At first we will consider the sentences with direct speech when the author’s speech is in the Simple Pesent, Present Perfect or Simple Future.
When the direct speech is expressed with a statement. Երբ ուղղակի խոսքը արտահայտված է պատմողական նախադասությամբ:
She says, “I saw a terrible car accident in the street yesterday.”
She says that she saw a terrible car accident in the street yesterday.
As you can see, the verb tense in the direct speech isn’t changed. Only the personal pronouns are changed.
She says to me, “I am happy to see you at our office.”
She tells me that she is happy to see me at their office.
The word say is turned into tell when the author mentions the person his speech is addressed to.
The teacher says to us: “Tomorrow we are going on a trip to Jermuk. You should take warmer clothes with you.”
The teacher tells us that tomorrow we are going on a trip to Jermuk and advises us to take warmer clothes with us.
The clerk says: “I am sorry, I am late. There was a traffic jam.”
The clerk apologizes for being late and adds that there was a traffic jam.
When the direct speech is expressed with an interrogative sentence.
General question
The teacher says, “Do you understand what I am explaining?”
The teacher asks (wants to know, wonders) if (թե արդյոք) we understand what she is explaining.
We can also use the conjunction whether – թե արդյոք
The teacher asks (wants to know, wonders) whether we understand what she is explaining.
So, in indirect specch questions become statements. Անուղղակի խոսքում հարցական նախադասությունը դառնում է պատմողական. do, does, did օժանդակ բայերը վերանում են, is, are, was, were, can, may, must, could օժանդակ և մոդալ բայերը դրվում են ենթակայից հետո:
Father says, “Kate, can you swim?”
Father asks Kate if she can swim.
Special questions
The conjunctions if and whether are not used.
The tourist asks, “How many monasteries are there in this region?”
The tourist asks how many monasteries there are in this region.
Alternative questions
The conjunction whether is used.
He says, “Do you drink coffee or tea in the mornings?”
He asks whether I drink coffee or tea in the mornings.
Disjunctive questions
She says to me, “Your favorite subject is mathematics, isn’t it?”
She wants to be sure whether my favorite subject is mathematics.
Orders – imperative sentences – հրամաններ-հրամայական նախադասություններ
The captain says to the sailors, “Hoist the flag.”
The captain orders the sailors to hoist the flag.
The doctor says to the patient, “Give up smoking.”
The doctor tells the patient to give up smoking.
The teacher says, “Don’t be late for classes.”
The teacher tells the students not to be late for classes.
Request – խնդրանք
The old man says, “Help me to cross the street please.“
The old man asks me to help him to cross the street.
Ձևով հարցական բայց իմաստով խնդրանք արտահայտող նախադասությունները դիտվում են որպես քաղաքավարի արտահայտված խնդրանք:
He says to me, “Will you close the window please?”
He asks me to close the window.
Advice – խորհուրդ
He says to me, “You should pay attention to your grammar.”
He advises me to pay attention to my grammar.
Suggestion – առաջարկություն
She says, “Let’s spend next weekend in the country.”
She suggested that we (should) spend the following weekend in the country.
Short answers – Կարճ պատասխաններ
He said, “No, I don’t. (No, can’t),(No, I didn’t)”
He answered in the negative.
He said, “Yes, I do. (Yes, I can), (Yes, I did)”
He answered in the affirmative.
Apologizing – ներոխություն խնդրելը
He said, “I am sorry, I broke your pencil.”
He apologized for breaking my pencil.
When the author’s speech is in the past tense, the following changes take place:
word changes – բառային փոփոխություններ
| this | that |
| these | those |
| here | there |
| there | there |
| now | then |
| at present | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| last month, last year | the previous month, the previous year |
| next year, next week | the following year, the following week, the next year, the next week |
| in a week, in three days | a week later, three days later |
| a week ago, two years ago | a week before, two weeks before |
| tomorrow | the next day, the following day |
| yesterday | the day before, the previous day |
| the day before yesterday | two days before |
| in a week, in three days | a week later, three days later |
| can | could |
| may | might |
| might | might |
| have to | had to |
| had to | had to |
| would | would |
| must | must, had to |
| ought to | ought to |
Verb Tense Changes
| Simple Present (see, take, break) She said to me, “I can take you to the office today.” He said to his father, “Do you prefer coffee without sugar?” In case of expressing universal truths, the Simple Present doesn’t change. The teacher said, “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west” | Simple Past (saw, took, broke) She said (that) she could take me to the office that day. He asked his father if he preferred cofee without sugar. The teacher said that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. |
| Simple Past (saw, took, broke) “I saw your brother at a party two days ago”, said he. Mother said, “John, where did you meet Uncle Ben last Sunday?” The simple Past doesn’t change into the Past Perfect if there are words or word combinations showing a definite time in the past. Անցյալ ժամանակը չի փոխվում անցյալ վաղակատարի, եթե առկա են փաստացի անցյալ ժամանակ ցույց տվող բառեր կամ բառակապակցություններ: Օրինակ՝ in 1975, during the Second World War, the battle at Kursk, in one’s childhood The teacher said, “Hovhannes Tumanyan and Komitas were born in 1869.” | Past Perfect (had seen, had taken, had broken) He said that he had seen my brother at a party two days before. Mother asked John where he had seen Uncle Ben the previous Sunday. The teacher said that Hovhannes Tumanyan and Komitas were born in 1869 |
| Simple Future (will see, will take, will break) She said to me, “I will help you tomorrow.” | Future in the Past (would see, would take, would break) She told me that she would help me the following day. |
| Present Continuous (is taking) The policeman said, “You are breaking the law now.” | Past Continuous (was taking) The policeman said that we were breaking the law then. |
| Past Continuous (was taking) Charles said to the dedective: “I have an alibi. I was playing tennis with my friends at 6pm yesterday.” | Past Perfect Continuous (had been taking) Charles told the dedective that he had an alibi and added that he had been playing tennis at 6pm the day before. |
| Future Continuous (will be taking) He said to her, “I will be waiting for you outside the theatre at 6 pm tomorrow.” | Future Continuous in the Past (would be taking) He told her that he would be waiting for her outside the theatre at 6pm the following day. |
| Present Perfect (has/have broken) “I haven’t been to the opera since last year,” said she. | Past Perfect (had broken) She said she hadn’t been to the opera since the previous year. |
| Past Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Future Perfect (will have taken) “I will have completed this task by next Friday,” said he. | Future Perfect in the Past (would have taken) He promised he would have completed that task by the following Friday. |
Task
I.Turn the following into the reported speech.
1. He said to me, “Why haven’t you done your homework today?”
He asked me, why I hadn’t done my homework that day.
2. The mother asked her son, “Are you sorry for what you did this morning?”
The mother asked her son, if he was sorry for what he had done that morning.
3. Henry says to Tom, “Yesterday I managed to solve that problem in half an hour.”
Henry tells Tom, that yesterday he managed to solve that problem in half an hour.
4. The teacher said, “Start doing the test. You are to hand in your works within an hour.”
The teacher advised to start doing the test as they were to hand in their works within an hour.
5. She said, “We usually have supper at 7 pm. Don’t be late, please.”
She said, (that) they usually had supper at 7 pm and asked not to be late.
6. He said, “Do you like coffee with milk?”
He asked, if she liked coffe with milk.
7. The landlady said to Andrew, “We built this house 25 years ago.”
The landlady told Andrew, (that) they had built that house 25 years before.
8. He said to me, “Are you listening to what the instructor is saying now?”
He asked me, if I was listening to what the instructor was saying then.
9. He said, “Where were you last night, Mr. Brown?”
He asked Mr. Brown, where he had been the previous night.
10. She said, “No, I can’t.”
She answered in the negative.
11. The car mechanic said, “I can’t help you at present.”
The car mechanic said, that he couldn’t help her then.
12. The guide said to the tourist, “You are lucky. We are having nice weather this week.”
The guide told the tourist, she was lucky, because they were having nice weather that week.
13. He said, “I shan’t have to wake up early tomorrow.”
He said, that he shouldn’t have to wake up early the next day.
14. She said, “You may call me any time you want.”
She said, that I might call her any time I wanted.
15. Mother said, “Please, watch the milk and don’t let it boil over.”
Mother asked, to watch the milk and not to let it boil over.
16. My uncle said to me, “I made lots of mistakes in my childhood.”
My uncle told me, that he had made lots of mistakes in his childhood.
17. He said, “You should pay attention to your spelling.”
He said, that I should pay attention to my spelling.
18. She said, “I will manage to finish this work in a week.”
She said, that she would manage to finish that work a week later.
19. The doctor examined me and said, “You will have to give up smoking.”
The doctor examined me and ordered, to give up smoking.
20. He said to me, “What makes you think that the director is going to dismiss you from work?”
He asked me, what made me think that the director was going to dismiss me from work.
21 Father said, “Jane doesn’t feel well today. Help her to wash up, please.”
Father said, that Jane didn’t fell well that day and asked to help her to wash up.
22. Father said, “Shut up. Do not say it again.”
Father ordered to shut up and not to say it again.
23. My aunt said to me, “I got a strange email two days ago.”
My aunt told me, that she had gotten a strange email two days before.
24. The teacher said, “Did you really climb to the top of Mount Azhdahak?”
The teacher asked, if they had really climbed to the top of Mount Azhdahak.
25. I said to Mother, “I don’t need this warm jacket today. The weather is fine.”
I told Mother, I didn’t need that warm jacket that day as the weather was fine.
26. The doctor said to the patient, “Have you had breakfast today?”
The doctor asked the patient, if he had had breakfast that day.
27. The history teacher said, “Nearly 20 mln Soviet people died during the Great Patriotic War.”
The history teacher said, that nearly 20 mln Soviet people died during the Great Patriotic War.
28. He said, “I had dinner at a restaurant with my friend Henry.”
He said, that he had had dinner a restaurant with his friend Henry.
29. My grandpa said, “I will help you if you tell me the truth.”
My grandpa said, that he would help me if I told him the truth.
30. A tourist said to the guide, “Which is the most significant place of interest in your city?”
A tourist asked the guide, which was the most significant place of interest in their city.
31. He asked Mary, “Are you enjoying yourself here?”
He asked Mary, if she was enjoying herself there.
32. The suspect said to the detective, “I was playing cards in the casino at that time. The staff can confirm it.”
The suspect told the detective, he had been playing cards in the casino at that time and the staff could confirm it.
33. She asked if I could help her to wash up. Այս մեկը պետք է անուղղակի խոսքով նախադասությունը դարձնել ուղղակի խոսքով նախադասություն:
She said, “Can you help me to wash up?”.
Արսեն Դանղյան 