B1 · Subordinate clauses
Reported speech
The backshift is yours already — the infinitive is not.
At a glance
- Remember
- «Told me to come» has no infinitive here — it is que plus a subjunctive.
- Form
- Dice que viene mañana.present
- Signal words
- dice que
- dijo que
- preguntó si
- contestó que
- me dijo que
- Trap
- Wrong:Me dijo venir pronto.Right:Me dijo que viniera pronto.
Your turn
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending auxiliary verb
| present | Dice que viene mañana. |
| past | Dijo que venía al día siguiente. |
| completed | Dijo que había llegado tarde. |
| future | Dijo que vendría. |
| yes-no question | Preguntó si podíamos ayudar. |
| wh-question | Preguntó cuándo salía el tren. |
| I was coming | (yo) venía |
| you were coming (tú) | (tú) venías |
| he, she was coming / you were coming (usted) | (él, ella, usted) venía |
| we were coming | (nosotros) veníamos |
| you were coming (vosotros) | (vosotros) veníais |
| they were coming / you were coming (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) venían |
| I had arrived | (yo) había llegado |
| you had arrived (tú) | (tú) habías llegado |
| he, she had arrived / you had arrived (usted) | (él, ella, usted) había llegado |
| we had arrived | (nosotros) habíamos llegado |
| you had arrived (vosotros) | (vosotros) habíais llegado |
| they had arrived / you had arrived (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) habían llegado |
| I would come | (yo) vendría |
| you would come (tú) | (tú) vendrías |
| he, she would come / you would come (usted) | (él, ella, usted) vendría |
| we would come | (nosotros) vendríamos |
| you would come (vosotros) | (vosotros) vendríais |
| they would come / you would come (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) vendrían |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
After decir que the indicative is used, not the subjunctive.
Dice que está cansado.He says he is tired.
With a past reporting verb the tense steps back.
Dijo que estaba cansado.He said he was tired.
Yes-or-no questions are attached with si.
Me preguntó si tenía tiempo.He asked me whether I had time.
A reported command takes the subjunctive.
Me dijo que viniera pronto.He told me to come soon.
Example sentences
Dice que no tiene tiempo.He says he has no time.
Dijo que llamaría más tarde.He said he would ring later.
Me preguntó dónde vivía.He asked me where I lived.
Nos pidió que esperáramos.He asked us to wait.
6 more example sentences
Dijeron que llegarían a las siete.They said they would arrive at seven.
Le pregunté si quería café.I asked him whether he wanted coffee.
Contestó que ya lo sabía.He replied that he knew already.
Nos dijo que no nos preocupáramos.He told us not to worry.
Comentó que había estado en Perú.He mentioned that he had been to Peru.
Me preguntaron cómo me llamaba.They asked me what my name was.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The English infinitive is carried straight over: Me dijo venir, Nos pidió esperar. Neither exists. A reported command opens a clause and the verb goes into the subjunctive: Me dijo que viniera. And note what changes with it — Dice que vienereportsDice que vengapasses on an order
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Spanish uses no special mood here, and neither does English. Dice que viene is «he says he is coming», plain indicative. The backshift is the same too: with a past reporting verb the tense steps back one, present to imperfect, preterite to pluperfect, future to conditional — Dijo que venía, dijo que había venido, dijo que vendría.
Two English habits do not travel. The first is dropping the «that»: «he said he was tired» must be Dijo que estaba cansado, with the que in place. The second is the reported command. English turns it into an infinitive — «he told me to come», «they asked us to wait» — and Spanish opens a clause with the subjunctive: Me dijo que viniera, Nos pidieron que esperáramos. There is no version with an infinitive.
Questions are attached with si for a yes-or-no question and with the question word, accent and all, for the rest: Preguntó si teníamos hambre, Preguntó dónde estábamos. The word order does not invert, exactly as it does not in English.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: decir · estar · tener · preguntar · venir · pedir · esperar · vivir