Other people's words: είπε ότι, ρώτησε αν, μου είπε να
Reporting speech is easier in Greek than in English — and for once English is the one paying: the tense in the clause does not shift back. What the person said, you repeat as they said it. For example: “Μου είπε ότι είναι άρρωστος” — He told me he is ill. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Reporting speech is easier in Greek than in English — and for once English is the one paying: the tense in the clause does not shift back. What the person said, you repeat as they said it.
Είναι άρρωστος (íne árostos) → Μου είπε ότι είναι άρρωστος (mu ípe óti íne árostos). English must move "is" to "was"; Greek keeps the present. Shifting it anyway — "μου είπε ότι ήταν (mu ípe óti ítan)" — changes the meaning: he was ill then, and the sentence now implies he no longer is.
A statement is introduced by ότι (óti) or πως (pos) — they are interchangeable, πως the more conversational. A yes/no question — by αν (an): Με ρώτησε αν έχω ασφάλεια (me rótise an ékho asfália). An order or a request — by να (na): Ο γιατρός μού είπε να παίρνω τα χάπια (o yatrós mu ípe na pérno ta khápia).
Be careful with the look-alikes. πως without the accent — "that"; πώς (pos) with the accent — "how". Μου είπε πως ήρθε (he said he had come) and Μου είπε πώς ήρθε (he told me how he got there) are different sentences, split by one dash.
Persons and possessives do shift in reporting, as they do in English "I am tired" becoming "he said he was tired": "πονάει το κεφάλι μου (ponái to kefáli mu)" in another's mouth becomes είπε ότι πονάει το κεφάλι του (ípe óti ponái to kefáli tu).
Table
| what is reported | introduced by | example |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | ότι, πως | είπε ότι έχει πυρετό |
| a yes/no question | αν | ρώτησε αν πονάει |
| a question with a word | the same word | ρώτησε πού πονάει |
| an order, a request | να | είπε να μείνω σπίτι |
By example
- Μου είπε ότι είναι άρρωστοςmu ípe óti íne árostosHe told me he is ill
- Με ρώτησε αν έχω ασφάλειαme rótise an ékho asfáliaHe asked whether I have insurance
- Ο γιατρός μού είπε να παίρνω τα χάπιαo yatrós mu ípe na pérno ta khápiaThe doctor told me to take the pills
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
Other people's words: how does it work in Greek?
Reporting speech is easier in Greek than in English — and for once English is the one paying: the tense in the clause does not shift back. What the person said, you repeat as they said it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Μου είπε ότι είναι άρρωστος” (mu ípe óti íne árostos) — He told me he is ill. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.