French
Grade 9
15 min
Concordance des Temps en Discours Indirect (Tense Sequence)
Concordance des Temps en Discours Indirect (Tense Sequence)
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
What You'll LearnLearn how to report what someone said using indirect speech.Master how to change verb tenses (this is called the 'sequence of tenses').Correctly change pronouns and words for time and place.Imagine your friend tells you a secret about the upcoming school trip. 🤫 Later, you want to share this news with another friend. How do you report exactly what was said? Indirect speech is the perfect tool for that! It's a key skill for telling stories, sharing information, and having more complex conversations. 🗣️Where You'll Use ThisTelling your parents about a phone call you had.Writing a summary of an interview you read in a magazine.Explaining to a friend what the teacher announced in class.
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Key Words & Phrases
To report what someone said, we use special 'introductory verbs'. Here are the most common ones:French PhraseWhat it MeansExampleDire que... (To say that...) [deer kuh]This is the most common way to report speech, just like 'to say' in English.Il a dit que le film était bon. (He said that the movie was good.) [eel ah dee kuh luh feelm ay-tay bohn]Annoncer que... (To announce that...) [ah-nohn-say kuh]Use this for official statements or big news.La directrice a annoncé que l'école serait fermée. (The principal announced that the school would be closed.) [la dee-rek-TREES ah ah-nohn-say kuh lay-kohl suh-ray fair-MAY]Affirmer que... (To state that...) [ah-feer-may kuh]This is a formal way to say someone stated something as a fact.Le témoin a affirmé qu'il avait tout vu. (The witness stated th...
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The Grammar Rules
Matching the Tenses (La Concordance des Temps) [la kohn-kor-DAHNS day tahn]The main rule depends on the tense of the introductory verb (like dire (to say) [deer], penser (to think) [pahn-say], or demander (to ask) [duh-mahn-day]).Rule 1: When the Introductory Verb is in the Present or FutureIf the verb that introduces the reported speech is in the present tense (il dit que... (he says that...) [eel dee kuh]) or the future tense (il dira que... (he will say that...) [eel dee-ra kuh]), the verb tense in the reported sentence does not change.Example: He says: "Je suis fatigué." (I am tired.) [zhuh swee fa-tee-GAY] → Il dit qu'il est fatigué. (He says that he is tired.) [eel dee keel ay fa-tee-GAY]Rule 2: When the Introductory Verb is in the PastIf the introductory verb is in a past tense (lik...
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Beginner
Change the following sentence to reported speech (discours indirect): Le professeur dit : « Les devoirs sont faciles. » (The teacher says: 'The homework is easy.')
A.Le professeur dit que les devoirs sont faciles.
B.Le professeur dit que les devoirs étaient faciles.
C.Le professeur dit que les devoirs seront faciles.
D.Le professeur a dit que les devoirs sont faciles.
Beginner
Change the following sentence to indirect speech (My father affirmed: 'I am tired.'): Mon père a affirmé : « Je suis fatigué. »
A.Mon père a affirmé qu'il est fatigué.
B.Mon père a affirmé qu'il était fatigué.
C.Mon père a affirmé qu'il avait été fatigué.
D.Mon père a affirmé qu'il serait fatigué.
Beginner
Change the following sentence to reported speech: L'animateur a annoncé : « Le spectacle commence maintenant. » (The host announced: 'The show starts now.')
A.L'animateur annonçait que le spectacle commencerait maintenant.
B.L'animateur annonce que le spectacle commence maintenant.
C.L'animateur a annoncé que le spectacle a commencé maintenant.
D.L'animateur a annoncé que le spectacle commençait à ce moment-là.
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