Reported Speech in English Grammar (अप्रत्यक्ष कथन) – A Complete Bilingual Guide
Learn how to change Direct Speech into Reported (Indirect) Speech, with clear rules, Marathi meanings and example sentences.
What is Reported Speech? Direct Speech repeats a person’s exact words in quotation marks. Reported (Indirect) Speech reports what someone said, without quotation marks, usually changing the tense and pronouns.
(इंग्रजी व्याकरणात, प्रत्यक्ष कथनात एखाद्याचे शब्द जसेच्या तसे अवतरण चिन्हात लिहितात. अप्रत्यक्ष कथनात तेच वाक्य अवतरण चिन्हांशिवाय सांगितले जाते, आणि सहसा काळ व सर्वनाम बदलतात.)
1. Reported Statements (अप्रत्यक्ष विधाने)
English Rule: When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the tense of the direct speech usually shifts one step back (Present Simple → Past Simple, Present Continuous → Past Continuous, and so on). Pronouns also change to match the speaker.
मराठी नियम: जेव्हा सांगणारे क्रियापद (said, told) भूतकाळात असते, तेव्हा प्रत्यक्ष वाक्यातील काळ सहसा एक पायरी मागे सरकतो (वर्तमानकाळ → भूतकाळ, इ.). सर्वनामेही वक्त्यानुसार बदलतात.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- Direct: She said, “I am happy.”
- Reported: She said that she was happy.
- Direct: He said, “I will come tomorrow.”
- Reported: He said that he would come the next day.
Example Sentence: Ramesh said that he had finished his homework.
(रमेशने सांगितले की त्याने आपला गृहपाठ पूर्ण केला होता.)
2. Reported Questions (अप्रत्यक्ष प्रश्न)
English Rule: Reported questions use normal statement word order (not question word order), have no question mark, and use “if” or “whether” for yes/no questions.
मराठी नियम: अप्रत्यक्ष प्रश्नांमध्ये सामान्य विधानाचा शब्दक्रम वापरला जातो (प्रश्नाचा नाही), प्रश्नचिन्ह नसते, आणि होय/नाही प्रश्नांसाठी “if” किंवा “whether” वापरतात.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- Direct: She asked, “What is your name?”
- Reported: She asked what my name was.
- Direct: He asked, “Do you like tea?”
- Reported: He asked if I liked tea.
Example Sentence: The teacher asked where I lived.
(शिक्षकांनी विचारले की मी कुठे राहतो.)
3. Reported Commands and Requests (अप्रत्यक्ष आज्ञा आणि विनंती)
English Rule: Reported commands use told/asked/ordered + object + to + V1 (infinitive). Negative commands use “not to + V1”.
मराठी नियम: अप्रत्यक्ष आज्ञा told/asked/ordered + कर्म + to + V1 (साधे रूप) या रचनेने बनतात. नकारार्थी आज्ञेसाठी “not to + V1” वापरतात.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- Direct: The teacher said, “Close the door.”
- Reported: The teacher told me to close the door.
- Direct: Mother said, “Don’t be late.”
- Reported: Mother told me not to be late.
Example Sentence: He asked me to help him with the bags.
(त्याने मला बॅगांसाठी मदत करण्यास सांगितले.)
Common Mistake for Marathi Speakers (मराठी भाषिकांची सामान्य चूक)
Marathi speakers often keep the original tense unchanged and say “He said that he is happy”. When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense must shift back. The correct form is “He said that he was happy.”
(मराठीत अप्रत्यक्ष कथन करताना अनेकजण मूळ काळ न बदलता चुकीने “He said that he is happy” असे म्हणतात. सांगणारे क्रियापद भूतकाळात असल्यास काळ मागे सरकवावा लागतो. योग्य वाक्य आहे: “He said that he was happy.”)
Summary Table: Tense Backshift (तक्ता)
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple (am/is/are) | Past Simple (was/were) |
| Present Continuous (is/am/are + V-ing) | Past Continuous (was/were + V-ing) |
| Past Simple (V2) | Past Perfect (had + V3) |
| will | would |
| can | could |
Test Your Understanding — Reported Speech Quiz
तुमची समज तपासा! Answer all 10 questions and see your score at the end.
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