French B2: Reported speech · Phrases

After a verb in the past, tenses step back: present → imparfait, passé composé → plus-que-parfait, future → conditional. « Je suis fatigué » → Il a dit qu’il était fatigué. Questions become si (Elle m’a demandé si je venais) or keep the question word; qu’est-ce que becomes ce que. Words of time shift too: demain → le lendemain, hier → la veille.

• affirmer — to state, to claim
• répondre — to answer
• demander — to ask
• ajouter — to add
• avouer — to admit
• le lendemain — the next day
• la veille — the day before
• selon — according to

• Il m’a dit qu’il arriverait le lendemain. — He told me he would arrive the next day.
• Elle m’a demandé si j’avais faim. — She asked me if I was hungry.
• Selon lui, tout va bien. — According to him, everything is fine.
• Il a avoué qu’il avait menti. — He admitted he had lied.