Reported speech: diu que…
Somebody else's words join with the conjunction que: Diu que demà plourà — he says it will rain tomorrow. The verb of speech stands first: dir, anunciar, explicar, preguntar. The tenses inside stay as they were: Catalan does not shift them back. For example: “Diu que arriba a les nou” — He says he will come at nine. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Somebody else's words join with the conjunction que: Diu que demà plourà — he says it will rain tomorrow. The verb of speech stands first: dir, anunciar, explicar, preguntar. The tenses inside stay as they were: Catalan does not shift them back.
A direct question turns into si: Pregunta si vinc — he asks whether I am coming. And a command into que + subjuntiu: Diu que vinguem — he orders us to come. No comma before "que" here: it is not a quotation but a retelling.
There is a shorter path — segons: Segons la ràdio, tot va bé — according to the radio, all is well. The papers write the same: "segons fonts oficials" — according to official sources.
Table
| direct speech | reported speech | in English |
|---|---|---|
| "Demà plourà" | Diu que demà plourà | he says it will rain tomorrow |
| "Vinc?" | Pregunta si vinc | he asks if I am coming |
| "Veniu!" | Diu que vinguem | he orders us to come |
By example
- Diu que arriba a les nouHe says he will come at nine
- Han anunciat que el vol té retardThey announced the flight is delayed
- Em pregunta si vénen demàHe asks me whether they come tomorrow
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Reported speech: how does it work in Catalan?
Somebody else's words join with the conjunction que: Diu que demà plourà — he says it will rain tomorrow. The verb of speech stands first: dir, anunciar, explicar, preguntar. The tenses inside stay as they were: Catalan does not shift them back.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Diu que arriba a les nou” — He says he will come at nine. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.