間接話法を使う場合の時制の変更
一般に間接会話における時制は、直接話法の時制のひとつ前の時制になります：
She said, "I am tired." = She said that she was tired.
| 直接話法の句 | 相当する間接話法 |
|---|---|
| 単純現在 | 単純過去 |
| "I always drink coffee", she said | She said that she always drank coffee. |
| 現在継続 | 過去継続 |
| "I am reading a book", he explained. | He explained that he was reading a book |
| 単純過去 | 過去完了 |
| "Bill arrived on Saturday", he said. | He said that Bill had arrived on Saturday. |
| 現在完了 | 過去完了 |
| "I have been to Spain", he told me. | He told me that he had been to Spain. |
| 過去完了 | 過去完了 |
| "I had just turned out the light," he explained. | He explained that he had just turned out the light. |
| 現在完了継続 | 過去完了継続 |
| They complained, "We have been waiting for hours". | They complained that they had been waiting for hours. |
| 過去継続 | 過去完了継続 |
| "We were living in Paris", they told me. | They told me that they had been living in Paris. |
| 未来 | 条件付現在 |
| "I will be in Geneva on Monday", he said. | He said that he would be in Geneva on Monday. |
| 未来継続 | 条件付継続 |
| She said, "I'll be using the car next Friday". | She said that she would be using the car next Friday. |
伝達動詞が現在形の場合や、話された言葉の内容が現在も真実である場合は、時制を変える必要はありません。例：
- He says he has missed the train but he'll catch the next one.
- We explained that it is very difficult to find our house.
これらの法動詞は間接話法でも変わりません：might, could, would, should, ought to：
- We explained, "It could be difficult to find our house." = We explained that it could be difficult to find our house.
- She said, "I might bring a friend to the party." = She said that she might bring a friend to the party.