Discurso indireto em inglês: guia completo com exemplos
O discurso indireto permite transmitir o que alguém disse sem citar as palavras exatas. Mas não é só remover as aspas: os tempos verbais mudam, os pronomes se transformam e as expressões de tempo se adaptam. Este guia cobre todas as áreas-chave com exemplos reais. Pesquise ou filtre por categoria abaixo.
48 items · 6 topics
"She said she was tired"
Direct: "I am tired." — present becomes past in reported speech
"She said she was tired after the long flight."
"He told me he had finished"
Direct: "I have finished." — present perfect shifts to past perfect
"He told me he had finished the report before the deadline."
"They said they would come"
Direct: "We will come." — will becomes would in reported speech
"They said they would come to the party on Friday."
"She explained that she didn't know"
Direct: "I don't know." — simple present shifts to simple past
"She explained that she didn't know the answer to the question."
"He mentioned he was leaving"
Direct: "I am leaving." — present continuous shifts to past continuous
"He mentioned he was leaving for Tokyo the next morning."
"She admitted she had been wrong"
Direct: "I have been wrong." — perfect shifts back to past perfect
"She admitted she had been wrong about the project timeline."
"He confirmed the meeting was cancelled"
Direct: "The meeting is cancelled." — is becomes was
"He confirmed the meeting was cancelled due to bad weather."
"They announced they were hiring"
Direct: "We are hiring." — present continuous shifts back in formal reported speech
"They announced they were hiring ten new engineers that quarter."
"She asked where I lived"
Direct: "Where do you live?" — wh-question becomes statement word order
"She asked where I lived before moving to London."
"He wondered if I had eaten"
Direct: "Have you eaten?" — yes/no question uses if/whether, no inversion
"He wondered if I had eaten anything since the morning."
"They asked whether she was coming"
Direct: "Is she coming?" — whether introduces the reported yes/no question
"They asked whether she was coming to the conference in Berlin."
"She inquired what time it was"
Direct: "What time is it?" — is shifts to was; no inversion after what
"She inquired what time it was when I arrived at the office."
"He asked why she had left early"
Direct: "Why did she leave early?" — did removed; past shifts to past perfect
"He asked why she had left early without saying goodbye."
"The teacher asked who had done the homework"
Direct: "Who has done the homework?" — subject question, no inversion needed
"The teacher asked who had done the homework over the weekend."
"She wanted to know how long I had been waiting"
Direct: "How long have you been waiting?" — perfect continuous shifts back
"She wanted to know how long I had been waiting in the queue."
"He asked whether I could help him"
Direct: "Can you help me?" — can becomes could in reported speech
"He asked whether I could help him with the translation."
"She told me to sit down"
Direct: "Sit down!" — imperative becomes told + infinitive
"She told me to sit down and wait for the interview to start."
"He asked me not to be late"
Direct: "Please don't be late." — negative command uses asked + not + infinitive
"He asked me not to be late for the morning briefing."
"The doctor advised her to rest"
Direct: "You should rest." — advice reported with advised + infinitive
"The doctor advised her to rest for at least a week after surgery."
"She warned him not to touch it"
Direct: "Don't touch it!" — warning reported with warned + not + infinitive
"She warned him not to touch the hot surface."
"He ordered the soldiers to advance"
Direct: "Advance!" — command reported with ordered + infinitive
"He ordered the soldiers to advance at dawn."
"She urged me to apply"
Direct: "You really should apply!" — strong encouragement uses urged + infinitive
"She urged me to apply for the scholarship before the deadline."
"He reminded me to lock the door"
Direct: "Don't forget to lock the door." — reminder uses reminded + infinitive
"He reminded me to lock the door before leaving the office."
"She begged him to stay"
Direct: "Please stay!" — pleading reported with begged + infinitive
"She begged him to stay for just one more day."
"present simple → past simple"
Direct: "I work here." → He said he worked there.
"She said she worked at the hospital. (Direct: "I work at the hospital.")"
"present continuous → past continuous"
Direct: "I am studying." → She said she was studying.
"He said he was studying for his exams. (Direct: "I am studying.")"
"present perfect → past perfect"
Direct: "I have seen it." → She said she had seen it.
"She said she had seen the film twice already. (Direct: "I have seen it twice.")"
"past simple → past perfect"
Direct: "I went there." → He said he had gone there.
"He said he had gone to Paris the summer before. (Direct: "I went to Paris.")"
"will → would"
Direct: "I will call you." → She said she would call me.
"She said she would call me the following morning. (Direct: "I will call you.")"
"can → could"
Direct: "I can help." → He said he could help.
"He said he could help with the move on Saturday. (Direct: "I can help.")"
"may → might"
Direct: "It may rain." → She said it might rain.
"She said it might rain later that afternoon. (Direct: "It may rain.")"
"must → had to"
Direct: "I must leave." → He said he had to leave.
"He said he had to leave immediately after the meeting. (Direct: "I must leave.")"
"say / tell"
Neutral verbs for passing on information; say takes no object, tell requires one
"She said the train was delayed. He told me the train was delayed."
"explain / clarify"
Used when giving a reason or making something clearer
"She explained that the delay was caused by engineering works."
"claim / insist"
Suggest the speaker asserts something strongly, often with implied doubt
"He claimed he had never seen the document before."
"admit / confess"
Used when reporting something the speaker acknowledged reluctantly
"She admitted she had made a mistake in the figures."
"deny / refuse"
Deny reports a negative claim; refuse reports unwillingness to act
"He denied knowing anything about the missing files."
"suggest / recommend"
Report advice or proposals; followed by -ing or a that-clause
"She suggested taking the earlier train to avoid traffic."
"promise / threaten"
Report a commitment or a warning of negative action
"He promised he would return the money by Friday."
"announce / declare"
Used for formal or public statements made to a group
"The CEO announced that the company had exceeded its targets."
"now → then / at that moment"
Direct: "I am busy now." → She said she was busy then.
"She said she was busy then and couldn't take any calls."
"today → that day"
Direct: "I am leaving today." → He said he was leaving that day.
"He said he was leaving that day on the evening flight."
"yesterday → the day before / the previous day"
Direct: "It happened yesterday." → She said it had happened the day before.
"She said it had happened the day before during the afternoon shift."
"tomorrow → the next day / the following day"
Direct: "I'll call tomorrow." → He said he would call the next day.
"He said he would call the following day with an update."
"last week → the week before / the previous week"
Direct: "We met last week." → She said they had met the week before.
"She said they had met the previous week to discuss the proposal."
"next year → the following year"
Direct: "We will expand next year." → They said they would expand the following year.
"They said they would open a new branch the following year."
"here → there"
Direct: "Come here!" → She told him to go there.
"She told him to go there and wait by the main entrance."
"this → that / these → those"
Direct: "Take this form." → He told me to take that form.
"He told me to take that form and fill it in carefully."
Perguntas frequentes
O que é o discurso indireto em inglês?
O discurso indireto (também chamado de discurso relatado) é uma forma de descrever o que alguém disse sem citar as palavras exatas. Geralmente envolve a mudança de pronomes, o recuo dos tempos verbais um passo atrás (backshift) e a atualização das expressões de tempo e lugar. Por exemplo, "I am tired" (direto) torna-se "She said she was tired" (indireto).
É sempre necessário fazer o recuo temporal no discurso indireto?
Nem sempre. O recuo é necessário quando o verbo de relato está no passado e a situação descrita mudou ou já não é atual. No entanto, se a afirmação ainda é verdadeira ou se refere a um facto geral, pode-se manter o tempo original: "He said the Earth orbits the Sun" (não "orbited"). O recuo é especialmente importante na escrita formal e em exames.
Qual é a diferença entre "say" e "tell" no discurso indireto?
"Say" não requer um objeto pessoal — you say something ou you say that... "Tell" requer sempre um objeto pessoal — you tell someone something. Errado: "She told that she was ready." Correto: "She said she was ready" ou "She told me she was ready." Este é um dos erros mais comuns no discurso indireto.
Como se relatam perguntas em inglês?
As perguntas em discurso indireto usam a ordem das palavras das frases afirmativas (sem inversão) e não terminam com ponto de interrogação. As perguntas com pronome interrogativo usam esse pronome como conector: "Where do you work?" → "She asked where I worked." As perguntas de sim/não usam if ou whether: "Are you ready?" → "He asked if I was ready." Lembre-se de mudar os tempos e de remover do/does/did.
Como se relatam ordens e pedidos?
Ordens e pedidos em discurso indireto usam a estrutura: verbo de relato + objeto + infinitivo. Para ordens afirmativas, usam-se verbos como tell, order, ask, urge, advise, warn: "Go home!" → "He told me to go home." Para ordens negativas, acrescenta-se not antes do infinitivo: "Don't be late!" → "She told him not to be late." A forma imperativa desaparece completamente.
Ouvir o discurso indireto em conversas e podcasts autênticos é a forma mais rápida de o tornar automático.
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