B1 · Intermediate Chapter 35

Reported Speech

4 Total Rules
48 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of relaying what others have said in Swedish with confidence and precision.

  • Convert direct statements into reported speech accurately.
  • Adjust verb tenses and pronouns to maintain logical consistency.
  • Transform direct questions into smooth indirect inquiries.
Master the art of relaying conversations.

What You'll Learn

Changing direct speech to indirect speech. Students will learn the necessary tense shifts.

  • Reported Speech
    Use 'att' to report what someone said, and remember to change 'I' to 'he/she' and 'now' to 'then'.
  • Tense Changes
    Use passive reporting structures to sound objective and professional when you don't want to name the source.
  • Pronoun Changes
    Adjust pronouns so the 'I' in the quote becomes 'he' or 'she' in your report.
  • Indirect Questions
    Stop treating it like a question; treat it like a sub-clause where the subject always comes before the verb.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: accurately paraphrase a conversation you heard earlier using correct tense backshifting.

Key Examples (8)

1

Chefen sa att jag skulle skicka rapporten.

The boss said that I should send the report.

Reported Speech
2

Hon påstod att hon hade gjort läxan.

She claimed that she had done the homework.

Reported Speech
3

Det sades att han var sjuk.

It was said that he was sick.

Tense Changes
4

Det påstods att de var klara.

It was claimed that they were finished.

Tense Changes
5

Anders sa att han hade glömt sin nyckel.

Anders said that he had forgotten his (own) key.

Pronoun Changes
6

Det sägs att hon ska sluta sitt jobb.

It is said that she is going to quit her job.

Pronoun Changes
7

Jag undrar vem som har tagit min bok.

I wonder who has taken my book.

Indirect Questions
8

Hon vet inte varför han inte ringde.

She doesn't know why he didn't call.

Indirect Questions

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

Focus on Pronouns

The most common mistake is forgetting to change 'I' to 'he/she'. Always pause and think: 'Who is the subject now?'
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech
💡

Use 'Det sägs' for rumors

When you hear something but aren't sure if it's true, 'Det sägs' is your best friend.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Tense Changes
🎯

The 'Own' Test

If you can add the word 'own' in English (his own bag), use 'sin/sitt/sina' in Swedish.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Pronoun Changes
🎯

The 'Som' Test

If you can't find a subject (like 'jag', 'han', 'bussen') after 'vem' or 'vad', you MUST add 'som'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Questions

Key Vocabulary (5)

påstod claimed frågade asked berättade told huruvida whether då then/at that time

Real-World Preview

briefcase

Office Update

Review Summary

  • Subject + sa + att + [subordinate clause]
  • Present -> Preteritum
  • Jag -> Han/Hon, Min -> Hans/Hennes
  • Frågade + om/var/när + [Subject + Verb]

Common Mistakes

In indirect questions, the word order must be subject-verb, not verb-subject.

Wrong: Han frågade vad gör du?
Correct: Han frågade vad jag gjorde.

If the main verb is in the past (sa), the subordinate verb must also reflect the past.

Wrong: Hon sa att hon är trött.
Correct: Hon sa att hon var trött.

Don't forget to adjust possessive pronouns to match the original speaker.

Wrong: Han sa att min bil är fin.
Correct: Han sa att hans bil var fin.

Next Steps

You've tackled a major grammatical hurdle today! Keep practicing, and it will soon feel like second nature.

Listen to a news clip and summarize it for a friend.

Continue to: Participles as Adjectives

Quick Practice (10)

Correct the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Vet du vem ringde igår?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vet du vem som ringde igår?
When 'vem' is the subject, you must add 'som'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Questions

Fill in the past passive.

Det ___ att han var sjuk.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sades
Past tense needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Tense Changes

Choose the correct pronoun.

Hon sa att ___ var glad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: hon
The subject is 'hon'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech

Fix the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

Det påstås att han har flyttade.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Det påstås att han har flyttat.
Perfect tense needs participle.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Tense Changes

Fill in the correct connector.

Han sa ___ han var trött.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: att
Use 'att' for statements.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Han frågade att jag var trött.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Han frågade om jag var trött
Questions use 'om'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Reported Speech

Fill in the missing word (om or som).

Jag undrar ___ det ska regna idag.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: om
This is a yes/no question, so we use 'om'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Indirect Questions

Find the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

De sa att vi skulle komma till festen. (Context: They were talking about themselves).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vi
If they were talking about themselves, 'vi' should have shifted to 'de'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Pronoun Changes

Fill in the correct passive verb form.

Det ___ att han är snäll.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sägs
Present passive is needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Tense Changes

Choose the correct pronoun for the reported speech.

Olle sa: 'Jag är hungrig.' -> Olle sa att ___ var hungrig.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: han
The original 'jag' (I) must shift to 'han' (he) because we are reporting what Olle said.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Pronoun Changes

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

In Swedish, you don't always have to backshift as strictly as in English. If the fact is still true, you can keep the present tense.
No, use 'om' for yes/no questions and the question word (var, när, etc.) for open questions.
It's very versatile, but 'Det anses' is better for opinions and 'Det påstås' for claims.
The -s makes the verb passive. Without it, the sentence doesn't make sense.
Use sin when the object belongs to the subject of the same clause. Use hans when it belongs to someone else.
Yes, only if you are reporting your own words. Jag sa att jag var trött.
Previous Chapter
Advanced Passive
Next Chapter
Participles as Adjectives
Back to Roadmap