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In Spanish, direct speech repeats exactly what someone said. Indirect speech conveys their message without quoting them word for word. This guide dives into both and touches on indirect questions.

Direct Speech

Direct speech repeats a speaker's exact words and typically uses quotation marks or dashes. The reporting verb introduces the quote and keeps the original tense and person.

Format

Show the speaker with a reporting verb, then include the exact phrase between quotes or after a dash, and keep the verbal forms as in the original utterance.

Examples

When writing direct speech in Spanish, how should the speaker's words appear?

paraphrased instead of quoted

exactly as they were said

with verb tenses changed to match the reporting sentence

translated into a different tense for clarity

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Indirect Speech

Indirect speech reports what someone said without quoting verbatim, often introduced by que and requiring adjustments to tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

Format

Use a reporting verb followed by que for statements, and change the original sentence to fit the new perspective and time frame with appropriate backshifts.

Examples

When writing direct speech in Spanish, how should the speaker's words appear?

paraphrased instead of quoted

exactly as they were said

with verb tenses changed to match the reporting sentence

translated into a different tense for clarity

1 of 2

Backshifting Tenses

Backshifting moves verb tenses back one step when changing from direct to indirect speech aligning the reported action with the reporting time and preserving meaning.

Present Tense to Imperfect

When the original is in the present, the reported clause commonly shifts to the imperfect: estoy becomes estaba to show a past-referenced ongoing state.

Direct Speech Spanish	Indirect Speech Spanish	Direct Speech English	Indirect Speech English
"Estoy en la playa"	estaba en la playa	"I am at the beach"	I was at the beach
"Estoy cansado"	estaba cansado	"I am tired"	I was tired
"Estoy listo"	estaba listo	"I am ready"	I was ready

Fill in the BlankDirect: "Estoy en la orilla." → Indirect: Él dijo que(estar) en la orilla.

Direct: "I am on the shore." → Indirect: He said that he was on the shore.

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Preterite to Past Perfect

A preterite in direct speech typically becomes the past perfect in indirect speech to show an earlier completed action relative to the reporting moment.

Direct Speech Spanish	Indirect Speech Spanish	Direct Speech English	Indirect Speech English
"He terminado"	había terminado	"I have finished"	I had finished
"Has llegado"	habías llegado	"You have arrived"	You had arrived
"Han comido"	habían comido	"They have eaten"	They had eaten

Fill in the BlankDirect: "Comimos temprano." → Indirect: Ellos dijeron que ya(comer).

Direct: "We ate early." → Indirect: They said they had already eaten.

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Future to Conditional

Future forms in direct speech usually shift to the conditional in indirect speech, so iré becomes iría to reflect reported intent from a past perspective.

Direct Speech Spanish	Indirect Speech Spanish	Direct Speech English	Indirect Speech English
"Irá a la playa"	iría a la playa	"He will go to the beach"	He would go to the beach
"Iremos al mar"	iríamos al mar	"We will go to the sea"	We would go to the sea
"Irán a surfear"	irían a surfear	"They will go surfing"	They would go surfing

Fill in the BlankDirect: "Iré al muelle." → Indirect: Él dijo que(ir) al muelle.

Direct: "I will go to the pier." → Indirect: He said that he would go to the pier.

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Indirect Questions

Indirect questions embed a question within a reporting structure, dropping quotation marks and using introductory verbs plus the appropriate question word like cuándo, dónde or si.

Format

Begin with a reporting verb, follow with the question word if needed, and state the clause as a declarative sentence while backshifting tense when required.

Examples

When writing direct speech in Spanish, how should the speaker's words appear?

paraphrased instead of quoted

exactly as they were said

with verb tenses changed to match the reporting sentence

translated into a different tense for clarity

1 of 2

Summary

Direct speech keeps the original wording, punctuation, and tense; indirect speech reframes the message within the narrator's perspective with any needed backshifts and time changes.