Indirect speech

Indirect speech is a means of distancing, reporting reproduction of utterances. The reproduction of the utterance can be verbatim or shortened, or play individual parts in a different order than the original. Indirect speech is not enclosed in quotation marks, but by a subordinate clause with the introductory Subjunktor that or a main clause in the subjunctive I or II

In addition to the indirect speech, there is the direct speech and the narrated monologue.

In German

Comparison of direct and indirect speech

In German, direct and indirect speech differ in seven points as follows:

Mode

The indirect speech can be expressed in the indicative or subjunctive. An addition to the indicative sentence with the Subjunktor that is used when the liability claim of the original utterance is taken. If the speaker wants to leave open how binding is reproduced statement, the subjunctive I is selected. If the speaker towards the rendered statement is in doubt or if it considers to be incorrect, the conditional can be used.

Tense

The tense in reported speech refers to the date of the statement. So it is in the present tense even if the situation was in the past:

• When I saw her the last time she told me she was pregnant, and she was actually pregnant. Now she is the proud mother of a daughter.
• He told me that he had lost all his money and could give me no reason.
• He told me that he would emigrate to America, but now he is back in Europe.

For more examples of mode use in reported speech in English

• "I came from Berlin. " → He said that he had come from Berlin. ( At the time of the original speech, he was already there. )
• "I will come from Berlin. " → He said he would come out of Berlin. Colloquially: He said he would come from Berlin. ( At the time of the original speech was the arrival in the future. )

• "I'll come along. " → You said, that you will come along. or: I thought you said you came with. ( Instead of the future tense ) Colloquially: You said that you would come along.
• "I have been taken away. " → You said you were been taken. ( Passive)

In direct speech the statement are reproduced without change of mode.

• She says: "I 'll be back tomorrow from Berlin. "

A mode change in a rate that is not mandatory.

• " The Wimbledon finalist claimed: The chair umpire has betrayed me ." → " The Wimbledon finalist claimed that the chair umpire had cheated him / has. "

Often in the vernacular in the indirect speech is used today also the indicative instead of the subjunctive, eg

• He said he comes from Berlin. ( with indicative; colloquial)

Reported speech in other languages

Since the German uses the subjunctive, especially for the identification of indirect speech, many German -language subject to the fallacy that this mode in other languages ​​has the same function. But this is not so. In other European languages ​​such as English, French or Danish is not the mode, but the tense of the citation rate is changed. In contrast, here, the rule is the adjustment of the pronoun.

In Lithuanian is indirect speech with infinite verb forms (eg participles ) expressed (see mode relativus ).

In Latin, the indirect speech is expressed by the AcI. All questions, imperatives and subordinate clauses are placed in the subjunctive.

In many other languages ​​, the difference between direct and indirect speech is barely comprehensible and stylistically less strict. So it is up to the speaker in the Japanese to change pronouns or mode.