Quoted / Reported Speech
Who said or thought it?
المعنى
A structure that reports speech, thought, belief, command, or question directly or indirectly.
كيفية التعرّف عليه
Ask whose words or thoughts are being represented.
أمثلة
said|told|asked|thought|quoted
he said that|she asked if|according to him
She said that she was tired.
Visual guide
SPEAKER / THINKER
She said [that she was tired].
[reported thought]
Ask: whose words?
→ She represents them.
Direct quote: She said, "I am tired." Indirect report: She said [that she was tired]. Check shifts: I→she, am→was.
منظور اللغة
في اللغة الأم
Reported speech often uses قال plus إن/أن clauses; tense and pronoun shifts depend on context.
قال إنه سيعود غدًا.
He said that he will return tomorrow.
في لغة التعلم
English distinguishes direct and reported speech with reporting verbs, tense backshift, pronouns, and punctuation.
She said that she was tired.
reported clause = reported speech
Learners often struggle with tense shift, quote punctuation, and pronoun/time changes.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.