Reported speech: what changes when you retell
The tense in someone's words does not move. What the person said stays in the tense it was said in: Ona skazala, chto zanyata — the present stayed present, though skazala is past. Nobody steps the tense back. For example: “Редактор сказал, что статья выйдет в пятницу” — The article, the editor says, will be printed on Friday. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The tense in someone's words does not move. What the person said stays in the tense it was said in: Ona skazala, chto zanyata — the present stayed present, though skazala is past. Nobody steps the tense back.
The person and the pointers change. Ya of the speaker becomes on or ona, and zdes and seychas turn into tam and togda: On skazal, chto zanyat tam i togda. The same for segodnya — into v tot den, if the day is gone.
A question keeps its question word: Sprosil, gde ya zhivu. A question without one takes li, and li stands after the first word: sprosil, pridu li ya. The comma before chto, li and chtoby is required, always.
A request or an order travels through chtoby with the past: On skazal, chtoby ya pozvonil. Wishes too: Khochu, chtoby ty priekhal.
Table
| Direct | Reported | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Ya zanyat | skazal, chto zanyat | the person only |
| Pridu zavtra | skazal, chto pridyot na sleduyushchiy den | the person and zavtra |
| Ya byl tam | skazal, chto byl tam | nothing, the tense stays |
| Gde ty? | sprosil, gde ya | the question word holds |
| Pridyosh? | sprosil, pridu li | li was added |
| Pozvoni! | skazal, chtoby pozvonil | the command went through chtoby |
| Ne vykhodi | skazal, chtoby ne vykhodil | chtoby plus ne |
| Khochu priekhat | khochet, chtoby ya priekhal | a wish went through chtoby |
By example
- Редактор сказал, что статья выйдет в пятницуRedaktor skazal, chto statya vyydet v pyatnitsuThe article, the editor says, will be printed on Friday
- Меня спросили, позвоню ли я ещё разMenya sprosili, pozvonyu li ya eshchyo razI was asked whether it is worth calling again
- Судья сказал, чтобы свидетели вышли в коридорSudya skazal, chtoby svideteli vyshli v koridorThe judge asked the witnesses to wait in the corridor
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 in Russian?
The tense in someone's words does not move. What the person said stays in the tense it was said in: Ona skazala, chto zanyata — the present stayed present, though skazala is past. Nobody steps the tense back.
What changes when you retell words?
The tense in someone's words does not move. What the person said stays in the tense it was said in: Ona skazala, chto zanyata — the present stayed present, though skazala is past. Nobody steps the tense back.
Chto or li in reported questions?
A question keeps its question word: Sprosil, gde ya zhivu. A question without one takes li, and li stands after the first word: sprosil, pridu li ya. The comma before chto, li and chtoby is required, always.
Reporting a request with chtoby?
A request or an order travels through chtoby with the past: On skazal, chtoby ya pozvonil. Wishes too: Khochu, chtoby ty priekhal.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Редактор сказал, что статья выйдет в пятницу” (Redaktor skazal, chto statya vyydet v pyatnitsu) — The article, the editor says, will be printed on Friday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.