Ch 29 · Lesson 10French · Chapter 29 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Il dit qu'il est fatigué: when the tense stays put
The imparfait and the do not move ( a ), and after a present reporting verb nothing moves at all: .
The short version
Only a past reporting verb moves the tense
.
Why?Hide
The backshift is triggered by the reporting verb, not by the words being reported. a shifts because a is past. does not shift at all, because is present. Over-applying the rule is as wrong as forgetting it.
The imparfait has nowhere left to go
.
Why?Hide
The backshift stops at the imparfait and the , which are already one step back. reports as a , and as a . Hunting for a more past form changes the meaning.
Two tenses stay put
The imparfait and the are already one step back, so the backshift has nowhere to send them.
« . »->.- He said he used to work a lot.« . »->.- She said she would like to come.« . »->.- He said he had forgotten. (the--stays too)
So a reported imparfait can stand for two things the speaker said: or . The context tells you which.
A present reporting verb moves nothing
The backshift belongs to the past reporting verb alone. Report in the present, or the future, and the original tense stays exactly as spoken.
| Reporting verb | Report | English |
|---|---|---|
| present | . | He says he is tired. |
| present | . | He says he will come. |
| future | . | He will say he has finished. |
| past | . | He said he was tired. |
Going further: Que is never dropped and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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