Indirect speech: past tense
Get your bookIn indirect speech, the subordinate clause is usually in the past tense if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense.
- In indirect speech, different linking words are used, such as dat, waarom, hoe, of.
- In indirect speech, the verb tense changes: a past tense in direct speech becomes the past perfect, a present tense becomes the past tense, and zal becomes zou.
| Type zin (Type of sentence) | Directe rede (Direct speech ) | Indirecte rede (Indirect speech ) |
|---|---|---|
| normale zin (declarative sentence) | (The flood caused a lot of damage.) | Hij zei dat de overstroming veel schade had veroorzaakt. (He said that the flood had caused a lot of damage.) |
| vragende zin (question) | (Why did you commit yourself to the environment?) | Hij vroeg waarom ze zich voor het milieu had ingezet. (He asked why she had committed herself to the environment.) |
| voorwaardelijke zin (conditional sentence) | (If you make an effort, it can help.) | Ze zei dat als je je inzette, het zou kunnen helpen. (She said that if you made an effort, it would be able to help.) |
Exercise 1: Multiple choice
Instruction: Choose the correct answer
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1. De wethouder zei dat de vervuiling in onze wijk de afgelopen jaren ____ toegenomen. De wethouder zei dat de vervuiling in onze wijk de afgelopen jaren was toegenomen.
The alderman said that the pollution in our neighborhood ____ increased in recent years.2. Mijn collega vroeg waarom de gemeente de vergunningen voor die fabriek ____ verlengd. Mijn collega vroeg waarom de gemeente de vergunningen voor die fabriek had verlengd.
My colleague asked why the municipality ____ extended the permits for that factory.3. De medewerker van de gemeente zei dat als we beter recycleerden, we minder restafval ____ hebben. De medewerker van de gemeente zei dat als we beter recycleerden, we minder restafval zouden hebben.
The municipality employee said that if we recycled better, we ____ have less residual waste.4. De huisarts vroeg of ik me aan de adviezen over luchtkwaliteit ____ gehouden. De huisarts vroeg of ik me aan de adviezen over luchtkwaliteit had gehouden.
The GP asked whether I ____ followed the advice about air quality.Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases
Instruction: Change the sentences from direct speech to reported speech: start with the indicated verb (e.g. said/asked) and use the correct conjunction (that/why/how/or); adjust the tenses (present → past, past → past perfect, will → would).
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Show/Hide translation-
(Hij zei) "Ik lever het rapport morgen in."⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleHij zei dat hij het rapport de volgende dag zou inleveren.(He said that he would hand in the report the next day.)
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(De teamleider vroeg) "Waarom heb je je ziek gemeld?"⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleDe teamleider vroeg waarom ik me ziek had gemeld.(The team leader asked why I had called in sick.)
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(Ze zei) "De storing veroorzaakte gisteren veel problemen."⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleZe zei dat de storing de dag ervoor veel problemen had veroorzaakt.(She said that the outage had caused many problems the day before.)
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(De collega zei) "Als je de handleiding leest, begrijp je het sneller."⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleDe collega zei dat als ik de handleiding las, ik het sneller zou begrijpen.(The colleague said that if I read the manual, I would understand it faster.)
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct indirect speech in the past tense.
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