Direct and Reported Speech Examples: English & Spanish

Direct and Reported Speech: English/Spanish Examples

  1. Direct Speech: “I ate too much at the party yesterday,” said Jane.

    Reported Speech (English): Jane said that she had eaten too much at the party the day before.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Jane dijo que había comido demasiado en la fiesta el día anterior.

  2. Direct Speech: “We are working on a new project,” they said.

    Reported Speech (English): They said that they were working on a new project.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Ellos dijeron que estaban trabajando en un nuevo proyecto en ese momento.

  3. Direct Speech: Megan and Sophie said, “Last year we went to Italy.”

    Reported Speech (English): Megan and Sophie said that they had gone to Italy the previous year.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Megan y Sophie dijeron que habían ido a Italia el año anterior.

  4. Direct Speech: “I’ll take you to the cinema tomorrow,” Dad said.

    Reported Speech (English): Dad said that he would take us to the cinema the following day.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Papá dijo que nos llevaría al cine al día siguiente.

  5. Direct Speech: “You can’t park your car here,” said the policeman.

    Reported Speech (English): The policeman told us that we couldn’t park our car there.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): El policía nos dijo que no podíamos aparcar nuestro coche ahí.

  6. Direct Speech: “Can I leave early?” Betsy asked the teacher.

    Reported Speech (English): Betsy asked the teacher if she could leave early.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Betsy le preguntó al profesor si podía marcharse antes.

  7. Direct Speech: “When will dinner be ready?” Nancy asked her mum.

    Reported Speech (English): Nancy asked her mum when dinner would be ready.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Nancy preguntó a su madre cuándo estaría lista la cena.

  8. Direct Speech: “Why didn’t Jack come to school today?” I wondered.

    Reported Speech (English): I wondered why Jack hadn’t come to school that day.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Me pregunté por qué Jack no había venido a la escuela ese día.

  9. Direct Speech: “Have you ever been abroad?” John enquired.

    Reported Speech (English): John enquired if I had ever been abroad.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): John preguntó si yo había estado alguna vez en el extranjero.

  10. Direct Speech: “I’m going to cut the grass after lunch,” said Bill to Annie.

    Reported Speech (English): Bill told Annie that he was going to cut the grass after lunch.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Bill anunció que iba a cortar la hierba después de comer.

  11. Direct Speech: “Let’s look at the classified ads,” said Sue’s husband.

    Reported Speech (English): Sue’s husband suggested looking at the classified ads.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): El marido de Sue sugirió que mirásemos los anuncios clasificados.

  12. Direct Speech: “Why didn’t you warn me about the dog?” I asked.

    Reported Speech (English): I asked the farmer why he hadn’t warned me about the dog.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Yo pregunté por qué el granjero no me había advertido sobre el perro.

  13. Direct Speech: “Leave my house at once!” the man shouted at the reporters.

    Reported Speech (English): The man ordered the reporters to leave his house at once.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): El hombre ordenó a los periodistas que dejaran su casa inmediatamente.

  14. Direct Speech: “You should apply to more than one university,” said Jill to her friend.

    Reported Speech (English): Jill advised her friend to apply to more than one university.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Jill aconsejó a su amiga que se presentara a más de una universidad.

  15. Direct Speech: Mr. Phillips said to his son, “Post these letters.”

    Reported Speech (English): Mr. Phillips told his son to post those letters.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): El Sr. Phillips dijo a su hijo que enviara aquellas cartas.

  16. Direct Speech: My mum said to me, “Buy some milk today.”

    Reported Speech (English): My mum told me to buy some milk that day.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Mi madre me dijo que comprara leche ese día.

  17. Direct Speech: Sam said to his friend, “Let’s meet here in an hour.”

    Reported Speech (English): Sam suggested to his friend meeting there in an hour.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Sam le dijo a su amigo que se vieran allí en una hora.

  18. Direct Speech: Amy’s dad said, “Hurry up or you will be late.”

    Reported Speech (English): Amy’s dad told Amy to hurry up or she would be late.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): El padre de Amy le dijo que se diera prisa o llegaría tarde.

  19. Direct Speech: Carol said to her friend, “Don’t tell anybody.”

    Reported Speech (English): Carol told her friend not to tell anybody.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Carol le dijo a su amiga que no se lo dijera a nadie.

  20. Direct Speech: My boyfriend said, “You should buy that shirt.”

    Reported Speech (English): My boyfriend told me to buy that shirt.

    Reported Speech (Spanish): Mi novio me dijo que comprara esa camiseta.