El estilo indirecto (reported speech) sirve para contar lo que otra persona ha dicho sin citarla palabra por palabra. En esta guía vas a aprender cómo cambian los tiempos verbales, los pronombres y las expresiones de tiempo, cómo transmitir preguntas, órdenes y peticiones, y cuándo usar say, tell y otros verbos más precisos.
Estilo directo y estilo indirecto
En el estilo directo repites las palabras exactas, entre comillas. En el indirecto las integras en tu propia frase, normalmente con that (que en la conversación se puede omitir).
"I'm tired," said Pablo. «Estoy cansado», dijo Pablo.
Pablo said (that) he was tired. Pablo dijo que estaba cansado.
Como ves, el español hace algo muy parecido: «estoy» pasa a «estaba». La buena noticia es que la lógica es la misma en los dos idiomas; solo tienes que aprender las formas inglesas.
El cambio de tiempos (backshift)
Cuando el verbo introductor está en pasado (said, told, asked), el verbo de lo que se dijo suele retroceder un paso hacia el pasado:
| Estilo directo | Estilo indirecto |
|---|---|
| Present simple: "I work here." | Past simple: She said she worked there. |
| Present continuous: "I'm working." | Past continuous: She said she was working. |
| Past simple: "I worked." | Past perfect: She said she had worked. |
| Present perfect: "I've worked." | Past perfect: She said she had worked. |
| will: "I'll work." | would: She said she would work. |
| can: "I can work." | could: She said she could work. |
| must: "I must work." | had to (o must): She said she had to work. |
| may: "I may work." | might: She said she might work. |
"We've missed the bus," they said. → They said they had missed the bus. Dijeron que habían perdido el autobús.
"I'll call you tomorrow," he said. → He said he would call me the next day. Dijo que me llamaría al día siguiente.
"I can't swim," she said. → She said she couldn't swim. Dijo que no sabía nadar.
Los verbos que ya están en past perfect, y los modales would, could, should, might y ought to, no cambian.
Cuándo no hace falta cambiar el tiempo
El backshift no es una regla mecánica. Puedes mantener el tiempo original cuando lo que se dijo sigue siendo verdad ahora:
"I live in Bilbao," she said. → She said she lives in Bilbao. Dijo que vive en Bilbao. (Sigue viviendo allí.)
The teacher said that the Earth goes round the Sun. El profesor dijo que la Tierra gira alrededor del Sol.
Tampoco cambia nada si el verbo introductor está en presente, por ejemplo cuando transmites algo en el momento o lees un mensaje:
Laura says she's running late. Laura dice que llega tarde.
Pronombres, lugares y expresiones de tiempo
Además de los tiempos, cambian las palabras que dependen de quién habla, dónde y cuándo. Esto es pura lógica, igual que en español:
| Estilo directo | Estilo indirecto |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| next week | the following week |
| last month | the month before / the previous month |
| ... ago | ... before / ... earlier |
| now | then / at that moment |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
"I saw your sister here yesterday," Tom told me. → Tom told me he had seen my sister there the day before. Tom me dijo que había visto a mi hermana allí el día anterior.
Si lo cuentas el mismo día y en el mismo sitio, no hace falta cambiar: She said she'd finish it today es perfectamente correcto si todavía es ese día.
Say o tell
Es la duda más frecuente. Las dos significan «decir», pero se construyen distinto:
- say + (that) + frase. Si mencionas a la persona, necesitas to: She said to me that... (aunque es poco frecuente).
- tell + persona + (that) + frase. Con tell la persona va siempre y sin to.
He said he was sorry. Dijo que lo sentía.
He told me he was sorry. Me dijo que lo sentía.
Preguntas en estilo indirecto
Aquí está la trampa principal: en el estilo indirecto la pregunta deja de ser pregunta, así que el orden es el de una frase afirmativa (sujeto + verbo), sin do/does/did y sin signo de interrogación.
Preguntas con palabra interrogativa
"Where do you live?" → She asked me where I lived. Me preguntó dónde vivía.
"What time is it?" → He asked what time it was. Preguntó qué hora era.
"Why did you leave?" → They asked me why I had left. Me preguntaron por qué me había ido.
Preguntas de sí o no: if / whether
"Are you coming?" → She asked if I was coming. Me preguntó si iba a ir.
"Have you finished?" → He asked me whether I had finished. Me preguntó si había terminado.
Este mismo orden se usa en las preguntas indirectas educadas, aunque no estés contando lo que dijo nadie: Could you tell me where the station is? (¿Podría decirme dónde está la estación?), no where is the station.
Órdenes, peticiones y consejos
Para transmitir órdenes y peticiones se usa verbo + persona + infinitivo con to. En español usamos «que» + subjuntivo, así que hay que tener cuidado de no calcarlo:
"Sit down," the teacher said. → The teacher told us to sit down. El profesor nos dijo que nos sentáramos.
"Please help me," she said. → She asked me to help her. Me pidió que la ayudara.
"Don't touch it," he said. → He told me not to touch it. Me dijo que no lo tocara.
Fíjate en la negativa: not to + infinitivo, nunca to don't.
Más allá de say y tell: verbos para informar
Usar solo said hace que un texto suene pobre. Estos verbos resumen la intención de quien habla y son muy útiles en el writing:
| Verbo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| advise, warn, remind, invite | + persona + to + infinitivo | She advised me to see a doctor. |
| offer, promise, refuse, agree | + to + infinitivo | He promised to be on time. |
| suggest, recommend | + -ing / + that | She suggested taking a taxi. |
| apologise for, insist on | + -ing | He apologised for being late. |
| admit, deny | + -ing / + that | She denied breaking the vase. |
| explain, complain, reply | + that | He explained that the shop was closed. |
"I'll help you with the move," said Sara. → Sara offered to help me with the move. Sara se ofreció a ayudarme con la mudanza.
"Don't forget to buy milk," Mum said. → Mum reminded me to buy milk. Mi madre me recordó que comprara leche.
Errores típicos de hispanohablantes
- She said me that she was ill. Correcto: She told me that she was ill o She said that she was ill.
- He asked me where was the bank. Correcto: He asked me where the bank was.
- She told me that I call her. Para una petición: She told me to call her.
- He asked me if I want a coffee. Con verbo introductor en pasado, lo normal es if I wanted a coffee.
- He suggested me to rest. Correcto: He suggested that I (should) rest o He suggested resting.
Practica
Pasa a estilo indirecto. Usa el verbo indicado entre paréntesis.
- "I'm very busy," Mark said. (said)
- "We'll arrive late," they told me. (told)
- "Where are you going?" my mum asked me. (asked)
- "Did you like the film?" Lucía asked me. (asked)
- "Close the door, please," she said to me. (asked)
- "Don't be late," my boss said to me. (told)
- "I've lost my passport," Ana said. (said)
- "I can lend you my car tomorrow," Pedro said to me. (said)
- "I'm sorry I broke your glasses," Javi said to me. (apologised)
- "You should study more," the teacher said to me. (advised)
Ver soluciones
- Mark said (that) he was very busy. Present simple pasa a past simple.
- They told me (that) they would arrive late. Will pasa a would; tell lleva persona.
- My mum asked me where I was going. Orden afirmativo, sin interrogación.
- Lucía asked me if/whether I had liked the film. Pregunta de sí o no con if; past simple pasa a past perfect.
- She asked me to close the door. Petición: ask + persona + to.
- My boss told me not to be late. Orden negativa: not to.
- Ana said (that) she had lost her passport. Present perfect pasa a past perfect.
- Pedro said (that) he could lend me his car the next day. Can pasa a could; tomorrow a the next day.
- Javi apologised for breaking my glasses. Apologise for + -ing.
- The teacher advised me to study more. Advise + persona + to.
Sigue aprendiendo
- Present perfect o past simple: domina los tiempos antes de cambiarlos.
- Verbos con gerundio o infinitivo: clave para usar bien suggest, offer o advise.
- Cómo escribir el essay del B2 First: pon en práctica estos verbos en tus textos.