Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

REPORTING 33.4Yo se lo había dicho a mi mujer.I had told my wife.Dijo que se lo había dicho a su mujer.He said he had told his wife.The imperfect does not change either.Yo la quería mucho.I loved her very much.Dijo que la quería mucho.He said he loved her very much.33.3.3Verbs for reporting statementsDecir, ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, is the most common verb used when reporting statements,specially in the spoken language. In very formal speech and in writing you willencounter verbs like afirmar, ‘to state’, ‘to declare’, agregar, añadir, ‘to add’,comentar, ‘to comment’, explicar, ‘to explain’, expresar, ‘to express’. Otherreporting verbs may reveal the intention of the statement, for example aconsejar,‘to advise’, advertir, ‘to warn’, asegurar, ‘to assure’, esperar, ‘to hope’, negar, ‘to deny’,prometer, ‘to promise’.Afirmó que estaría dispuesto a hacerlo.He stated he would be willing to do it.Agregó/añadió que no le importaba lo que dijeran.He/she added that he/she didn’t mind what people said.Me aconsejaron que no lo comprase.They advised me not to buy it.33.4Reporting questions200The changes which may affect interrogative sentences when being reported are similarto those undergone by statements. The reporting verb, usually preguntar, can take thepresent (e.g. pregunta, ‘he/she asks’), the perfect (e.g. ha preguntado, ‘he/she hasasked’), the imperfect (e.g. preguntaba, ‘he/she was asking’) or, more commonly, thepreterite (preguntó, ‘he/she asked’). This must be followed by si, ‘if’ or ‘whether’, in thecase of questions which require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Si is not used when reportingquestions introduced by an interrogative word.¿Ha llegado Amalia?Has Amalia arrived?El gerente pregunta si ha llegado Amalia.The manager asks if Amalia has arrived.¿Te gusta vivir aquí?Do you like living here?Me preguntabas si me gusta vivir aquí. Pues, la verdad es que no.You were asking me if I like living here. Well, not really.¿Recibió mamá mi carta?Did mother receive my letter?