Master Reported Speech In Portuguese: A Simple Guide

Hey guys! Today, we're diving into reported speech in Portuguese, also known as indirect speech. It might sound a bit intimidating, but trust me, it’s super useful and not as complicated as it seems. Essentially, reported speech is how we convey what someone else said without directly quoting them. Instead of saying, “Ela disse: ‘Eu vou à praia,’” (She said: ‘I'm going to the beach,’) we might say, “Ela disse que ia à praia” (She said that she was going to the beach). See the difference? Let's break down everything you need to know to master this skill.

What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech, at its core, is a way of narrating what someone else has said, thought, or asked without using their exact words. Instead of quoting directly, we paraphrase. In Portuguese, this involves some adjustments to verb tenses and pronouns to maintain grammatical accuracy and coherence. Think of it as being a linguistic reporter, summarizing key statements for your audience. Whether you’re recounting a conversation, summarizing a meeting, or relaying information, mastering reported speech will significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively. You will find yourself using it all the time once you get the hang of it. Remember, the key is to understand the original context and adapt the statement without losing its original meaning. Practice is crucial, so don't be afraid to try it out in your conversations. This skill will not only improve your fluency but also make your Portuguese sound more natural and sophisticated. So, embrace the challenge and start transforming direct quotes into smooth, indirect narrations!

Key Changes in Reported Speech

When converting direct speech into reported speech in Portuguese, several key changes occur. These adjustments primarily involve verb tenses, pronouns, and adverbs of time and place. Let's break each of these down to ensure we're all on the same page.

Verb Tenses

The most significant change in reported speech is the shift in verb tenses. This is because when you report something, you are usually talking about something that was said in the past. Consequently, the verb tenses in the original statement often need to be adjusted to reflect this shift in time.

• Present Tense to Imperfect: If someone says, “Eu como pizza todos os dias” (I eat pizza every day), in reported speech, it becomes “Ele disse que comia pizza todos os dias” (He said that he ate pizza every day). The present tense (como) changes to the imperfect tense (comia).
• Preterite (Past) Tense to Pluperfect: If someone says, “Eu comi pizza ontem” (I ate pizza yesterday), in reported speech, it turns into “Ele disse que tinha comido pizza ontem” (He said that he had eaten pizza yesterday). The preterite (comi) changes to the pluperfect (tinha comido).
• Future Tense to Conditional: If someone says, “Eu comerei pizza amanhã” (I will eat pizza tomorrow), in reported speech, it becomes “Ele disse que comeria pizza amanhã” (He said that he would eat pizza tomorrow). The future tense (comerei) changes to the conditional (comeria).

Pronouns

Pronouns also need adjustment to reflect who is speaking and who is being spoken about. This ensures clarity and accuracy in your reported speech.

• Personal Pronouns: If someone says, “Eu gosto de você” (I like you), and you are reporting this, it might become “Ele disse que gostava de mim” (He said he liked me), if he was speaking to you.
• Possessive Pronouns: If someone says, “Este é o meu livro” (This is my book), it could become “Ele disse que aquele era o livro dele” (He said that that was his book).

Adverbs of Time and Place

Adverbs indicating time and place might also need to be altered to maintain accuracy when reporting speech.

• Time Adverbs: “Hoje” (today) might become “naquele dia” (that day). For example, “Eu vou hoje” (I am going today) becomes “Ele disse que ia naquele dia” (He said he was going that day).
• Place Adverbs: “Aqui” (here) might change to “ali” (there) or “lá” (over there), depending on the context. For instance, “Eu estou aqui” (I am here) becomes “Ele disse que estava ali” (He said he was there).

Understanding these key changes is crucial for accurately conveying information in reported speech. Practice identifying and applying these adjustments in various sentences to solidify your understanding. The more you practice, the more natural these transformations will become.

Step-by-Step Guide to Forming Reported Speech

Creating reported speech in Portuguese can be broken down into manageable steps. By following this guide, you'll find it easier to convert direct speech into indirect speech accurately.

1. Identify the Reporting Verb: The reporting verb is the verb that introduces the reported speech, such as dizer (to say), afirmar (to affirm), perguntar (to ask), responder (to answer), etc. This verb sets the context for the reported statement.
2. Choose the Correct Connector: Typically, the connector used is que (that). However, in some cases, it might be omitted, especially in informal contexts. For example, “Ele disse que estava cansado” (He said that he was tired) or “Ele disse estava cansado” (He said he was tired).
3. Adjust the Verb Tense: This is the most crucial step. As discussed earlier, verb tenses need to be adjusted based on the original statement and the time frame in which you are reporting it.
4. Modify Pronouns: Ensure that pronouns are changed to reflect the correct person or object being referred to.
5. Adapt Adverbs: Change adverbs of time and place to fit the new context.
6. Consider Questions: When reporting questions, use se (if/whether) for yes/no questions and maintain the appropriate question word (e.g., quem, o que, onde, quando, como, por que) for other types of questions.

Examples

Let's walk through a few examples to illustrate these steps:

• Direct Speech: Ela disse: “Eu estou feliz” (She said: “I am happy”).
  • Reported Speech: Ela disse que estava feliz (She said that she was happy).
• Direct Speech: Ele perguntou: “Você vai ao cinema?” (He asked: “Are you going to the cinema?”).
  • Reported Speech: Ele perguntou se eu ia ao cinema (He asked if I was going to the cinema).
• Direct Speech: Eles afirmaram: “Nós vimos o filme ontem” (They affirmed: “We saw the movie yesterday”).
  • Reported Speech: Eles afirmaram que tinham visto o filme no dia anterior (They affirmed that they had seen the movie the day before).

By meticulously following these steps, you can confidently transform direct speech into accurate and coherent reported speech in Portuguese. Practice these steps with different types of sentences to enhance your proficiency.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with a solid understanding of the rules, some common mistakes can trip up learners when using reported speech in Portuguese. Awareness of these pitfalls can help you avoid them and improve your accuracy.

1. Incorrect Verb Tense Adjustment: One of the most frequent errors is failing to adjust the verb tense correctly. Remember, the verb tense in the reported speech needs to reflect the past perspective from which you are reporting the statement.
   • Mistake: Ela disse que está feliz (She said that she is happy) - Incorrect because the present tense está should change to the imperfect tense.
   • Correct: Ela disse que estava feliz (She said that she was happy).
2. Forgetting to Change Pronouns: Failing to update pronouns to match the new context can lead to confusion and misinterpretation.
   • Mistake: Ele disse que eu gosto de você (He said that I like you) - Incorrect because the pronouns don't match the context of who is speaking to whom.
   • Correct: Ele disse que gostava de mim (He said that he liked me), if he was speaking to you.
3. Ignoring Adverbial Changes: Overlooking the need to change adverbs of time and place can make your reported speech sound unnatural or incorrect.
   • Mistake: Ele disse que vai hoje (He said that he is going today) - Incorrect because hoje should be adjusted to reflect the past perspective.
   • Correct: Ele disse que ia naquele dia (He said that he was going that day).
4. Mixing Direct and Indirect Speech: Sometimes, learners inadvertently mix elements of direct and indirect speech, creating grammatically incorrect sentences.
   • Mistake: Ela disse: que estava cansada (She said: that she was tired) - Incorrect because you can't include the colon from direct speech.
   • Correct: Ela disse que estava cansada (She said that she was tired).
5. Misusing Se in Reported Questions: When reporting questions, it's important to use se correctly for yes/no questions and to retain the appropriate question words for other types of questions.
   • Mistake: Ele perguntou: “Se você vai?” (He asked: “If you are going?”) - Incorrect because the colon should not be there in reported speech.
   • Correct: Ele perguntou se eu ia (He asked if I was going).

By being mindful of these common mistakes and actively working to avoid them, you can significantly improve the accuracy and fluency of your reported speech in Portuguese. Practice identifying and correcting these errors in various contexts to solidify your understanding.

Practice Exercises

To solidify your understanding of reported speech in Portuguese, practice is essential. Here are some exercises to help you hone your skills.

Exercise 1: Convert Direct Speech to Reported Speech

Convert the following sentences from direct speech to reported speech, paying attention to verb tenses, pronouns, and adverbs:

1. Ela disse: “Eu vou ao mercado amanhã.”
2. Ele perguntou: “Você gosta de café?”
3. Eles afirmaram: “Nós compramos um carro novo ontem.”
4. Eu disse: “Estou cansado hoje.”
5. Nós perguntamos: “Onde você mora?”

Exercise 2: Correct the Mistakes

Identify and correct the mistakes in the following sentences:

1. Ele disse que ele está feliz.
2. Ela perguntou: “Se eu quero ir?”
3. Eles afirmaram que eles viram o filme hoje.
4. Eu disse: que estou com fome.
5. Nós perguntamos onde você está indo.

Exercise 3: Translate and Report

Translate the following English sentences into Portuguese, then convert them into reported speech:

1. She said, “I am going to the beach.”
2. He asked, “Do you like pizza?”
3. They said, “We went to the park yesterday.”
4. I said, “I am tired today.”
5. We asked, “Where do you live?”

Answer Keys

Exercise 1:

1. Ela disse que ia ao mercado no dia seguinte.
2. Ele perguntou se eu gostava de café.
3. Eles afirmaram que tinham comprado um carro novo no dia anterior.
4. Eu disse que estava cansado naquele dia.
5. Nós perguntamos onde ele/ela morava.

Exercise 2:

1. Correct: Ele disse que estava feliz.
2. Correct: Ela perguntou se eu queria ir.
3. Correct: Eles afirmaram que tinham visto o filme naquele dia.
4. Correct: Eu disse que estava com fome.
5. Correct: Nós perguntamos onde ele/ela estava indo.

Exercise 3:

1. Direct: Ela disse: “Eu vou à praia.” Reported: Ela disse que ia à praia.
2. Direct: Ele perguntou: “Você gosta de pizza?” Reported: Ele perguntou se eu gostava de pizza.
3. Direct: Eles disseram: “Nós fomos ao parque ontem.” Reported: Eles disseram que tinham ido ao parque no dia anterior.
4. Direct: Eu disse: “Eu estou cansado hoje.” Reported: Eu disse que estava cansado naquele dia.
5. Direct: Nós perguntamos: “Onde você mora?” Reported: Nós perguntamos onde ele/ela morava.

By completing these exercises, you'll gain confidence in your ability to form and use reported speech accurately in Portuguese. Keep practicing regularly to maintain and improve your skills.

Conclusion

Alright, guys, we've covered a lot about reported speech in Portuguese! From understanding what it is and the key changes involved, to avoiding common mistakes and practicing with exercises, you're now well-equipped to tackle indirect speech like a pro. Remember, the key to mastering reported speech is consistent practice. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes—they're part of the learning process. The more you use reported speech in your conversations and writing, the more natural and fluent you'll become. Keep practicing, stay curious, and happy learning!