Reported Speech
1. Topic Introduction
పాఠ్యాంశ పరిచయం🇬🇧 English Definition
Direct Speech repeats the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks (” “).
Indirect (Reported) Speech reports what someone said without quoting their exact words. The tense usually shifts back, pronouns change, and quotation marks are removed. A reporting verb (said, told, asked…) is used.
🇮🇳 Telugu వివరణ
Direct Speech (ప్రత్యక్ష కథనం) లో వేరే వ్యక్తి చెప్పిన మాటలను అచ్చంగా quotes లో చెప్తాం. Indirect Speech (పరోక్ష కథనం) లో వేరే వ్యక్తి చెప్పింది మన సొంత మాటలలో చెప్తాం — quotes వాడకుండా. ఇందులో verb యొక్క కాలం వెనుకకు మారుతుంది, pronouns మారతాయి మరియు “that” అనే పదం వస్తుంది.
→ Comma after said
→ Capital letter inside quotes
→ I → he (pronoun change)
→ am → was (tense backshift)
Why is this important? — Reported Speech appears in every English exam from Class 6 to Class 12 and in competitive exams. Stories, newspapers, conversations — అన్నీ Reported Speech వాడతాయి. ఈ topic నేర్చుకుంటే English లో conversations మరియు writing చాలా natural గా అవుతాయి!
2. Key Concepts Table
ముఖ్యమైన పదాలు మరియు అర్థాలు| English Term | Telugu Meaning | Role / Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Speech | ప్రత్యక్ష కథనంఅచ్చమైన మాటలు quotes లో | Exact words | She said, “I am tired.” |
| Indirect Speech | పరోక్ష కథనంసొంత మాటలలో నివేదించడం | Reported words | She said that she was tired. |
| Reporting Verb | నివేదన క్రియsaid, told, asked, ordered… | Links speaker to speech | Ravi said / told / asked… |
| Tense Backshift | కాల వెనుకపడటంDirect లో verb ఒక step వెనుకకు వెళ్తుంది | Tense changes | is → was | ate → had eaten |
| Pronoun Change | సర్వనామ మార్పుI, we, you మారతాయి | Person shifts | I → he/she | we → they |
| Conjunction “that” | సంధాన పదం “that”statements లో వాడతాం | Connects clauses | He said that he was happy. |
| Reported Question | పరోక్ష ప్రశ్నప్రశ్నను indirectly చెప్పడం | Indirect question | She asked where Ravi lived. |
3. Main Content — Rules & Explanation
నియమాలు మరియు వివరణ| Direct Speech Tense | → | Indirect Speech Tense | Example Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Presentసాధారణ వర్తమానం | → | Simple Pastసాధారణ భూతం | is/am/are → was/were |
| Simple Past | → | Past Perfect | ate / went → had eaten / had gone |
| Present Continuous | → | Past Continuous | is eating → was eating |
| Present Perfect | → | Past Perfect | has eaten → had eaten |
| will | → | would | will come → would come |
| can | → | could | can swim → could swim |
| may | → | might | may come → might come |
| Direct Speech | → | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|---|
| now | → | then |
| today | → | that day |
| yesterday | → | the previous day / the day before |
| tomorrow | → | the next day / the following day |
| here | → | there |
| this | → | that |
| these | → | those |
| last week | → | the previous week |
| next week | → | the following week |
① Reporting verb → said / told (said that = no object; told + person + that)
② Remove quotes → add “that”
③ Change tense (backshift)
④ Change pronouns (I → he/she, we → they)
⑤ Change time/place words
Indirect: Ravi said that he was studying for the exam.
Indirect: Sita told me that she would visit the Krishna river the next day.
| Reporting Verb | Use with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| said | No object (said that…) | He said that he was tired. |
| told | Must have object (told me/him/her…) | He told me that he was tired. |
① Reporting verb → asked
② Add if / whether (instead of “that”)
③ Change question word order to normal sentence order (Subject + Verb)
④ Remove question mark (?)
⑤ Apply tense backshift and pronoun changes
Indirect: The teacher asked whether I had completed the homework.
Indirect: Sita asked Ravi if he was going to Ongole.
① Reporting verb → asked
② Keep the wh- word as the connector (no “that” or “if”)
③ Change question word order → normal sentence order (Subject + Verb)
④ Apply tense backshift and pronoun changes
Indirect: Ravi asked where I lived.
Indirect: Mother asked what I was eating.
① Use reporting verbs: ordered, told, asked, requested, advised, warned
② Structure: Reporting verb + object + to + infinitive (for positive)
③ Structure: Reporting verb + object + not to + infinitive (for negative)
④ No “that” used — direct to-infinitive
Indirect: Teacher told the students to open their books.
Indirect: Mother told us not to waste food.
| Situation | Reporting Verb | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Order (ఆదేశం) | ordered | ordered him to leave |
| Request (అభ్యర్థన) | requested / asked | asked her to help |
| Advice (సూచన) | advised | advised him to study |
| Warning (హెచ్చరిక) | warned | warned them not to go |
| Forbid (నిషేధం) | forbade / told | told him not to smoke |
| In Direct Speech | Changes to (Indirect) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| I | he / she | Depends on speaker’s gender |
| we | they | Depends on who “we” refers to |
| my | his / her | Possessive changes with person |
| you (listener) | I / he / she / they | Depends on who “you” was addressing |
| me | him / her | Object pronoun changes |
| our | their | Possessive plural |
| myself | himself / herself | Reflexive pronoun |
Indirect: Ravi said that he loved his village.
① The reporting verb is in Present or Future tense (says, will say).
② The reported speech is a universal truth / fact (The sun rises in the east).
③ The reported speech is a historical fact.
Indirect: The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun. ✅ (Universal truth — no change!)
4. Detailed Examples
వివరణాత్మక ఉదాహరణలు5. Practice Exercise
అభ్యాస వ్యాయామాలు📌 Change the following sentences as directed. | సూచించిన విధంగా వాక్యాలు మార్చండి.
✅ Answer Key — సమాధానాలు
6. Practice Sentences — Model Pairs
నమూనా వాక్య జంటలు7. Memory Tip
గుర్తు పెట్టుకోండి!“TPPC” — The 4-Change Rule for Reported Speech!
🎬 Think of it like a Telugu telephone conversation:
Ravi calls and says: “I am eating pesarattu now.”
You tell others: “Ravi said that he was eating pesarattu then.”
📌 Quick Type Guide:
Statement → said/told + that
Yes/No Q → asked + if/whether
Wh- Q → asked + wh-word
Command → told/ordered/advised + to/not to
8. Common Errors by Telugu Students
తెలుగు విద్యార్థులు చేసే సాధారణ తప్పులుSita said that
Sita said that her book was lost.
📚 Reported Speech (Direct & Indirect) — ప్రత్యక్ష & పరోక్ష కథనం
Bilingual Teaching Notes for Telugu-Medium Students (Class 6–10) · Ongole, Andhra Pradesh