In the second example, if the reporting were done after midday, estar would need to
change from the future into the conditional.Dijeron que estarían aquí al mediodía,
They said they would be here at midday
(‘and so they were’ or ‘but they weren’t’).33.3.2 (below)
33.3.2 Affecting verb forms
Most reporting is done with an introductory verb in the past, which by itself establishes
a distance between the time the original statement was made and the time of the
reporting. If the original statement is no longer valid, or if we are not concerned about
its current validity but simply want to establish that we are merely reporting what
someone else said, changes in verb forms will become necessary in most cases in this
passage from direct into indirect speech. The examples below illustrate some of the
main changes.(a) Present into imperfect:No tengo tiempo.
I haven’t got time.
Dijo que no tenía tiempo.
He/she said he/she didn’t have time.(b) Present continuous into imperfect continous:Estoy trabajando.
I’m working.
Dijo que estaba trabajando.
He/she said he/she was working.(c) Preterite, perfect into pluperfect:No pude ir.
I couldn’t go.
Dijo que no había podido ir.
He/she said he/she hadn’t been able to go.Ya he estado allí.
I have already been there.
Dijo que ya había estado allí.
He/she said he/she had already been there.(d) Future into conditional:Te presentaré a mi novio.
I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend.
Dijo que me presentaría a su novio.
She said she would introduce me to her boyfriend.Note that a pluperfect in direct speech remains the same in indirect speech, as there is
no alternative verb form to replace this.Reporting statements 33.3