Ch 23 · Lesson 18Spanish · Chapter 23 · Lesson 18 · Grammar primer
Reported commands: me dijo que viniera
A command cannot be reported in the imperative: becomes . , and , and (said) against (told to).
The short version
A reported command is
.
Why?Hide
An imperative cannot survive in reported speech. After a past reporting verb it becomes plus the imperfect subjunctive: ¡! becomes , becomes . + indicative reports a statement instead: means he said he was coming.
Reported commands: que + imperfect subjunctive
A command cannot be reported in the imperative. Spanish turns it into plus the imperfect subjunctive:
Me dijo... - he/she told me to sit down, to open the book, not to run, to be quiet.
| Direct | Reported | English |
|---|---|---|
¡! | . | ... told me to come. |
¡! | . | ... told me to sit down. |
. | . | ... asked me to shut the door. |
. | . | ... told me not to go out. |
. | . | ... told me not to worry. |
The no stays, and the pronoun follows the person: (you) becomes me when I report it about myself.
After a present reporting verb, the subjunctive stays present:
.- He/She tells me to come..- He/She told me to come.
Asked, told, ordered: the reporting verb
The reporting verb says how strongly it was put:
- me pidió que (asked)
- me dijo que (told)
- me ordenó que (ordered)
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| . | He/She asked me to wait. |
| . | He/She told me to wait. |
| . | He/She ordered me to wait. |
only reports questions. A request is , never .
Dijo que: said, or told to?
reports statements and commands alike. The mood shows which:
.- He/She said he/she was coming. (a statement: indicative).- He/She told me to come. (a command: subjunctive)
Mistakes English speakers make
The wrong column shows only the part that goes wrong:
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
. | a yes/no question takes | |
. | the question word keeps its accent | |
. | the verb comes first | |
. | no imperative in a report | |
. | a request is |
After a past verb you will also hear . when the order still stands. . is always right.
Going further: Reported questions and commands on one screen 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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