Direct speech quotes someone's exact words while indirect speech reports what they said without quoting precisely. This guide shows how to turn sentences from direct to indirect speech in Mandarin Chinese.
Direct Speech
Direct speech repeats the speaker's exact words and normally uses quotation marks《》and the particle shuō (说) to introduce the quote. The example sentence shows the format.
Examples and Quizzes
He said: 'I'm going to the ___ (store).'
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🗣️ 他直接说：“我明天去北京。” | Tā zhíjiē shuō: "Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng." | He said directly, "I am going to Beijing tomorrow." | |
| 🗣️ 她说：“北京的春天很美。” | Tā shuō: "Běijīng de chūntiān hěn měi." | She said, "Beijing's spring is very beautiful." | |
| 🗣️ 朋友说：“故宫的花开了。” | Péngyǒu shuō: "Gùgōng de huā kāile." | Friend said, "The flowers at the Forbidden City have bloomed." |
Indirect Speech
Indirect speech reports what someone said without quoting exactly and often rephrases the original sentence. It removes quotation marks and may change time, place, and pronouns to fit the new context.
Reporting Verbs
Verbs like gàosù (告诉), wèn (问), and huídá (回答) can introduce indirect speech and sometimes require adding a clause with shì (是) or changing the sentence structure to fit the report.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🗨️ 他说 | Tā shuō | He said | |
| 📝 他告诉我 | Tā gàosù wǒ | He told me | |
| ⚠️ 他警告说 | Tā jǐnggào shuō | He warned that | |
| 😊 他高兴地说 | Tā gāoxìng de shuō | He said happily | |
| ❓ 他问我 | Tā wèn wǒ | He asked me |
Sentence Patterns
Common patterns for indirect speech use verbs such as gàosù, shuō, or wèn followed by a clause introduced by dìngyào (要), néng, or a time phrase. The reported clause matches the function of the original utterance.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🗣️ “我去看花了，”他说。 | “Wǒ qù kàn huā le,” tā shuō. | "I went to see the flowers," he said. | |
| 🗨️ 他说他去看花了。 | Tā shuō tā qù kàn huā le. | He said that he went to see the flowers. | |
| ❓ 他问：“花开了吗？” | Tā wèn: "Huā kāi le ma?" | He asked, "Have the flowers bloomed?" | |
| ⚠️ 他说花还没开。 | Tā shuō huā hái méi kāi. | He said that the flowers had not yet bloomed. |
Changes in Time and Place
When shifting from direct to indirect speech, expressions of time and place often change to maintain relevance. Words like jīn tiān (今天) might become nà tiān (那天) and zhèlǐ (这里) might change to nàlǐ (那里) depending on the context.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🕒 他说：“花昨天开了。” | Tā shuō: "Huā zuótiān kāi le." | He said, "The flowers bloomed yesterday." | |
| 📅 他说花前天开了。 | Tā shuō huā qiántiān kāi le. | He said that the flowers had bloomed the day before yesterday. | |
| 🏞️ 她说：“花开在公园里。” | Tā shuō: "Huā kāi zài gōngyuán lǐ." | She said, "The flowers are blooming in the park." | |
| 📍 她说花开在城南的公园里。 | Tā shuō huā kāi zài chéngnán de gōngyuán lǐ. | She said that the flowers were blooming in the park south of the city. |
Changes in Pronouns
Pronouns in indirect speech adjust to reflect the new speaker and listener roles. For example, wǒ (我) in direct speech may become tā (他/她) or nǐ (你) depending on who is reporting and to whom.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🗣️ 他对我说：“我在看花。” | Tā duì wǒ shuō: "Wǒ zài kàn huā." | He said to me, "I am looking at the flowers." | |
| 🙋 他告诉我他在看花。 | Tā gàosù wǒ tā zài kàn huā. | He told me that he was looking at the flowers. | |
| 👩 她对他说：“花真漂亮！” | Tā duì tā shuō: "Huā zhēn piàoliang!" | She said to him, "The flowers are really beautiful!" | |
| 🧑 她告诉他花很漂亮。 | Tā gàosù tā huā hěn piàoliang. | She told him that the flowers were very beautiful. |
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌸 他说他明天去北京了。 | Tā shuō tā míngtiān qù Běijīng le. | He said that he would go to Beijing tomorrow. | |
| 🌼 她说北京的春天很美。 | Tā shuō Běijīng de chūntiān hěn měi. | She said that Beijing's spring is very beautiful. | |
| 🌷 朋友说故宫的花开了。 | Péngyǒu shuō Gùgōng de huā kāile. | Friend said that the flowers at the Forbidden City had bloomed. |
Summary
Direct speech preserves the original wording within quotes, while indirect speech rephrases the message and adapts time, place, and pronouns to fit the new context. Use reporting verbs and sentence patterns to signal reported speech clearly.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025