Reporting another person's words in the past tense
Reminder: we use reported speech to report another person's words. When we use a reporting verb in the present or present perfect, we use the same tense featured in the original sentence.
Magda: «Trabajo trabajar, presente en el hotel» → Magda dice decir, presente que trabaja trabajar, presente en el hotel.
Magda: “I work in the hotel” → Magda says that she works in the hotel.
When our reporting verb is in the simple past (dijo, pensó…), imperfect (decía, pensaba…) or past perfect (había dicho, había pensado…):
- the original simple present verb changes to the imperfect.
«Trabajo trabajar, presente en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que trabajaba trabajar, pret. imperf. en el hotel.
“I work in the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that he worked in the hotel.
- the original verb in the simple past or present perfect changes to the past perfect.
«Trabajé trabajar, pret. indefinido / He trabajado trabajar, pret. perf. en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que había trabajado trabajar, pret. pluscuamperfecto en el hotel.
“I worked/I've worked in the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that he had worked in the hotel.
- the original verb in the future changes to the conditional.
«Trabajaré trabajar, futuro en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que trabajaría trabajar, condicional en el hotel.
“I will work in the hotel” → She said/She was saying/She had said that she would work in the hotel.
- the original verb in the present subjunctive changes to the imperfect subjunctive.
«Ojalá trabaje trabajar, subj. presente en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que ojalá trabajara trabajar, subj. pret. imperf. en el hotel.
“I hope I work at the hotel” → She said/She was saying/She had said that she hoped she might work at the hotel.
- the original verb in the imperfect, past perfect, conditional or imperfect subjunctive does not change.
«Trabajaba trabajar, pret. imperf. en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que trabajaba en el hotel.
“I worked at the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that he worked at the hotel.
«Nunca había trabajado trabajar, pret. pluscuamperfecto en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que nunca había trabajado en el hotel.
“I had never worked at the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that he had never worked at the hotel.
«Si pudiera, trabajaría trabajar, condicional en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que, si pudiera, trabajaría en hotel.
“If I could, I would work at the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that if he could, he would work at the hotel.
«Ojalá trabajara trabajar, subj. pret. imperf. en el hotel» → Dijo/Decía/Había dicho que ojalá trabajara en el hotel.
“I wish I worked at the hotel” → He said/He was saying/He had said that he wished he worked at the hotel.
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