Reported Speech – indirekte Rede im Englischen
Steht das einleitende Verb in der Vergangenheit (he said, she asked), rückt die Zeit eine Stufe zurück (backshift).
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| simple present: „I am tired.“ | He said he was tired. |
| present progressive: „I am working.“ | She said she was working. |
| simple past / present perfect: „I saw / have seen it.“ | He said he had seen it. |
| will: „I will help.“ | She said she would help. |
| can / may / must | could / might / had to |
Orts- und Zeitangaben
now → then · today → that day · yesterday → the day before · tomorrow → the next day · here → there · this → that
Fragen und Aufforderungen
- „Are you ready?“ → She asked if/whether I was ready. (Satzstellung wie Aussage, kein do)
- „Where do you live?“ → He asked where I lived.
- „Close the door!“ → She told me to close the door.
Kein backshift, wenn das einleitende Verb im Präsens steht („He says he is tired“) oder die Aussage noch immer gilt („She said the earth is round“).