How to report speech in Italian?

In Italian, like in English, we use reported speech, or indirect speech (discorso indiretto), to report someone's words. To form reported speech, both in English and Italian, we use three distinctive elements:

• a reporting clauseNo definition set for clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with a verb like dire(to say), chiedere(to ask), etc.

• a conjunctionNo definition set for conjunctionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., usually che(that)

• the reported message

For example:

Now, when we use reported speech in Italian, we need to pay attention to what we report (statements, questions, commands) and the tense of what we report. This post will show you how to transform direct speech into indirect speech in the most accurate way!

So, first, let’s examine the differences between direct speech and indirect/reported speech in Italian.

In Italian, as in English, we have two ways to communicate to others what someone said. We can use direct speech, to report speech or thoughts in their original form, exactly as the original speaker phrased it, or we can use indirect speech, to rephrase someone’s message (statement, question, command, request, advice, etc.)

• Direct speech:

  E poi mi ha detto: «Ci vediamo domani!».

  And then s/he told me: “See you tomorrow!”

• Indirect speech:

  E poi mi ha detto che ci vediamo domani.

  And then (s/he) told me that we are going to see each other tomorrow.

Both direct and indirect speech use reporting verbs to introduce what has been said. To report a statement, we usually use dire(to say), while to report a question, we most commonly use chiedere or domandare(to ask).

Other common reporting verbs are:

• rispondere(to answer)

• volere(to want)

• spiegare(to explain)

• affermare(to assert)

• aggiungere(to add)

• insistere(to insist)

When using direct speech in writing, keep in mind that Italian and English use punctuation a bit differently.

Let’s observe the following example in Italian and vs. English:

As you can see…

• In English, direct speech is introduced by a comma → ,
  In Italian, direct speech is usually introduced by a colon → :

• In English, direct speech is enclosed in quotation marks → “...”
  In Italian, you also often find direct speech enclosed in quotation marks: “...” But, depending on the style of the publishing company, you can also find it in guillemets «…» or even introduced by an em dash: —

• In English, commas and periods are placed inside the quotation marks: .”
  In Italian, commas and periods are placed outside guillemets/quotation marks: ”.

When you don’t quote exactly what someone said, asked, or thought, you are reporting what you’ve heard by using indirect speech. Indirect speech is used to indirectly report statements, commands/requests, and questions (yes/no and open). Let’s take a look at the following examples!

• Indirect statement:

  Il meccanico ci ha spiegato che il problema non è il freno, ma le ruote.

  The mechanic explained to us that the problem is not the brake, but the wheels.

• Indirect question:

  Ho chiesto a tua sorella che tipo di dolce possiamo portare.

  I asked your sister what kind of cake we can bring.

• Indirect command/request:

  Il capo vuole che loro consegnino i documenti domattina.

  The boss wants them to deliver the papers in the morning.

Indirect speech sentences are formed by two clausesNo definition set for clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:

• a reporting clause (the “main clause”), with a reporting verb:

  Lucia dice…

  Lucia says...

• a subordinate clauseNo definition set for subordinate clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. typically introduced by the conjunctionNo definition set for conjunctionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. che(that):

  …che viene a cena

  ...that she is coming for dinner.

Now, when we report speech in Italian, there are three elements we need to pay attention to, because they may change from direct to indirect speech:

• personal pronouns and possessives

• adverbs/expressions of time and placeList item content

• tense concordance between the two clauses, based on

  • the type of speech we are reporting (statements, questions, commands)

  • the tense of the speech we are reporting.

Let’s look through each of these elements one-by-one!

• Personal pronouns and possessives

  When we report speech, subject pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and possessive adjectives and pronouns of the first personNo definition set for first personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and second personNo definition set for second personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. change into the third personNo definition set for third personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and the verb adapts, just like in English.

  Direct speech:

  Nino dice: “Mi sono addormentato e ora non trovo i miei occhiali”.

  Nino says, “I fell asleep and now I can't find my glasses.”

  Indirect speech:

  Nino dice che si è addormentato e ora non trova i suoi occhiali.

  Nino says (that) he fell asleep and now he can't find his glasses.

• Change in expressions of time and place

  When forming indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the expressions of time and place, because they may need to be adjusted according to the point of view of the person who is reporting the speech.

  Here are some examples of changing time expressions:

  • ieri(yesterday) → il giorno prima / il giorno precedente(the day before)

    Direct speech:

    “Ieri ho fatto un esame”.

    “I took an exam yesterday.”

    Indirect speech:

    Mi disse che il giorno prima aveva fatto un esame.

    He told me the day before he had taken an exam.

  • oggi(today) → quel giorno(that day)

    Direct speech:

    “Oggi è il compleanno di Chiara”.

    “Today is Chiara's birthday.”

    Indirect speech:

    Mi confidò che quel giorno era il compleanno di Chiara.

    S/he confided to me that that day was Chiara's birthday.

  • domani(tomorrow) → l’indomani(the next day) or il giorno dopo / seguente / successivo(the day after, the following day)

    Direct speech:

    “Domani Michele e Raffaella partiranno per New York”.

    “Tomorrow Michele and Raffaella will leave for New York.”

    Indirect speech:

    Svelò che il giorno dopo Michele e Raffaella sarebbero andati a New York.

    S/he revealed that Michele and Raffaella would go to New York the next day.

  And here’s an example of a changing expression of place:

  • qui, qua(here) → lì, là(there)

    Direct speech:

    “Potete venire qui?”

    "Can you come here?"

    Indirect speech:

    Maria ci ha chiesto se possiamo andare lì.

    Maria asked us if we can go there.

  To learn more expressions of time and space that change in reported speech, click the link!

• Adapting verb tenses

  When forming reported speech, we need to pay attention to the tenseNo definition set for tenseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. used in the main/reporting clause vs. the subordinate clause.

  When choosing the tense of the subordinate clause, we need to take in consideration two factors:

  • if the verb of the reporting / main clauseNo definition set for main clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is in the present, e.g. Mara dice che…(Mara says that...) or in one of Italian past tenses, e.g. Mara ha detto che...(Mara said that...)

  • the type of speech we are reporting: is it a statement? Is it a question? Is it a request or a command? Depending on whether we are reporting a statement, a question, or a command, verb tenses in our reported speech clause change.

  Let’s start by looking at how verbs change when we have a statement, then we will look at questions and request/commands/advice.

  How to report a statement in Italian?

  When reporting statements, we first have to pay attention to the tense of the reporting verb.

  • If the reporting verb is in present tense, then the verb tense in the reported speech stays the same as the tense in the direct speech.

    Direct speech:

    Maria: “Ho un appuntamento”.

    Maria: “I have an appointment.”

    Indirect speech:

    Maria dice che ha un appuntamento.

    Maria says she has an appointment.

  • If the reporting verb is in past tense, then the verb tense in the reported speech changes (except for the imperfetto and the trapassato prossimo).

    Direct speech:

    Maria: “Ho un appuntamento”.

    Maria: “I have an appointment.”

    Indirect speech:

    Maria ha detto che ha / aveva un appuntamento.

    Maria said s/he has/had an appointment.

  The table below summarizes the tense correspondences between direct speech and indirect speech using reporting verbs in the present tense and in the past tense. We’ve highlighted the cases in which the tense in the reported speech should be different from the tense in the original quote.

  Tense of the verb in direct speech	Tense of the reported verb in indirect speech
  	With a present tense reporting verb	With a past tense reporting verb
  Presente(present simple) “Ho un appuntamento”. “I have an appointment.”	Presente(present simple) Dice che ha un appuntamento. S/he says s/he has an appointment.	Presente(present simple) or imperfetto(imperfect) Ha detto che ha / aveva un appuntamento. S/he said s/he has/had an appointment.
  Imperfetto(imperfect) “Avevo un appuntamento”. “I had an appointment.”	Imperfetto(imperfect) Dice che aveva un appuntamento. S/he says s/he had an appointment.	Imperfetto(imperfect) Ha detto che aveva un appuntamento. S/he said s/he had an appointment.
  Passato prossimo(perfect tense) “Sono stato a Roma”. “I have been in Rome.”	Passato prossimo(perfect tense) Dice che è stato a Roma. S/he says s/he has been in Rome.	Trapassato prossimo(past perfect) Ha detto che era stato a Roma. S/he said s/he had been to Rome.
  Passato remoto(historical past) “Camminai molto”. “I walked a lot.”	Passato remoto(historical past) Dice che camminò molto. S/he says s/he walked a lot.	Trapassato prossimo(past perfect) Ha detto che aveva camminato molto. S/he said s/he had walked a lot.
  Trapassato prossimo(past perfect) “Andrò al mare”. “I'll go to the seaside.”	Futuro semplice(simple future) Dice che andrà al mare. S/he says s/he will go to the seaside.	Condizionale passato(past conditional) Ha detto che sarebbe andata al mare. S/he said she was going to the seaside.
  Futuro semplice(future simple) “Andrò al mare”. “I'll go to the seaside.”	Futuro semplice(simple future) Dice che andrà al mare. S/he says s/he will go to the seaside.	Condizionale passato(past conditional) Ha detto che sarebbe andata al mare. S/he said she was going to the seaside.
  Futuro anteriore(future perfect) “Vi scriverò quando sarò tornato”. “I will write to you when I get back.”	Futuro anteriore(future perfect) Dice che ci scriverà quando sarà tornato. S/he says s/he will write to us when he gets back.	Condizionale passato(past conditional) Ha detto che ci avrebbe scritto quando sarebbe tornato. S/he said s/he would write to us when he returned.

  ⇨ Need to review all these tenses? Look no further! We have posts for each one: presente, passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo, futuro semplice, futuro anteriore, and conditionale passato.

Indirect speech is used to report statements, questions (yes/no and open questions), as well as requests/commands/advice. When forming indirect speech, we need two clauses:

• A reporting clause with a reporting verb, such as dire(to say, to tell), chiedere(to ask), ordinare(to order), richiedere(to request), etc.

• A subordinate clause (with the speech we are reporting) introduced by a conjunction.

Conjunctions:

• For indirect statements and commands, the conjunction we use the most is che(that), but when the subject of the reporting clause and that of the subordinate close are the same, we can use also the form di(of) + infinitive

• For yes/no questions we use se(if)

• For open questions we use interrogative words such as chi(who), cosa(what), dove(where), quando(when), etc.

Finally, there are three elements that we need to adapt when forming an indirect speech:

• Time changes: if in indirect speech we are using a reporting verb in the past, expressions of time need to be adapted. For instance, oggi(today) in the direct speech becomes il giorno prima(the day before) in the indirect speech;

• Location changes: expressions of place need to be adapted. For instance, qui(here) in the direct speech becomes lì / là(there) in the indirect speech;

• Verb tense changes: we need to change verb tenses to ensure verb agreement in our reported speech.

Ready for some activities on how to form reported speech in Italian? 💪 🧠 Click the link!