Direct/Indirect Speech
Reporting what someone said improves your storytelling and sharing of information. This guide goes over how to handle direct and indirect speech in Mandarin Chinese.
Direct Speech
Direct speech repeats a speaker's exact words and is often introduced by shuō 说 or a similar verb, with quotation marks to mark the quoted sentence. Keep the original tense and time expressions.
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Indirect Speech
Indirect speech relays what someone said without quoting verbatim, typically introduced by reporting verbs like gàosù 告诉 or biǎoshì 表示. Remove quotation marks and adjust pronouns and time expressions as needed.
Reporting Verbs
Reporting verbs signal that you're conveying someone else's message and come in various flavors: shuō 说 for neutral reporting, gàosù 告诉 for telling someone something, and tí dào 提到 for mentioning. Choose one that fits the context.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 说 | shuō | to say |
| 告诉 | gàosù | to tell |
| 提到 | tídào | to mention |
| 问 | wèn | to ask |
| 回答 | huídá | to answer |
| 表示 | biǎoshì | to express |
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Time Expressions
Time expressions often need changing when switching from direct to indirect speech so they align with the reporting moment; for example, zuótiān 昨天 becomes qiántiān 前天 or nà tiān 那天 depending on context. Adjust these carefully to preserve meaning.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow |
| 那天 | nà tiān | that day |
Pronouns
Pronouns normally shift to match the new perspective in indirect speech: wǒ 我 might become tā 他 or tāmén 他们, and nǐ 你 would change to tā 他 or similar. This ensures the reported sentence fits the reporting subject.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🗣️ “明天有考试，”老师说。 | “Míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì,” lǎoshī shuō. | “There is a test tomorrow,” the teacher said. | Direct speech |
| 🗨️ 老师说，明天有考试。 | Lǎoshī shuō, míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì. | The teacher said that there is a test tomorrow. | Neutral indirect speech |
| 💬 老师提醒我们，明天要考试。 | Lǎoshī tíxǐng wǒmen, míngtiān yào kǎoshì. | The teacher reminded us that there is a test tomorrow. | Reporting verb with nuance |
| ⏰ 老师说考试“明天”举行，今天他说的话。 | Lǎoshī shuō kǎoshì “míngtiān” jǔxíng, jīntiān tā shuō dehuà. | The teacher said the test would be held “tomorrow,” when he spoke today. | Time expression in direct quote |
| 🗓️ 老师说考试第二天举行。 | Lǎoshī shuō kǎoshì dì èr tiān jǔxíng. | The teacher said the test would be held the next day. | Shifted time expression in indirect speech |
Summary
Direct speech repeats exact words with quotation marks and original time expressions; indirect speech reframes the message without quotes and adjusts pronouns and times to fit the reporting context. Reporting verbs guide the listener on how the information was conveyed.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025