UNIT TWENTY-FOUR
Indirect speech
Direct and indirect speech
There are two ways of reporting what somebody said. One way is to use
the exact words of the other person. In writing, this is done by putting
the original words in quotation marks (direct speech).
The other way is to incorporate the original words into a sentence
(indirect speech):Direct speech Sie sagte: „Ich bin glücklich.“
She said, ‘I am happy.’Indirect speech Sie sagte, sie sei glücklich.
She said she was happy.Indirect speech in English and German
Changing tenses in English
In English, indirect speech is mainly signalled by a shift in tense:She said, ‘I am happy.’ → She said she washappy.
He said, ‘I need more money.’ He said he neededmore money.Specific verb form in German – Konjunktiv I
German however has a specific verb form, Konjunktiv I, to indicate what
somebody said:Sie sagte: „Ich bin glücklich.“ →Sie sagte, sie seiglücklich.
Er sagte: „Ich brauche mehr Geld.“ Er sagte, er brauchemehr Geld.