Reporting Statements (Rekao je da...)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'da' (that) to report statements, and unlike English, keep the original tense used by the speaker.
- Use a reporting verb like 'reći' followed by 'da'. Example: 'Rekao je da...'
- Keep the original tense: 'I am' becomes 'He said he IS'.
- Watch clitic placement: clitics always follow 'da' immediately. Example: 'Rekao je da GA vidi.'
Common Reporting Verbs (Past Tense)
| Subject | Reći (to say) | Kazati (to tell) | Misliti (to think) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ja
|
rekao/rekla sam
|
kazao/kazala sam
|
mislio/mislila sam
|
|
Ti
|
rekao/rekla si
|
kazao/kazala si
|
mislio/mislila si
|
|
On/Ona
|
rekao/rekla je
|
kazao/kazala je
|
mislio/mislila je
|
|
Mi
|
rekli/rekle smo
|
kazali/kazale smo
|
mislili/mislile smo
|
|
Vi
|
rekli/rekle ste
|
kazali/kazale ste
|
mislili/mislile ste
|
|
Oni/One
|
rekli/rekle su
|
kazali/kazale su
|
mislili/mislile su
|
Clitic Order after 'da'
| Conjunction | 1st Clitic (Verb) | 2nd Clitic (Pronoun) | Main Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
|
da
|
sam
|
ga
|
vidio
|
|
da
|
si
|
mi
|
rekao
|
|
da
|
je
|
se
|
bojao
|
|
da
|
će
|
nas
|
nazvati
|
Meanings
The primary function of reported speech in Croatian is to relay information, thoughts, or beliefs originally expressed by someone else without using their exact words.
Reporting Facts
Relaying a factual statement made by another person.
“Ana je rekla da sutra radi.”
“Učitelj kaže da je test lak.”
Passive/Impersonal Reporting
Reporting what 'is said' or rumored generally without a specific subject.
“Kaže se da će sutra padati kiša.”
“Priča se da se oni sele u Zagreb.”
Reporting Thoughts/Beliefs
Using verbs of thinking or believing to report internal states.
“Mislim da on ne zna istinu.”
“Vjerovali su da smo mi kod kuće.”
Formal Reporting (News/Media)
Using formal verbs like 'izjaviti' (to state) or 'ustvrditi' (to claim).
“Ministar je izjavio da su pregovori završeni.”
“Glasnogovornik je potvrdio da nema ozlijeđenih.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Verb + da + Present
|
Kaže da spava. (He says he is sleeping.)
|
|
Negative
|
Verb + da + ne + Verb
|
Rekao je da ne želi ići. (He said he doesn't want to go.)
|
|
Future
|
Verb + da + Future
|
Rekla je da će doći. (She said she will come.)
|
|
Past
|
Verb + da + Past
|
Kažu da su bili tamo. (They say they were there.)
|
|
Impersonal
|
Kaže se da + Clause
|
Kaže se da je zdravo. (It is said that it's healthy.)
|
|
Formal
|
Verb + kako + Clause
|
Izjavio je kako je sretan. (He stated that he is happy.)
|
|
Question (Reported)
|
Pita + da li / je li
|
Pitao je da li si gladan. (He asked if you are hungry.)
|
Formality Spectrum
Izjavio je kako namjerava doći. (Arrival)
Rekao je da dolazi. (Arrival)
Kaže da stiže. (Arrival)
Veli da ide. (Arrival)
The Flow of Reported Speech
Speaker
- Izravni govor Direct Speech
Link
- Veznik 'da' Conjunction 'that'
Tense
- Isto vrijeme Same tense
English vs. Croatian Tense Logic
Is it Reported Speech?
Are you quoting exactly?
Is the action still true?
Common Reporting Verbs
Speaking
- • reći
- • kazati
- • pričati
- • javiti
Thinking
- • misliti
- • vjerovati
- • smatrati
- • pretpostaviti
Formal
- • izjaviti
- • naglasiti
- • potvrditi
- • nijekati
Examples by Level
On kaže da je sretan.
He says that he is happy.
Mama kaže da je ručak gotov.
Mom says that lunch is ready.
Ana kaže da ne voli kavu.
Ana says that she doesn't like coffee.
Oni kažu da su u školi.
They say that they are at school.
Rekao je da je umoran.
He said that he is tired.
Maja je rekla da ide kući.
Maja said that she is going home.
Mislio sam da si u uredu.
I thought that you were in the office.
Rekli su da će kupiti kruh.
They said that they will buy bread.
Prijatelj mi je javio da kasni deset minuta.
A friend let me know that he is ten minutes late.
Konobar kaže da nemaju više svježe ribe.
The waiter says that they don't have any more fresh fish.
Rekla mi je da joj se sviđa tvoj novi auto.
She told me that she likes your new car.
Učiteljica je objasnila da moramo više učiti.
The teacher explained that we must study more.
Direktor je naglasio da su svi radnici važni.
The director emphasized that all workers are important.
Čuo sam da se planira gradnja novog mosta.
I heard that the construction of a new bridge is being planned.
Tvrdili su da nikada nisu vidjeli tog čovjeka.
They claimed that they had never seen that man.
Rekao je da bi nam pomogao da ima vremena.
He said that he would help us if he had time.
U izvješću se navodi kako je došlo do značajnog napretka.
The report states that significant progress has been made.
Pretpostavlja se da je požar podmetnut namjerno.
It is assumed that the fire was set intentionally.
Ustvrdio je, doduše bez dokaza, da je on vlasnik zemlje.
He claimed, albeit without proof, that he is the owner of the land.
Priznao je da mu nije bilo svejedno kad je čuo vijest.
He admitted that he wasn't indifferent when he heard the news.
Analitičari sugeriraju da bi ovakav razvoj događaja mogao imati dalekosežne posljedice.
Analysts suggest that such a development could have far-reaching consequences.
Premda je prvotno nijekao, naposljetku je potvrdio da je sudjelovao u aferi.
Although he initially denied it, he finally confirmed that he participated in the affair.
U narodu se odvajkada vjerovalo da ta šuma krije mračne tajne.
Among the people, it has been believed since time immemorial that this forest hides dark secrets.
Autor u predgovoru ističe kako je djelo plod dugogodišnjeg istraživanja.
The author points out in the preface that the work is the fruit of many years of research.
Easily Confused
Learners sometimes use 'što' (what) instead of 'da' (that) to link clauses.
Confusing the perfective 'reći' (to say once) with imperfective 'govoriti' (to be speaking).
Not knowing when to use 'kako' instead of 'da'.
Common Mistakes
On kaže on je sretan.
On kaže da je sretan.
Ona kaže da sretna je.
Ona kaže da je sretna.
Kaže da on ne kava pije.
Kaže da on ne pije kavu.
On kaže da ja sam gladan.
On kaže da je gladan.
Rekao je da bio je umoran.
Rekao je da je bio umoran.
Mislio sam da ti si tu.
Mislio sam da si tu.
Rekla je da ona će doći.
Rekla je da će ona doći.
Rekao je da je bio gladan (when he meant he IS hungry).
Rekao je da je gladan.
Javio mi je da on ga vidi.
Javio mi je da ga vidi.
Rekao je da bi on došao da je mogao.
Rekao je da bi došao da je mogao.
Izjavio je da je on bio tamo.
Izjavio je da je bio tamo.
Ustvrdio je da bi to bilo istina.
Ustvrdio je da je to istina.
Sentence Patterns
On kaže da ___.
Rekli su mi da ___.
Priča se da ___.
Ustvrdio je kako ___.
Real World Usage
On kaže da stiže za 5 min.
Rekli su da će mi javiti rezultate.
Vlada javlja da su porezi smanjeni.
Rekao sam da ne želim luk.
Liječnik kaže da moram mirovati.
Svi pišu da je koncert bio super.
The 'That' Rule
Clitic Trap
Tense Logic
Veli vs. Kaže
Smart Tips
Stop! Don't change the tense. If the original person used 'is', you use 'je'.
Glue it to the back of 'da'. It's its favorite spot.
Swap 'da' for 'kako' and 'rekao' for 'izjavio'.
Keep the 'ne' right before the verb, just like in a normal sentence.
Pronunciation
Clitic Stress
Clitics like 'je' or 'mi' are never stressed. The stress falls on the conjunction 'da' or the following verb.
Intonation of 'da'
In reported speech, the pitch usually rises slightly on 'da' to indicate more information is coming.
Reporting Rise
Rekao je da... (rising)
Suspense/Incomplete thought
Memorize It
Mnemonic
DA stays in the NOW: In Croatian, after 'da', keep the tense the same as the speaker used it.
Visual Association
Imagine a 'Time Mirror'. When you look through the 'da' window, you see the exact time the speaker was in, not your own past.
Rhyme
Kad netko nešto kaže, 'da' se odmah slaže, vrijeme se ne mijenja, to je bez sumnjenja!
Story
Ivan is at a party. He says 'I am happy'. You leave the party and tell a friend 'Ivan said that he IS happy'. You are carrying Ivan's 'present' in your pocket to the future.
Word Web
Challenge
Listen to a short news clip in Croatian. Write down 3 sentences starting with 'Novinar kaže da...' reporting what you heard.
Cultural Notes
Uses 'da' almost exclusively for reporting in neutral speech.
Often uses 'veli' instead of 'kaže' in informal speech.
May use 'reka je' (dropping the final 'o') and sometimes 'da' is followed by specific local clitic orders.
The conjunction 'da' comes from Proto-Slavic '*da', originally a demonstrative particle.
Conversation Starters
Što ti je prijatelj rekao jučer?
Što kažu na vijestima o vremenu?
Jesi li čuo što se priča o novom zakonu?
Što tvoji roditelji misle o tvom poslu?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Marko je rekao...
Ana kaže ___ ___ (that she is) u kinu.
Find and fix the mistake:
Rekao je da ___ vidi.
Ivan je rekao...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
In Croatian, you must always change the present tense to past tense when reporting what someone said in the past.
A: Što je šef rekao? B: Rekao je ___ moramo raditi.
da / Rekla / je / kasni / mi
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesMarko je rekao...
Ana kaže ___ ___ (that she is) u kinu.
Find and fix the mistake:
Rekao je da ___ vidi.
Ivan je rekao...
1. Izjaviti, 2. Misliti, 3. Pričati
In Croatian, you must always change the present tense to past tense when reporting what someone said in the past.
A: Što je šef rekao? B: Rekao je ___ moramo raditi.
da / Rekla / je / kasni / mi
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, in Croatian, omitting `da` is very rare and usually sounds incorrect or overly poetic. Always include it.
Use `kako` in formal writing or when you have already used `da` in the same sentence and want to avoid repetition.
Only if the time reference has actually changed. If someone said 'I was here' and you report it, it stays past. If they said 'I am here' and they still are, it stays present.
They follow the standard clitic order (li-će-bi-sam-si-je-mi-ti-mu-joj-nas-vas-im-se-ga-je-ju-ih). They all cluster together right after `da`.
Yes, they are virtually identical in meaning, though `rekao` is slightly more common in the past tense.
That's a different structure! You use `da` + present tense or `neka` + present tense. For example: 'Rekao je da dođeš' (He told you to come).
Yes, use the impersonal `Priča se da...` or `Kaže se da...`.
The rule remains the same. 'Reći će da je sretan' (He will say that he is happy).
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Reported speech with 'that'
No backshifting in Croatian.
Indirekte Rede with Konjunktiv I
Croatian uses indicative; German uses subjunctive.
Estilo indirecto
Spanish changes tenses; Croatian doesn't.
Discours rapporté
French has strict tense harmony.
~to itte imashita
Japanese is head-final; Croatian is head-initial.
al-qawl (anna)
Arabic requires specific case endings after 'anna'.
