B2 Reported Speech 13 min read Hard

Talking About the Past: Reporting What People Said (Concordance des temps)

When reporting the past, move tenses one step back: Present to Imparfait, Future to Conditionnel.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

When reporting past speech, shift your tenses back to maintain logical time flow.

  • Present becomes Imperfect: 'Il dit qu'il est fatigué' → 'Il a dit qu'il était fatigué'.
  • Passé Composé becomes Plus-que-parfait: 'J'ai mangé' → 'Il a dit qu'il avait mangé'.
  • Future becomes Conditional: 'Je viendrai' → 'Il a dit qu'il viendrait'.
Reporting Verb (Passé) + que + Shifted Tense

Overview

In French grammar, the concordance des temps (sequence of tenses) is the principle that governs the tense of a verb in a subordinate clause based on the tense of the main clause. For learners at the B2 level, its most critical application is in reported speech (le discours indirect), specifically when recounting what someone said, thought, or believed in the past. When the main reporting verb (like dire, penser, croire) is in a past tense, it establishes a past narrative frame.

Consequently, the tenses of the original, direct statement must shift backward to align with this new temporal perspective.

Think of it as narrating a memory. If you recall a conversation from last week, the 'now' of that conversation is in the past. Your grammar must reflect this.

The statement Il a dit : "Je suis occupé" (He said: "I am busy") captured a present reality at that moment. When you report it later, that reality is no longer present; it was simultaneous to his act of speaking. French requires you to mark this shift: Il a dit qu'il était occupé (He said that he was busy).

This isn't just a stylistic choice; it's a fundamental rule of temporal logic in the language. Mastering it is a key distinction between intermediate fluency and the polished, precise expression expected at the B2 level and beyond.

This system ensures clarity by anchoring all reported actions to the moment of reporting. It creates a coherent timeline for the listener, distinguishing between what was true then, what happened before then, and what was expected to happen after then. The primary tenses you will use to accomplish this are the imparfait (for simultaneous past actions), the plus-que-parfait (for prior past actions), and the conditionnel présent (for future actions viewed from the past).

How This Grammar Works

The logic of the concordance des temps hinges entirely on the tense of the reporting verb. This verb acts as a gateway that determines the grammar of the clause that follows.
1. The Simple Case: Reporting Verb in the Present or Future
If the reporting verb is in the présent (il dit que...) or futur simple (il dira que...), there is no tense shift. The original tense of the direct statement is preserved because the reporting action is happening now or in the future, maintaining the same temporal frame of reference as the speaker. You are essentially quoting them in real-time.
  • Direct Speech: Elle dit : "J'ai faim." (She says: "I am hungry.")
  • Reported Speech: Elle dit qu'elle a faim. (She says that she is hungry.)
  • Direct Speech: Il dira : "J'ai fini le projet." (He will say: "I have finished the project.")
  • Reported Speech: Il dira qu'il a fini le projet. (He will say that he has finished the project.)
2. The Core Rule: Reporting Verb in the Past
When the reporting verb is in a past tense (most commonly the passé composé or imparfait), the tense of the reported clause must shift backward. This is known as back-shifting. The relationship between the reporting moment and the reported action falls into one of three categories:
  • Simultanéité (Simultaneity): The action in the reported clause happens at the same time as the past reporting verb. The original présent tense shifts to the imparfait.
  • Il a déclaré : "Je suis prêt." → Il a déclaré qu'il était prêt. (He declared that he was ready.)
  • The state of 'being ready' was true at the moment he 'declared' it.
  • Antériorité (Anteriority): The action in the reported clause happened before the past reporting verb. The original passé composé (or passé simple) shifts to the plus-que-parfait.
  • Elle a avoué : "J'ai mangé le dernier gâteau." → Elle a avoué qu'elle avait mangé le dernier gâteau. (She confessed that she had eaten the last cake.)
  • The 'eating' of the cake happened before the 'confessing'.
  • Postériorité (Posteriority): The action in the reported clause was set to happen after the past reporting verb. This concept is often called the "future in the past." The original futur simple shifts to the conditionnel présent.
  • Tu as promis : "Je t'appellerai." → Tu as promis que tu m'appellerais. (You promised that you would call me.)
  • The 'calling' was a future event from the perspective of the 'promising'.
This logical framework is remarkably consistent and provides the foundation for all past-tense reporting.

Formation Pattern

1
To correctly apply the concordance des temps, you must systematically transform several elements of the original sentence when the reporting verb is in the past. This involves tense shifts, pronoun changes, and adjustments to temporal and spatial adverbs.
2
1. Verb Tense Transformation
3
This table is your master guide for tense shifting. Memorize it. The rule applies whether the reporting verb is in the passé composé, imparfait, or plus-que-parfait.
4
| Direct Speech Tense (Discours Direct) | Reported Speech Tense (Discours Indirect) |
5
|---|---|
6
| Présent (Je suis) | Imparfait (...qu'il était) |
7
| Passé Composé (J'ai fait) | Plus-que-parfait (...qu'il avait fait) |
8
| Passé Simple (Je fis) | Plus-que-parfait (...qu'il avait fait) |
9
| Futur Simple (Je ferai) | Conditionnel Présent (...qu'il ferait) |
10
| Futur Antérieur (J'aurai fait) | Conditionnel Passé (...qu'il aurait fait) |
11
| Impératif (Fais-le !) | de + infinitif or que + subjonctif (...de le faire / ...qu'il le fasse) |
12
Tenses That Do Not Change: Some tenses are already 'as past as they can get' in this context and do not shift further back.
13
Imparfait remains Imparfait: Il a dit : "Il pleuvait." → Il a dit qu'il pleuvait.
14
Plus-que-parfait remains Plus-que-parfait: Elle a dit : "J'avais déjà compris." → Elle a dit qu'elle avait déjà compris.
15
Conditionnel Présent/Passé remain Conditionnel Présent/Passé: Il a dit : "Je viendrais si je pouvais." → Il a dit qu'il viendrait s'il pouvait.
16
2. Pronoun and Possessive Adjective Changes
17
The perspective shifts from the original speaker to the reporter. This requires changing pronouns and possessives accordingly.
18
Il a dit : "Je ne trouve pas mes clés." → Il a dit qu'il ne trouvait pas ses clés.
19
Elle m'a demandé : "Est-ce que tu as vu mon sac ?" → Elle m'a demandé si j'avais vu son sac.
20
Ils ont annoncé : "Nous vendons notre maison." → Ils ont annoncé qu'ils vendaient leur maison.
21
3. Time and Place Adverb Changes
22
Adverbs referring to 'now' or 'here' must be updated to reflect the past context. The new terms are relative to the past moment of reporting, not the present.
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| Direct (Discours Direct) | Indirect (Discours Indirect) |
24
|---|---|
25
| aujourd'hui (today) | ce jour-là (that day) |
26
| hier (yesterday) | la veille (the day before) |
27
| demain (tomorrow) | le lendemain (the next day, the following day) |
28
| ce matin/ce soir (this morning/evening) | ce matin-là/ce soir-là (that morning/evening) |
29
| la semaine prochaine (next week) | la semaine suivante / la semaine d'après (the following week) |
30
| le mois dernier (last month) | le mois précédent / le mois d'avant (the previous month) |
31
| ici (here) | là / là-bas (there) |
32
| en ce moment (right now) | à ce moment-là (at that moment) |
33
Example: Lundi dernier, elle a dit : "Je pars demain." (Last Monday, she said: "I'm leaving tomorrow.")
34
→ Lundi dernier, elle a dit qu'elle partait le lendemain. (Last Monday, she said she was leaving the next day — i.e., on Tuesday.)

When To Use It

The concordance des temps is not limited to explicitly reporting conversations with the verb dire. It is a pervasive structure essential for any context involving a past-tense narration of thoughts, communications, or states of mind.
  • Formal and Academic Writing: It is non-negotiable when summarizing research, literature, or historical accounts. L'auteur a soutenu que cette interprétation était erronée. (The author argued that this interpretation was wrong.) Les résultats de 1998 ont montré que la tendance s'était inversée. (The 1998 results showed that the trend had reversed.)
  • Professional Communication: Use it to document meetings, summarize calls, or follow up on emails. It conveys precision and professionalism. Lors de notre appel, vous avez indiqué que vous enverriez les documents avant la fin de la semaine. (During our call, you indicated that you would send the documents before the end of the week.)
  • Narrative and Storytelling: It's the backbone of narration in novels, articles, and even personal anecdotes. It allows the narrator to weave past events, dialogues, and thoughts into a coherent story. Je me souviens du jour où il m'a annoncé qu'il allait déménager. Je savais que notre amitié ne serait plus jamais la même. (I remember the day he told me he was going to move. I knew our friendship would never be the same.)
  • Reporting Internal Thoughts and Beliefs: The rule applies to verbs of perception, thought, and knowledge like penser, croire, savoir, se rendre compte que..., etc. Je croyais qu'il pleuvrait, alors j'ai pris un parapluie. (I thought that it would rain, so I took an umbrella.) Elle a tout de suite su qu'il avait menti. (She knew immediately that he had lied.) In these cases, the main verb (croyais, a su) is the past 'reporting' verb triggering the tense shift.

Common Mistakes

Navigating the concordance des temps involves avoiding several common pitfalls. Understanding why they are errors will help you correct them.
  1. 1The Présent-for-Imparfait Error: This is the most frequent mistake. Learners directly translate from English, where tense back-shifting is more flexible in informal speech.
  • Mistake: *Hier, il m'a dit qu'il est malade.
  • Correction: Hier, il m'a dit qu'il était malade.
  • Why: The reporting (a dit) is in the past. The state of 'being sick' was simultaneous to that past moment. Using the présent creates a temporal clash, implying he is sick now as you speak, which may not be the intended meaning.
  1. 1The Futur Simple-for-Conditionnel Error: This happens when reporting a future intention from a past perspective.
  • Mistake: *Elle a promis qu'elle finira le travail demain.
  • Correction: Elle a promis qu'elle finirait le travail le lendemain.
  • Why: The conditionnel (finirait) functions here as the "future of the past." The promise was made in the past, so the intended action must be viewed from that past vantage point. The futur simple can only be used with a present or future reporting verb.
  1. 1The Passé Composé-for-Plus-que-parfait Error: This error obscures the timeline of events.
  • Mistake: *Il a admis qu'il a perdu les clés.
  • Correction: Il a admis qu'il avait perdu les clés.
  • Why: The action of losing the keys (avait perdu) happened before the action of admitting it (a admis). The plus-que-parfait is the only tense that correctly marks this anteriority.
  1. 1Forgetting to Change Adverbs: This creates ambiguity and can completely alter the meaning.
  • Mistake: *La semaine dernière, il a dit qu'il arriverait demain.
  • Correction: La semaine dernière, il a dit qu'il arriverait le lendemain.
  • Why: demain means "the day after today." le lendemain means "the day after that past day." The first sentence is confusing: does it mean he's arriving tomorrow (relative to now) or the day after he spoke last week? The correction is precise.
  1. 1The Universal Truth Exception: While you can keep the present tense for immutable facts (Copernic a prouvé que la Terre tourne autour du Soleil), French speakers often default to the imparfait (...qu'elle tournait...) for stylistic consistency. As a learner, it's often safer and more idiomatic to apply the back-shift rule consistently. Only override it for undeniable, scientific laws.

Real Conversations

Far from being a dusty textbook rule, the concordance des temps is alive and well in modern, everyday French. Native speakers use it instinctively to structure their stories and report information accurately. Paying attention to it is a sign of a sophisticated speaker.

In Texting and Social Media:

The shifts are often abbreviated but grammatically present.

- Il m'a texté qu'il serait en retard. (He texted me that he would be late.)

- OMG elle a posté une story où elle disait qu'elle avait adoré le film ! (OMG she posted a story where she said she had loved the movie!)

- Mon pote a dit qu'il pouvait pas venir ce soir. (My buddy said he couldn't come tonight.)

In the Workplace:

Clarity is key in professional settings, and this grammar rule provides it.

- Email recap: Bonjour à tous, pour faire suite à notre réunion, nous avions convenu que le département marketing lancerait la campagne la semaine suivante. (Hello all, following up on our meeting, we had agreed that the marketing department would launch the campaign the following week.)

- Casual chat on Slack: Julie a dit qu'elle avait déjà briefé le client. (Julie said she had already briefed the client.)

In Casual Storytelling:

Listen to French speakers tell an anecdote, and you will hear this structure constantly. It's how they build a narrative.

- Alors, l'autre jour, je vois mon ex, et je pensais qu'il ne m'avait pas vue. Mais ensuite, il est venu vers moi et m'a demandé comment j'allais. Il m'a dit qu'il regrettait comment les choses s'étaient terminées. C'était super gênant.

- (So, the other day, I see my ex, and I thought he hadn't seen me. But then, he came over to me and asked how I was doing. He told me he regretted how things had ended. It was super awkward.)

Notice how the chain of imparfait and plus-que-parfait verbs creates a clear sequence of events anchored in the past.

Quick FAQ

Q: Does the imparfait in direct speech ever change when reported?

No, the imparfait remains imparfait. It describes a state, habit, or ongoing action in the past. This function is the same whether in direct or reported speech. Direct: Il a dit, "Quand j'étais jeune, il faisait toujours beau en été." → Reported: Il a dit que quand il était jeune, il faisait toujours beau en été. The temporal relationship remains consistent.

Q: What if a statement made in the past is still true right now?

This is a key difference from English. While you can sometimes keep the present tense for universal truths (Il a dit que Paris est la capitale de la France), for personal truths that are simply still ongoing, French strongly prefers the tense shift. Hier, elle m'a dit qu'elle était enceinte is far more natural than ...qu'elle est enceinte, even if she is still pregnant today. The grammar focuses on the event at the moment of reporting, not its current status.

Q: Does this rule apply to reporting verbs in any past tense?

Yes. The sequence of tenses is triggered by any past reporting verb, most often the passé composé and imparfait. It also works with the plus-que-parfait: Il avait affirmé qu'il ne connaissait personne. (He had claimed that he didn't know anyone.) The logic remains the same.

Q: How do reported questions work with these tense shifts?

Reported questions (le discours indirect interrogatif) follow the exact same back-shifting rules. You transform the question using si (if/whether) or an interrogative word (où, quand, ce que...) and change the verb tense as required.

  • Elle a demandé : "Est-ce que tu as faim ?" → Elle a demandé si j'avais faim.
  • Il m'a demandé : "Qu'est-ce que tu feras ?" → Il m'a demandé ce que je ferais.

Tense Shifting Table

Direct Speech Indirect Speech (Past)
Présent
Imparfait
Passé Composé
Plus-que-parfait
Futur Simple
Conditionnel Présent
Impératif
de + Infinitif

Meanings

The system of changing verb tenses when moving from direct speech to indirect speech after a past-tense reporting verb.

1

Tense Shifting

Adjusting the verb to reflect the perspective of the past moment.

“Il a dit qu'il était malade.”

“Elle a affirmé qu'elle avait fini.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Talking About the Past: Reporting What People Said (Concordance des temps)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Il a dit que + clause
Il a dit qu'il venait.
Negative
Il a dit que + ne...pas
Il a dit qu'il ne venait pas.
Question
Il a demandé si + clause
Il a demandé s'il venait.
Future
Il a dit que + conditionnel
Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Il a déclaré qu'il viendrait.

Il a déclaré qu'il viendrait. (Social)

Neutral
Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

Il a dit qu'il viendrait. (Social)

Informal
Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

Il a dit qu'il viendrait. (Social)

Slang
Il a dit qu'il rappliquait.

Il a dit qu'il rappliquait. (Social)

Tense Shift Map

Reporting Verb (Past)

Shifts

  • Présent Imparfait
  • Passé Composé Plus-que-parfait
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Examples by Level

1

Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.

He said he was tired.

1

Elle a dit qu'elle mangeait.

She said she was eating.

1

Il a promis qu'il viendrait.

He promised he would come.

1

Il a dit qu'il avait fini son travail.

He said he had finished his work.

1

Il a prétendu qu'il n'avait rien vu.

He claimed he had seen nothing.

2

Elle a demandé si nous étions prêts.

She asked if we were ready.

1

Il a soutenu qu'il eût fallu agir plus tôt.

He maintained that it would have been necessary to act sooner.

Easily Confused

Talking About the Past: Reporting What People Said (Concordance des temps) vs Direct vs Indirect

Mixing quotes with shifted tenses.

Common Mistakes

✗

Il a dit qu'il est malade.

✓

Il a dit qu'il était malade.

Present tense does not shift.
✗

Elle a dit qu'elle a mangé.

✓

Elle a dit qu'elle avait mangé.

Passé composé needs to shift to plus-que-parfait.
✗

Il a dit qu'il viendra.

✓

Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

Future must become conditional.
✗

Il a demandé qu'est-ce qu'il fait.

✓

Il a demandé ce qu'il faisait.

Indirect questions use 'ce que'.

Sentence Patterns

Il a dit qu'il ___.

Real World Usage

News report constant

Le journaliste a dit que le président viendrait.

Texting very common

Il a dit qu'il était en retard.

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💡

Check the reporting verb

If it's in the present, don't shift!

Smart Tips

Use conditional.

Il a dit qu'il viendra. → Il a dit qu'il viendrait.

Pronunciation

k-il

Liaison

Ensure 'qu'il' is pronounced as one unit.

Falling

Il a dit qu'il viendrait ↓

Statement of fact

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Back one step, that's the test.

Visual Association

Imagine a staircase where you step down one level every time you report a past event.

Rhyme

When the past is the lead, shift the tense indeed.

Story

Pierre said 'I am eating'. Later, I told my mom: 'Pierre said he was eating'. Then I told my dad: 'Pierre said he had been eating'.

Word Web

direquesiimparfaitconditionnelplus-que-parfait

Challenge

Report three things your friend said today using the correct shifts.

Cultural Notes

Very common in formal writing.

Similar usage.

Standard.

Derived from Latin sequence of tenses.

Conversation Starters

“

Qu'est-ce qu'il a dit ?

Journal Prompts

Report what your teacher said today.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Il a dit qu'il ___ (venir).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: venait
Shift to imperfect.

Score: /1

Practice Exercises

1 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Il a dit qu'il ___ (venir).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: venait
Shift to imperfect.

Score: /1

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Complete the reported speech: « J'ai oublié mes clés. » Fill in the Blank

Il a avoué qu'il _______ ses clés.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: avait oublié
Reorder to form the reported version of: « Où allez-vous ? » Sentence Reorder

Il / où / demandé / nous / a / allions / .

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il a demandé où nous allions.
Translate to French: He said he would call me. Translation

He said he would call me.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il a dit qu'il m'appellerait.
Match the direct tense with its reported counterpart. Match Pairs

Match the tenses:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Présent : Imparfait
Which reporting verb trigger the shift? Multiple Choice

Which of these starts a tense shift?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il a dit que...
Fix the time marker: « Je le ferai aujourd'hui. » Error Correction

Elle a dit qu'elle le ferait aujourd'hui.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Elle a dit qu'elle le ferait ce jour-là.
Convert: « Ne fumez pas ! » Fill in the Blank

Le médecin lui a dit _______ fumer.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: de ne pas
Report: « J'attendais le bus. » Multiple Choice

Il a dit qu'il...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: attendait le bus.
Reorder: « Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? » Sentence Reorder

demandé / ce que / Il / je / faisait / m'a / .

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il m'a demandé ce que je faisais.
Translate: She thought he had left. Translation

She thought he had left.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Elle pensait qu'il était parti.

Score: /10

FAQ (1)

Only if the reporting verb is in the past.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Estilo indirecto

Subjunctive usage.

German moderate

Konjunktiv I

Use of subjunctive mood.

English high

Reported speech

French is more rigid.

Japanese low

To iu

No tense shifting.

Arabic moderate

Qala anna

Different tense rules.

Chinese low

Shuo

No conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
French Indirect Questions with 'si' (If/Whether)
Next
Future in the Past: Reported Speech (Conditionnel)

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