Changes in Pronouns and Adverbs in Reported Speech
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
When reporting speech, shift pronouns and adverbs to match the reporter's perspective, not the original speaker's.
- Change 'ja' (I) to 'on/ona' (he/she) if you are reporting someone else's words.
- Shift 'ovdje' (here) to 'tamo' (there) if the location has changed.
- Update 'danas' (today) to 'taj dan' (that day) if reporting from a later time.
Common Pronoun and Adverb Shifts
| Category | Direct Speech | Reported Speech | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pronoun
|
ja (I)
|
on / ona (he/she)
|
I → He/She
|
|
Pronoun
|
mi (we)
|
oni / one (they)
|
We → They
|
|
Possessive
|
moj (my)
|
njegov / njezin (his/her)
|
My → His/Her
|
|
Place
|
ovdje (here)
|
tamo (there)
|
Here → There
|
|
Place
|
ovaj (this)
|
taj / onaj (that)
|
This → That
|
|
Time
|
danas (today)
|
taj dan (that day)
|
Today → That day
|
|
Time
|
sutra (tomorrow)
|
sutradan / sljedeći dan
|
Tomorrow → Next day
|
|
Time
|
jučer (yesterday)
|
prethodni dan / dan prije
|
Yesterday → Day before
|
Clitic Shifts (Short Pronouns)
| Direct (Accusative) | Reported (Accusative) | Direct (Dative) | Reported (Dative) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
me (me)
|
ga/ju (him/her)
|
mi (to me)
|
mu/joj (to him/her)
|
|
nas (us)
|
ih (them)
|
nam (to us)
|
im (to them)
|
Meanings
The process of adjusting deictic words (words that depend on context) when converting direct speech into indirect speech to maintain logical consistency.
Personal Pronoun Shift
Changing 1st and 2nd person pronouns to 3rd person when reporting a conversation between others.
“Rekao je: 'Ja te volim.' → Rekao je da me voli.”
Temporal Adverb Shift
Adjusting time references like 'today' or 'tomorrow' to 'that day' or 'the next day'.
“Rekla je: 'Doći ću sutra.' → Rekla je da će doći sutradan.”
Spatial Adverb Shift
Changing 'here' to 'there' or 'this' to 'that' based on the reporter's location.
“Pitao je: 'Što je ovo?' → Pitao je što je to.”
Reference Table
| Type | Direct Example | Reported Example | Key Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subject
|
Ja sam tu.
|
Rekao je da je on tamo.
|
ja → on, tu → tamo
|
|
Possessive
|
To je moja torba.
|
Rekla je da je to njezina torba.
|
moja → njezina
|
|
Time
|
Dolazim sutra.
|
Rekao je da dolazi sutradan.
|
sutra → sutradan
|
|
Place
|
Živim ovdje.
|
Rekao je da živi tamo.
|
ovdje → tamo
|
|
Demonstrative
|
Uzmi ovu knjigu.
|
Rekao mi je da uzmem tu knjigu.
|
ovu → tu
|
|
Question
|
Gdje si ti?
|
Pitao me gdje sam ja.
|
ti → ja
|
|
Negative
|
Neću to danas.
|
Rekao je da neće to taj dan.
|
danas → taj dan
|
|
Plural
|
Mi smo spremni.
|
Rekli su da su oni spremni.
|
mi → oni
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Izjavio je da će doći sutradan. (Reporting a plan)
Rekao je da će doći sutra. (Reporting a plan)
Rekao je da dolazi sutra. (Reporting a plan)
Lik kaže da stiže sutra. (Reporting a plan)
The Perspective Shift
People
- Ja ➡️ On/Ona I ➡️ He/She
- Mi ➡️ Oni We ➡️ They
Space
- Ovdje ➡️ Tamo Here ➡️ There
- Ovaj ➡️ Taj This ➡️ That
Time
- Danas ➡️ Taj dan Today ➡️ That day
- Sutra ➡️ Sutradan Tomorrow ➡️ Next day
Direct vs. Indirect Reality
Beispiele nach Niveau
On kaže: 'Ja sam umoran.'
He says: 'I am tired.'
On kaže da je on umoran.
He says that he is tired.
Mama kaže: 'Ja kuham.'
Mom says: 'I am cooking.'
Mama kaže da ona kuha.
Mom says that she is cooking.
Marko: 'Ovdje je hladno.'
Marko: 'It is cold here.'
Marko je rekao da je tamo hladno.
Marko said it was cold there.
Ana: 'Doći ću danas.'
Ana: 'I will come today.'
Ana je rekla da će doći taj dan.
Ana said she would come that day.
Šef: 'Ovo je moj ured.'
Boss: 'This is my office.'
Šef je rekao da je to njegov ured.
The boss said that was his office.
Prijatelj: 'Vidimo se sutra.'
Friend: 'See you tomorrow.'
Prijatelj je rekao da ćemo se vidjeti sutradan.
The friend said we would see each other the next day.
Liječnik: 'Morate piti ove tablete.'
Doctor: 'You must take these pills.'
Liječnik je rekao da moram piti te tablete.
The doctor said I had to take those pills.
Oni: 'Bili smo ovdje prošle godine.'
They: 'We were here last year.'
Rekli su da su tamo bili prethodne godine.
They said they had been there the previous year.
Svjedok: 'Vidio sam ga upravo tu.'
Witness: 'I saw him right here.'
Svjedok je tvrdio da ga je vidio upravo tamo.
The witness claimed to have seen him right there.
Ravnatelj: 'Sutra ćemo raspraviti o ovome.'
Director: 'Tomorrow we will discuss this.'
Ravnatelj je najavio da će sutradan raspraviti o tome.
The director announced that they would discuss that the following day.
Pjesnik: 'Ovdje moje srce počiva.'
Poet: 'Here my heart rests.'
Pjesnik piše kako tamo njegovo srce počiva.
The poet writes how his heart rests there.
Političar: 'Sada je trenutak za promjenu.'
Politician: 'Now is the moment for change.'
Govornik je istaknuo da je tada bio trenutak za promjenu.
The speaker pointed out that that had been the moment for change.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners often forget to change the word order or use 'da' instead of 'li'.
Häufige Fehler
On kaže da ja sam gladan.
On kaže da je on gladan.
Ana kaže: 'Ja dolazim.' -> Ana kaže da ja dolazim.
Ana kaže da ona dolazi.
Rekao je da će doći ovdje.
Rekao je da će doći tamo.
Rekla je da je to moja knjiga.
Rekla je da je to njezina knjiga.
Satzmuster
[Osoba] je rekla da ___ [glagol] ___.
Pitao me je zašto ___ ___ ___.
Real World Usage
Jesi li čuo da je ona rekla da ga ne voli?
Moj bivši šef je rekao da sam ja bio najbolji radnik.
Predsjednik je izjavio da će taj dan biti neradan.
Kaže Marko da stiže tamo za 5 min.
Recepcioner je rekao da je naša soba tamo.
Doktor je rekao da moram piti ove lijekove svaki dan.
The 'Da' Rule
Don't Backshift Tense
Possessives Matter
Dialectal 'Kako'
Smart Tips
Immediately look at who said it. If it's a man, use 'on'. If it's a woman, use 'ona'.
Avoid using 'danas' or 'sutra'. Use 'taj dan' or 'sutradan' to avoid confusing your listener.
Place them right after 'da'. The order is always 'da' + [short pronoun] + [verb].
Use 'da' + present tense instead of the imperative form.
Aussprache
Clitic Placement
In reported speech, short pronouns (me, te, ga) must follow the 'Wackernagel' rule, usually appearing right after 'da'.
Reporting Clause
Rekao je ↘ da dolazi.
The pitch drops slightly after the reporting verb before the 'da' clause.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember the '3 T's' of reporting: Tko (Who), Tada (Then), and Tamo (There).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a mirror. When you speak directly, you look at yourself (Ja). When you report, you turn the mirror to show someone else (On/Ona) in a different place (Tamo).
Rhyme
If 'ja' is what they say, change to 'on' to save the day! If 'here' is where they stand, 'there' is in your reporting hand.
Story
Luka is at a party and says 'I love it here today!'. The next week, his friend Petra tells someone: 'Luka said he loved it there that day.' Petra had to change everything because she moved in time and space.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Take the last text message you received. Rewrite it in your head starting with '[Name] je napisao/la da...'
Kulturelle Hinweise
Strictly uses 'sutradan' for 'the next day' in formal writing.
Often uses 'onamo' or 'tamo' interchangeably, but 'tamo' is more common in speech.
Frequently keeps 'sutra' even in reported speech if the day hasn't passed yet.
Derived from Proto-Slavic structures where 'da' functioned as a purpose or result particle.
Gesprächseinstiege
Što ti je prijatelj rekao jučer?
Prepričaj mi zadnji razgovor sa šefom.
Što su tvoji roditelji rekli o tvom putovanju?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Ivan je rekao da...
Ana je rekla da će doći ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Marko je rekao da je ___ njegova kuća.
On je rekao da...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Rekao mi je da me ne ___.
Words: ja, kuća, danas, plavo, ovdje
In Croatian, you must always change the tense to the past when reporting speech.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesIvan je rekao da...
Ana je rekla da će doći ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Marko je rekao da je ___ njegova kuća.
On je rekao da...
1. Ja, 2. Ovdje, 3. Sutra
Rekao mi je da me ne ___.
Words: ja, kuća, danas, plavo, ovdje
In Croatian, you must always change the tense to the past when reporting speech.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Most of the time, yes. It acts as the connector 'that'. In some cases, you can use 'kako' or 'gdje/tko' for questions.
In that case, you don't need to change `ovdje` to `tamo`. You only shift if the location has changed for the reporter.
In casual speech, people often say `sutra`. However, `sutradan` is better for clarity if the 'tomorrow' has already passed.
If you were part of the 'we', it stays `mi`. If you are reporting about a group you aren't in, it becomes `oni`.
Yes! If you change `ja` to `on`, the verb must also change from the 1st person to the 3rd person ending.
Generally, `ovaj` becomes `taj`. If the object is very far away, you can use `onaj`.
No, you usually need a verb like `reći` (to say), `kazati` (to tell), or `pitati` (to ask).
Because 'deixis' refers to words that point to time, place, or people. When the 'pointing' changes, the words must shift.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Reported Speech
Tense backshift is mandatory in English but not in Croatian.
Estilo indirecto
Spanish is more likely to use the subjunctive in reported commands.
Indirekte Rede
German uses a specific verb mood (Konjunktiv) for reporting.
引用 (In'yō)
Japanese relies on context rather than explicit pronoun shifts.
الكلام المنقول
Arabic verb aspects (Perfect/Imperfect) stay more rigid than Croatian tenses.
间接引语 (Jiànjiē yǐnyǔ)
No grammatical markers like 'da' or verb changes are needed in Chinese.
