reported speech

Le discours indirect

On emploie le discours indirect (reported speech) pour dire ce que quelqu'un a dit. Il y a deux façons de faire cela:
Vous pouvez répéter les mots (discours direct): He said: "I'm watching TV" (Il a dit: "Je regarde la télé").
Ou vous pouvez employer le discours indirect: He said (that) he was watching TV (Il a dit qu'il regardait la télé).

Le mot that est entre parenthèses parce qu'il n'est pas obligatoire.

En général, lorsque nous employons le discours indirect, nous parlons du passé. D'ordinaire donc nous mettons le verbe (ou auxiliaire) au prétérit.
Exemples:Discours direct Discours indirect
"Mary is happy." He said (that) Mary was happy.
"I want to buy a new computer, but I don't know which one to buy." He said (that) he wanted to buy a new computer but didn't know which one to buy.
"I am going to buy a car." He said (that) he was going to buy a car.
"It is cold in here; I will close the window." He said (that) it was cold; he would close the window.
Note: would est le prétérit de will.
"I have lost my watch." He said (that) he had lost his watch.


La plupart des modaux (could, might, must, ought, should, would) restent inchangés dans le discours indirect. En revanche, can devient could et may devient might.

En général, le prétérit simple (I did) reste inchangé dans le discours indirect, mais vous pouvez le changer au past perfect (I had done):Discours direct Discours indirect
I didn't go to school on Thursday because there was a train strike. He said he hadn't gone (ou didn't go) to school on Thursday because there had been (ou was) a train strike.


Parfois, on ne modifie pas le verbe lorsqu'on emploie le discours indirect. Si ce que vous rapportez est toujours vrai, vous n'êtes pas obligé de changer le temps du verbe:Discours direct Discours indirect
"Diamonds are more expensive than pearls." He said (that) diamonds are (ou were) more expensive than pearls.
"Computers have gone down in price." He said (that) computers have (ou had) gone down in price.


Dans ces deux exemples on peut mettre le verbe au prétérit (ou past perfect) ou le laisser comme il est.

Mais on est obligé d'employer le prétérit lorsqu'on n'est pas d'accord avec ce que on rapporte (si on estime qu'il est faux).Discours direct Discours indirect
"France is bigger than Canada." He said (that) France was bigger than Canada.
"Ireland have never beaten England at rugby." He said (that) Ireland had never beaten England at rugby.


Say et tell

Après say on n'est pas obligé d'employer un complément d'object indirect (COI); après tell on est obligé d'en employer un. Donc, si vous mentionnez avec qui vous parlez, employez le verbe tell comme ceci:
Correct: He told me [COI] (that) he didn't know the answer.
Incorrect: *He said me he didn't know the answer.

Sinon, employez say:
Correct: He said (that) he didn't know the answer.
Incorrect: *He told he didn't know the answer.

Si on emploie say avec un COI, on est obligé d'employer la préposition to, mais cela est rare. Voici un exemple:
Correct: He said to me that he didn't know the answer.

A la différence de say (ou said), après tell (ou told) on peut avoir différentes structures:COI + mot en WH:
what, who, when, where, why, how He told me what he wanted.
COI + infinitif He told me to go home.
COI + mot en WH + infinitif He told me where to go.
COI + groupe nominal He told me the truth.


On emploie l'infinitif dans le discours indirect, surtout avec tell et ask (pour des ordres et des requêtes):Discours direct Discours indirect
My boss said: "Finish that project by Friday." (ordre) The boss told me to finish the project by Friday.
She said: "Please be quiet while the baby is asleep." (requête) She asked me to be quiet while the baby was asleep.
He said: "Can you pass me the salt?" (requête) He asked me to pass the salt.



On peut aussi employer said avec l'infinitif:
The boss said to finish the work by