From the imperative to reported speech: dice que vengas; pide que trabajen...

Del imperativo al estilo indirecto: dice que vengas; pide que trabajen...

Este uso del estilo indirecto sirve para transmitir órdenes, instrucciones o peticiones de otra persona.

(This use of indirect speech is used to convey someone else’s orders, instructions, or requests.)

Teacher explanation

What’s happening here: reporting an order (not a statement)

When you repeat an order/request indirectly in Spanish, you usually do not keep the imperative.

Direct order: “Serve the drink.”
Reported order: He says that I should serve the drink.

In Spanish, reported orders are built with:

verbo de habla (says/asks/recommends…) + que + subjuntivo

The core formula (the one to memorize)

Step	What you do	Example
1	Choose a speech verb	dice / pide / recomienda
2	Add que	dice que…
3	Put the action in the subjunctive for the person who must do it	dice que sirva…

Who is the order for? (this decides the subjunctive form)

The most common mistake is choosing the wrong person.

Direct order (who is addressed)	Indirect speech (subjunctive person)	Example
Tú	3rd person singular: él/ella/usted	“Sirve…” → Dice que sirva…
Vosotros	3rd person plural: ellos/ellas/ustedes	“Traed…” → Pide que traigan…

Key idea: In indirect speech, the “imperative” becomes a 3rd-person subjunctive form (because you are no longer speaking directly to the person).

Typical verbs that trigger this structure

decir: Dice que… (He/she says that…)
pedir: Pide que… (He/she asks that…)
recomendar: Recomienda que… (He/she recommends that…)
ordenar / exigir (stronger): Ordena/Exige que…

All of these can introduce an order/request → que + subjuntivo.

What to avoid: indicative and “keeping” the imperative

Don’t keep the imperative:

~~Dice: «Sirve la bebida» → Dice que sirve la bebida.~~ (wrong: indicative)

Dice que sirva la bebida. (correct: subjunctive order)
Don’t add the subject like English does:

~~Dice que yo sirva…~~ (usually unnecessary)

Dice que sirva… (more natural)

Negatives: where “no” goes

For a negative order in indirect speech:

…que no + subjuntivo

Example:

“No tomes más aperitivo.” → Recomienda que no tomes más aperitivo.

Self-check: did you build it correctly?

Is it an order/request? If yes, you likely need que + subjuntivo.
Who must do the action? Choose the subjunctive form for that person.
Did you avoid the indicative? If you see a normal present tense (like traen, sirve), re-check.
If it’s negative: place no right before the verb.

Result: You can reliably convert direct imperatives into professional, natural indirect speech for reporting instructions.

Indirect speech ⭢ reporting verb + que + subjunctive.
Orders are expressed in the third person.
The imperative is not kept in indirect speech; orders are expressed with the subjunctive.

Personal pronouns	Direct speech	Indirect speech
Tú ⭢ Usted	"Sirve la bebida". ("Serve the drink".)	Dice que sirva la bebida. (He/She says to serve the drink.)
Vosotros ⭢ Ustedes	"Traed el segundo plato". ("Bring the second course".)	Pide que traigan el segundo plato. (He/She asks them to bring the second course.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. El maitre dice que ______ la bebida primero y luego traiga el primer plato.

2. El chef nos pide que ______ el vino joven antes de elegir el reserva.

3. La encargada del restaurante pide que ______ una jarra de agua para la mesa 8.

4. El sommelier recomienda que no ______ más aperitivo si luego quieres conducir.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Turn the sentences from direct style (imperative) into indirect style to convey an order or request: reporting verb + que + subjunctive. Example: "Close the door" → He/She says that he/she should close the door.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

El jefe me dice: «Envíame el informe hoy».

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
El jefe me dice que le envíe el informe hoy.
(The boss tells me to send him the report today.)
La médico le dice al paciente: «Tome esta pastilla después de comer».

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
La médica le dice al paciente que tome esta pastilla después de comer.
(The doctor tells the patient to take this pill after eating.)
El profesor les dice a los alumnos: «Entregad la tarea el viernes».

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
El profesor les dice a los alumnos que entreguen la tarea el viernes.
(The teacher tells the students to hand in the homework on Friday.)
La recepcionista le pide al cliente: «Rellene este formulario, por favor».

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
La recepcionista le pide al cliente que rellene este formulario, por favor.
(The receptionist asks the customer to fill out this form, please.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in indirect speech.