B1 · Intermedio Capítulo 38

Reported Speech: Telling What Was Said

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1 min
Reglas en este capítulo Práctica rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of relaying information accurately by transforming direct speech into indirect reporting.

  • Convert direct quotes into indirect statements and questions.
  • Adjust verb tenses and pronouns to match the reporting context.
  • Use appropriate reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', and 'ask' effectively.
Pass on the message with confidence and precision.

Lo que aprenderás

Master the art of reported speech, converting direct quotes into indirect statements, questions, and commands. Learn how tenses and pronouns change in reported contexts.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: accurately paraphrase what someone else said in a variety of contexts.

Consejos y trucos (4)

🎯

The 'Self' Rule

Always use 'ինքը' (inkě) instead of 'նա' (na) if you are reporting what the subject said about themselves. It removes all ambiguity.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Direct vs. Reported Speech: Quoting vs. Reporting
💡

The Comma Rule

If you see 'որ', look for the comma. It's the easiest way to spot a reported statement in a long text.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Statements: That...
💡

Keep it simple

Always use the infinitive. Don't worry about the person or tense of the original command.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Commands and Requests
🎯

The 'Inke' Rule

Always use 'ինքը' (reflexive) instead of 'նա' (he/she) when reporting what someone said about themselves to avoid ambiguity.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Changes in Tense and Pronouns in Reported Speech

Vocabulario clave (6)

ասել to say պատմել to tell/narrate հարցնել to ask խնդրել to request հրամայել to command թե that/if/whether

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Retelling a Conversation

Review Summary

  • Quote vs. Reported Clause
  • Subject + ասել + որ + Clause
  • Subject + հարցնել + թե + Clause
  • Subject + խնդրել + [verb in subjunctive]
  • Present -> Past (if main verb is past)
  • Say vs. Tell vs. Ask

Errores comunes

Never keep the direct pronoun 'I' (ես) when reporting. Use the reflexive 'ինքը' or the appropriate third-person pronoun.

Wrong: Նա ասաց 'ես գնում եմ':
Correcto: Նա ասաց, որ ինքը գնում է:

Questions are introduced by 'թե' or 'արդյոք', not 'որ'.

Wrong: Նա հարցրեց որ դու գալի՞ս ես:
Correcto: Նա հարցրեց, թե արդյոք դու գալի՞ս ես:

When reporting a request, use 'խնդրել' (to request) rather than the simple 'ասել' (to say).

Wrong: Նա ասաց ինձ գնալ:
Correcto: Նա խնդրեց ինձ գնալ:

Next Steps

You have reached the end of this chapter! You are now capable of reporting complex ideas with ease. Keep practicing these structures in your daily conversations.

Listen to a news report and summarize it in your own words using reported speech.

Continue to: Participles: Adjective-Verbs

Práctica rápida (10)

Choose the correct reported speech form for: «Ես սոված եմ» (Արամ)

Արամն ասաց, ___:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: որ ինքը սոված է
We use 'որ', change 'ես' to 'ինքը', and keep the present tense 'է'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Changes in Tense and Pronouns in Reported Speech

Which sentence correctly reports: 'I am a doctor' (said by Armen)?

How do you report Armen's words?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Արմենն ասաց, որ ինքը բժիշկ է:
Uses the correct comma, conjunction, and reflexive pronoun.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Statements: That...

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Նա ասաց ինձ չգրիր։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Նա ասաց ինձ չգրել
Negative infinitive is 'չ' + infinitive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Commands and Requests

Fill in the blank.

Նա հարցրեց՝ ___ արդյոք գալիս ես։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: թե
The connector is 'թե արդյոք'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Questions: Asking If/Whether

Fill in the correct conjunction.

Նա ասաց, ___ սիրում է խնձոր:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: որ
We use 'որ' for statements.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Direct vs. Reported Speech: Quoting vs. Reporting

Find the error: 'Նա հարցրեց, որ դու գալիս ես:'

Find and fix the mistake:

Նա հարցրեց, որ դու գալիս ես:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Change 'որ' to 'թե'
Questions must be introduced by 'թե'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Verbs: Say, Tell, Ask

Fill in the correct conjunction (որ or թե).

Նա հարցրեց, ___ ուր ենք գնում:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: թե
Since it's a question (Where are we going?), we use 'թե'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Verbs: Say, Tell, Ask

Correct the pronoun in this reported speech: Արամն ասաց. «Ես հոգնած եմ» -> Արամն ասաց, որ ես հոգնած եմ:

Find and fix the mistake:

Արամն ասաց, որ ես հոգնած եմ:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Արամն ասաց, որ ինքը հոգնած է:
The pronoun 'ես' must change to 'ինքը' to refer to Aram.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Direct vs. Reported Speech: Quoting vs. Reporting

Choose the correct reporting verb form.

Ես նրան ___ , որ դասը սկսվել է:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ասացի
We are reporting a statement to someone, so 'ասացի' (I said/told) is correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Verbs: Say, Tell, Ask

Fill in the negative infinitive.

Նա ասաց ինձ ___ (չգնալ)։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: չգնալ
Negative infinitive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reporting Commands and Requests

Score: /10

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

In formal writing, yes. In very informal speech, you can use a dash-like pause (represented by ՝), e.g., Ասեց՝ չեմ գալիս.
Unlike English, Armenian often keeps the original tense if the situation is still relevant. He said he is coming is Ասաց, որ գալիս է (Present).
In very casual spoken Armenian, people sometimes use a colon-like pause or the particle թե, but in writing and standard speech, որ is mandatory.
It is a strict rule of Armenian punctuation to separate a subordinate clause from the main clause.
In very informal speech, yes, but in writing, 'թե արդյոք' is preferred.
Yes, if the reporting verb is in the past, the reported verb often shifts to the past.
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