disse che era tardi’. He told me that it was late.
‘Disse che era tardi’. He said that it was late.

ƒ ‘told’ is followed by the object pronoun ‘me, you, him, her, us, you, them’
ƒ ‘said’ is followed only by the conjunction ‘that’

‰ He said that they would arrive at 8:00. [ We’ll arrive at 8:00.]

He told me that they would arrive at 8:00.

‰ She said that the meeting was at 11:00. [The meeting is at 11:00]
She told us that the meeting was at 11:00.
Indirect Speech – to tell, to say

ƒ The verb of the reported sentence must be in the past tense.

‰ Paul: I must finish these letters before I leave the office.
Paul told me that he had to finish the letters before he left the office.
Paul said that he had to finish the letters before he left the office.

‰ Anne and Bill: We’re coming by taxi because our bags are heavy.
They said that they were coming by taxi because their bags were heavy.
They told me that they were coming by taxi because their bags were heavy.

‰ Brian: Can you send the company an e-mail to confirm the booking, Mildred?
Brian asked her to send the company an e-mail to confirm the booking.
Brian told her to send the company an e-mail to confirm the booking.
 Indirect Speech – More examples

ƒ Direct Speech: Peter said, ‘I will see Doris tomorrow afternoon.’

‘It is my birthday,’ said Mary.

ƒ Indirect Speech: Peter said he would see Doris next day.

Mary said that it was her birthday.

ƒ Direct Speech: ‘We always have dinner at seven o’clock,’ she told me.
‘I don’t need to work late this afternoon,’ he told the head office.

ƒ Indirect Speech: She told me that they always had dinner at seven o’clock.
He told the head office that he didn’t need to work late that
afternoon.