Introduction: Reporting What Someone Said

Indirect speech (indirecte rede), also known as reported speech, is used when you want to report what someone else said, thought, or asked, without using their exact words (direct speech). Instead of quotation marks, you typically use a reporting verb (like zeggen - to say, vragen - to ask, denken - to think, weten - to know) followed by a subordinate clause, usually introduced by dat or of.

• Direct Speech: Hij zegt: "Ik ben moe." (He says: "I am tired.")
• Indirect Speech: Hij zegt dat hij moe is. (He says that he is tired.)

Reporting Statements: Using dat

When reporting a statement someone made, use the reporting verb followed by the conjunction dat. The clause introduced by dat is a subordinate clause, so the verb moves to the end.

Structure: Reporting Verb + dat + Subject (of reported speech) + (Rest) + Verb(s) at End

Key Changes:

1. Conjunction dat: Introduce the reported statement with dat.
2. Verb to End: Move the finite verb of the reported statement to the end of the dat-clause.
3. Pronoun Changes: Pronouns might need to change depending on who is reporting.

• Direct: Zij zegt: "Ik ga naar huis." (She says: "I am going home.")
• Indirect: Zij zegt dat zij naar huis gaat. (She says that she is going home.) - ik changes to zij

1. Tense Changes (Sometimes): If the reporting verb is in the past tense (e.g., zei - said), the tense in the reported clause often shifts back (e.g., present -> simple past). However, at A2 level, focus on reporting present speech first, where tense often stays the same.

• Direct: Hij zei: "Ik ben ziek." (He said: "I am sick.")
• Indirect: Hij zei dat hij ziek was. (He said that he was sick.) - Present ben changes to simple past was.

Examples (Present Reporting Verb):

• Direct: Jan zegt: "Ik woon in Amsterdam."
• Indirect: Jan zegt dat hij in Amsterdam woont.

• Direct: Maria denkt: "Het is koud vandaag."
• Indirect: Maria denkt dat het vandaag koud is.

• Direct: Wij zeggen: "We hebben honger."
• Indirect: Wij zeggen dat we honger hebben.

Examples (Past Reporting Verb - Simple Tense Shift):

• Direct: Jan zei: "Ik werk hard."
• Indirect: Jan zei dat hij hard werkte. (werk -> werkte)

• Direct: Zij vertelde: "Ik heb het boek gelezen."
• Indirect: Zij vertelde dat ze het boek had gelezen. (heb gelezen -> had gelezen)

Reporting Questions: Using of or Question Words

When reporting a question:

1. Yes/No Questions: Use the reporting verb vragen (to ask) followed by the conjunction of (if/whether). The verb moves to the end.

• Direct: Hij vraagt: "Ben je moe?" (He asks: "Are you tired?")
• Indirect: Hij vraagt of je moe bent. (He asks if you are tired.)
• Direct: Zij vroeg: "Heb je tijd?" (She asked: "Do you have time?")
• Indirect: Zij vroeg of ik tijd had. (She asked if I had time.) - Note pronoun je->ik and tense heb->had.

1. Wh- Questions (Question Words): Use the reporting verb vragen followed by the original question word (wat, waar, wanneer, wie, hoe, waarom). The question word acts as the conjunction, and the verb moves to the end. The word order becomes like a statement within the subordinate clause (Subject often follows question word).

• Direct: Hij vraagt: "Waar woon je?" (He asks: "Where do you live?")
• Indirect: Hij vraagt waar je woont. (He asks where you live.)
• Direct: Zij vraagt: "Wat wil je drinken?" (She asks: "What do you want to drink?")
• Indirect: Zij vraagt wat je wilt drinken. (She asks what you want to drink.)
• Direct: Hij vroeg: "Hoe laat is het?" (He asked: "What time is it?")
• Indirect: Hij vroeg hoe laat het was. (He asked what time it was.) - Tense change is->was.

Indirect speech reports what was said or asked without direct quotes. Use a reporting verb (zeggen, vragen, etc.) followed by:

• dat for statements (verb to end).
• of for yes/no questions (verb to end).
• Question word (wat, waar...) for wh-questions (verb to end).

Remember potential changes in pronouns and tense (especially if the reporting verb is in the past). The key is applying the subordinate clause word order (verb at the end) to the reported part.