75 Discorsodiretto indiretto: introduzione

Quando si riferire quello che una persona

vuole ha
detto, si può usare o il ‘discorso
diretto’ o il ‘discorso indiretto’.

Nel discorso diretto si danno le parole esatte che la persona ha pronunciato e sì

usano le virgolette (‘...’ 0 ‘...").
Discorso diretto: Annie said, ‘I'm hungry.'
Nel discorso indiretto si cambiano alcune parole che la persona
ha
detto e non si

usano le virgolette.
Discorso indiretto: Annie said (that) she was hungry.
oppure: Annie says (that) she's hungry.
Se ilverbo dichiarativo è al passato (p.es. Annie said), di solito il tempo del discorso
indiretto cambia (p.es. I'm diventa passato remoto: she was).
il verbo dichiarativo è al presente (p.es. Annie says), il tempo non cambia
Ma
se I'm
(p.es. rimane al presente:
she's).

Per
il discorso indiretto, cfr. 77-80.

Say
e tell

Dopo tell si specifica in genere la persona (p.es. Sarah, me, us) a cui si parla, non
invece dopo say. Confronta:

say + qualcosa tell + qualcuno + qualcosa

I said I was going home. I told Sarah I was going home.

He says can speak French.
he He
tells me he can speak French.
Se si vuole specificare la persona anche dopo say, bisogna premetterle to.
I said to Sarah that I was going home.

In alcune espressioni con tell si può omettere la persona p.es. tell a story, tell the
time, tell the truth, tell a lie.
o
122 77-Discorso indiretto

ESERCIZIO 76A
Completa le frasi usando il tempo giusto di say tell.
Esempio:
tell you all about my holiday when I see you.
T'Il

1 Could you___ me how to get to Paris? 4 They___ the plane was going to be late.
2 Do you think she's___ us the truth? 5 Didhe___ you that he could play chess?
3 Have you____ goodbye to
everyone? 6 Why didn't you____what you wanted?

77 Discorso indiretto

1 Tempi

He said he was going home.

a Se ilverbo dichiarativo è al passato (p.es. he said, you told me), di solito il tempo del
discorso indiretto ‘si sposta all'indietro’:
m Iverbi al presente cambiano in passato.
DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

‘Tm going home.’ He said he was going home.

‘Iwant to stop.’ You told me you wanted to
stop.
‘Idon't like tea.’ She said she didn't like tea.
‘Sally has finished.’ You said that Sally had finished.
m Iverbi già al passato cambiano in trapassato o rimangono invariati.
said I had spoken to them./I said I spoke
‘I spoke to them.’ I
to them.
‘We arrived late.’ They said they had arrived late./They said
they arrived late.
m già al trapassato rimangono invariati.
I verbi
‘I had seen the film before.’ Itold you I
| had seen the film before.
 77-Discorso indiretto 123

Verbi modali
Nota
la forma del passato di questi verbi modali: can could; will > would;
shall should; may > might.

DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

‘Ican swim.' said he could swim.

He

‘I will be at home.’ said that she would be at home.

She

‘We may go by train.’ They told me they might go by train.

Iverbi modali al passato could, would, should e might rimangono invariati nel
discorso indiretto.
‘You could be right.’ I said you could be right.
‘You should seethe film.’ They told me I should see the film.
Must rimane invariato o viene sostituito dal passato di have to, cioè had to.
‘Tmust go.’ He said he must go./He said he had to go.
i
|

Non sempre si cambiano tempi passando al

discorso indiretto se questo viene
introdotto da un verbo dichiarativo al passato. si
riferisce qualcosa che è vero
Se

tuttora, talvolta si mantiene il

tempo del discorso diretto.

DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

‘The population of London is around 9
million.’
He
said that the population of London
around 9 million.
is
‘I live in Brighton.’ She told me that she lives in Brighton.

Tuttavia, anche in questo caso, spesso si cambia il

tempo.
Hesaid that the population of London was around 9 million.

E si cambia sempre se
quello che è
stato detto non è vero.
She said that she was 18 years old, but in fact she's only 16.

Pronomi, aggettivi, avverbi ecc.

I pronomi (p.es. I, me) e gli aggettivi possessivi (p.es. my, your) spesso cambiano nel
discorso indiretto. Confronta:
Discorso diretto: Sue said, ‘T°m on holiday with my friend’.
Discorso indiretto: Sue said (that) she was on holiday with her friend.
Parlando di si dice she, non I, e parlando della sua amica si dice her friend, non
Sue

my friend.
124 77-Discorso indiretto

Nel discorsodiretto si usano espressioni come here, now, today per indicare luogo il
e il tempo in si
cui al
parla. Passando discorso indiretto, queste espressioni vengono
spesso cambiate.

DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

here there
this that/the
now then
today that day
tonight that night
tomorrow the next day/the following day
yesterday ._
the day before/the previous day
next Monday the following Monday
last Monday the previous Monday

Confronta:
‘Tm here on holiday.’ She said she was there on holiday.
‘T'Il see you tomorrow.’ He said he would see me the next day.

Come cambiano queste espressioni dipende dalla situazione. Per esempio, frase la
‘T'Il see you tomorrow.', detta ieri da qualcuno, diventerebbe oggi, nel discorso
indiretto, He said he would see me today.

That

si usa that per collegare

Spesso
dipende.
una frase del discorso indiretto alla frase da cui

I said that I feeling tired.

was

You told me that you would careful. be

Dopo say
efeeling(+la
I said I was
tell persona) spesso
tired.
si omette that, soprattutto nello stile informale.

You told me you would be careful.

ESERCIZIO 77A
Volgi queste affermazioni al discorso indiretto, come negli esempi.
Esempi:
‘Tm
tired,’ she said. She said (that) she was tired.
‘I need to borrow some money,’ my brother told me. My brother told me (that) he
needed to borrow some money.
HE
‘ITcan't swim very well,’ told her. I
‘Mr Mason has gone out,’
the secretary told me.
‘Idon't want to go swimming,’ Andrew said.
DUADSAWN

‘We’re leaving on Friday,’ we said.

‘We had lunch in Luigi’s restaurant,’ they said.
‘TIl phone you later,’ Sarah told Simon.
 78-Domande indirette 125

ESERCIZIO 77B

Questo è quanto hanno detto oggi a Sally alcune persone:

The manager of the bank where Sally works: ‘You'll get a pay rise later in the
year.
An
optician: ‘There is nothing wrong with your eyes. You don't need to wear
glasses.’
Sally's boyfriend, Peter: ‘T'd like a big family. I want at least five children.’
Sally's father: ‘T've done the shopping. I'Il be homeat about seven.’
Sally's driving instructor: ‘You drove very well. You're making good progress.’
A man who works in a dry-cleaner's: ‘Your skirt will be ready on Saturday.’

Adesso è sera e Sally sta dicendo a sua madre com'è andata la giornata. Completa
quello che Sally le riferisce con il discorso indiretto.
Sally: I went the dry-cleaner’s at lunchtime. The man there said my skirt would
to
be ready on Saturday.
Mother: And what about the optician? What did she say?
Sally: Oh, she told me__1___ eyes andthatI__2__ glasses.
Mother: Oh, that's good. And what about your driving lesson? How did that go?
Sally: Oh, fine. My instructor told me thatI__3___andthatI__4__ progress.
Mother: That's very good. And what about Peter? Did you see him today?
Sally: No, but he phoned me at work. He made me laugh. He said he __5__ and
that he __6__ children.
Mother: Five! Well, I hope you can afford them.
Sally: Oh, yes. That reminds me. I was speaking to the manager at work and she
said thatI__7__.
Mother: Oh, that’s good.
Sally: Yes. Oh, and before I forget. Dad phoned. He said he __8__andthathe__9__ seven.

Domande indirette

What are
you doing?

The policeman asked the men what they were doing.

126 78-Domande indirette

Quando si trasforma una domanda da diretta a indiretta, i tempi, gli aggettivi, i

pronomi ecc.
(cfr. 77).
cambiano seguendo le
stesse regole viste per il discorso indiretto

DOMANDA DIRETTA DOMANDA INDIRETTA

‘What are you doing?’ The policeman asked the men what they were doing.
‘How is your brother?’ She asked how my brother was.

Nelle domande indirette l'ordine delle parole è come nelle frasi affermative
(p.es. they were doing, my brother was) e non usa
si il
punto interrogativo.

Nelle domande indirette non

si usa il verbo ausiliare do (do, does o did).

DOMANDA DIRETTA DOMANDA INDIRETTA

do you want?’
‘What I asked what she wanted.
‘Where does he live?’ They asked where he
lived.
‘Why did you say that?’ He asked why l'a said that.

In mancanza di
pronomi o
avverbi interrogativi (p.es. what, where, why) si può
introdurre una domanda indiretta con ifo whether.

DOMANDA DIRETTA DOMANDA INDIRETTA

‘Are you cold?’ I asked if he was cold.
‘Do you want
a
drink?’
‘Can you speak German?”
She asked if I wanted
They wanted to know
a
drink.
whether I could
speak German.

Dopo ask si specifica spesso la persona a cui si pone la domanda (p.es. Ken, me).
I asked
He
Ken
if
asked me why
he was cold.
T'd said that.

ESERCIZIO 78A
A chi faresti queste domande?
1 ‘Will it take long to repair the car?’ a hotel receptionist
2 ‘Can I park my car in West Street?” a doctor
3 ‘What timedoes the film
finish?’ a policeman
4 ‘Have you got a double room?’ ‘amechanie
5 ‘How many times
a
day should I take the medicine?’
6 ‘What's the soup of the day?”
a waiter
a cinema attendant
Ora trasforma le stesse domande da dirette a indirette. Comincia così: I asked the ....
Esempio:
1 I asked the mechanic if it would take to repair the car.
long
 79-Uso dell’infinito con to nel discorso indiretto 127

ESERCIZIO 78B

Andrew, mentre era in vacanza, ha avuto

un'esperienza poco piacevole. Stava
camminando per la campagna, quando,
all'improvviso, è stato circondato da un gruppo
di soldati.
Ecco le domande che uno dei soldati ha rivolto a
Andrew.
1 ‘What are you doing here?”
2 ‘Why are you carrying a camera?’
3 ‘Did you see the
signs warning people not to
enter the area?’
4 ‘Have you been taking photos of
the army
base?!
5 ‘What’s your name?’
6 ‘Cani see some proof of
your identity?”

Dopo la vacanza, Andrew ha raccontato agli amici quello che gli è successo.
Completa il
racconto di Andrew usando il
discorso indiretto.

was about seven miles from the youth hostel in the middle of nowhere when
‘IT

suddenly a jeep roared up to me and I was surrounded soldiers pointing guns!

by

An officer asked me 1 what I was doing there. Then he pointed at my Kodak and
asked me __2___.Itried to explain that I was on holiday there, but then he wanted
to know __3__. Itold himIhadn't. Then he asked me__4__.Isaid that Ididn't
even know there was an army base there. Then he wanted to know _5___ and
__6__. Then, just because I couldn't prove who I was, they put me the jeep and in
drove me to
some kind of underground army base. They kept me there while they
phoned theyouth hostel to check up on me.’

Uso dell’infinito con to nel discorso indiretto

Spesso, nel discorso indiretto, per riferire di ordini, richieste, avvertimenti, consigli
e inviti, si usa la costruzione: verbo + complemento + l'infinito con to.

DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

‘Get out of my room.’ She told the man to getsome
out of her room.
‘Could you carry some bags, Mike?’ I asked Mike
to carry bags.
‘Stay away from me.’ He warned them to stay away from him.
‘You should phone the police.’ She advised him to phone the police.
‘Would you like to have dinner with us?’ They invited me
to have dinner with them.
 128 80-Riepilogo del discorso indiretto

Spesso, nel discorso indiretto, per riferire di offerte, promesse e minacce, si usa la
costruzione: verbo + l'infinito con to.
DISCORSO DIRETTO DISCORSO INDIRETTO

‘Can I help you?” The woman offered to help me.

‘T'Il be careful.’ You promised to
be careful.
TI hit you!’ She threatened hit me.to
Se
si tratta di ordini, promesse ecc. in forma negativa, si usa not to + l'infinito.
‘Don't touch my camera.’ He
told me not to touch his camera.
‘Twon't be late.’ You promised not to late. be

ESERCIZIO 79A
Riscrivi queste frasi passando dal discorso diretto a quello indiretto usando la forma
dell'infinito con to.
Esempi:
‘TIl pay back the money.’ (she promised) She promised to pay back the money.
‘Hurry up.’ (he told me) Hetold me hurry up. to
‘Can I do the washing up?’ (I offered)
‘TIl phone the police!’ (she threatened)
‘You should stop smoking.’ (the doctor advised my brother)
‘Could you change the light bulb for me?’ (he asked me)
DIDUIUDWNHE

‘Don’t be stupid.’ (she told me)

‘Would you like to come to my party?’ (he invited her)
‘Twon't forget the shopping.’ (I promised)
‘Don’t leave the door unlocked.’ (she warned them)

80 Riepilogo del discorso indiretto

ESERCIZIO 80A
Componi delle frasi con il discorso indiretto. Talvolta sono possibili due costruzioni.
Esempi:
‘Ican't type,’ I told them.
‘Tm tired,’ he said. ‘Are you English?’ they asked me.
He said (that) he tired. are
DWNS

was ‘Where you going?’ I asked her.

‘Did you enjoy the film?’ I asked her. ‘We’re going into town,’ they said.
I asked her if
she had enjoyed film. / the ‘Thaven't got any money,’ he told me.
I asked her if
she enjoyed the film.
‘Switch off the TV,’ she told me.
DIA

‘Could you speak more slowly?’ he asked

her.
She told me to switch off the TV. NI‘Don’t touch the wire,’ he warned me.
‘Can you lend me some money?’ he asked me. do‘Twas
on
holiday in July,’ he told her.
He asked me
if
I could lend him some money./ 9 ‘What time did you get home?’ they asked
He asked me to
lend him some money. him.
 81-Forma in -ing: participio o gerundio 129

‘Can you do me
a favour?’ she asked me.
‘We won't be home late,’ we told them.
‘T've posted the letters,’ I said.
‘My
sister doesn't know,’ he said.
‘My
to
parents had gone bed,’ she said.
‘You should go to the doctor,’ she told him.
‘We’Il do the dishes,’ they promised.
‘Where do you work?” I asked her.
‘Can you phone the doctor for me?’ she asked him.
‘I passed my driving test in 1986,’ he told his boss.
‘Tdon’t know what to do,’ said.