IMPORTANT!

Alice has promised she will come here tomorrow.
26.3.5. Dacă predicatul propoziției principale este la un timp trecut: Past Tense, Past Perfect, Future -inthe-Past, timpurile verbale din enunțul reprodus devin și ele trecute. Această schimbare a timpurilor este denumită back-shift în limba engleză, deoarece ea are loc dinspre prezent spre trecut sau dinspre trecut spre un timp și mai trecut:
Present devine Past Tense;
Past Tense, Present Perfect, Past Perfect devin Past Perfect;
Future devine Future-in-the-Past.
Schimbarea timpurilor în completiva directă se aplică la propozițiile enunțiative, exclamative și interogative.

• Mr Brown said to his wife I’ve been very busy today.

  • Mr Brown said to his wife how hungry I am.

    • Mr Brown said to his wife will you give me something to eat?

      • Mr Brown told his wife that he had been very busy that day.

        • He exclaimed that he was very hungry.

          • He asked his wife is she would give him something to eat.
            Propozițiile imperative, care devin infinitive în vorbirea indirectă, nu se supun acestei reguli, deoarece nu conțin un verb la o formă personală:

            • Mrs Brown said to her husband, Be careful! Don’t drive so fast!

              • Mrs Brown told her husband to be careful and not to drive so fast.
                26.3.6. Conform regulilor de corespondență a timpurilor, după un verb la un timp trecut, Present simple devine de obicei Past Simple în vorbirea indirectă:

                • Doris said, I have many friends.

                  • Doris said she had many friends.
                    Excepții:
                    a) când prezentul nedefinit exprimă o acțiune repetată, un obicei sau o caracteristică a subiectului, timpul poate rămână neschimbat dacă acțiunea are același caracter și în momentul prezent (momentul vorbirii
                    indirecte):

                    • George said I go to the seaside every summer.

                      • George said that he went to the seaside every summer.

                        • George said that he goes to the seaside every summer.
                          b) când vorbirea directă exprimă un fapt universal valabil, un adevăr absolut, timpul nu se schimbă:

                          • The teacher said, Water boils at 1000 Celsius.

                            • The teacher said that water boils at 1000 Celsius.
                              c) când conținutul enunțului este valabil și în momentul vorbirii:

                              • George said I can’t buy a pair of skis now, I haven’t saved enough money.

                                • George said, he can’t buy a pair of skis as he hasn’t saved enough money.
                                  Prezentul continuu se transformă de obicei în Past Tense continuu:

                                  • I’m reading. He said he was reading.
                                    26.3.7. O acțiune viitoare este exprimată în vorbirea indirectă în modul următor:
                                    will (+infinitiv) devin: would (+infinitiv)
                                    would (+infinitiv) devin: would (+infinitiv)
                                    I, we shall (+infinitiv) devine: he, they, would (+infintiv) am / is / are going to (+infinitiv) devin: was / were going to (+infinitiv)

                                    • Frank said, I’m going to buy a new car next year.

                                      • Frank said I shall buy another car.

                                        • Frank said he was going to buy a new car the following year and added he would buy a Mercedes car.
                                          Excepție: Corespondența timpurilor nu se aplică în cazul în care acțiunea e viitoare și momentul vorbirii indirecte, nu numai în momentul vorbirii directe:

                                          • George said, I’ll take up engineering after graduation.
                                            

                                            • George said he’ll take up engineering after graduation.
                                              26.3.8. Past Simple devine Past Perfect Simple În vorbirea indirectă: Mother said, Tom hurt himself.

                                              • Mother said that Tom had hurt himself.
                                                Excepții:
                                                Past Simple poate rămâne neschimbat pentru:
                                                a) acțiuni repetate în trecut:

                                                • Harry said, I invited all my friend to my birthday parties when I was young.

                                                  • Harry said he invited all his friends to his birthday parties when he was young.
                                                    b) exprimarea unui fapt:

                                                    • The children asked, were there any animals on the farm?

                                                      • The children asked if there were any animals on the farm.
                                                        c) enunțuri redate în vorbirea indirectă imediat după rostirea lor (în aceeași zi):

                                                        • Paul said, I played football this morning.

                                                          • Paul said he played football this morning.
                                                            d) când între predicatele din principală și completiva directă nu există un raport de anterioritate:

                                                            • He said, Galsworthy was the greatest writer of his time.

                                                              • He said that Galsworthy was the greatest writer of his time.
                                                                e) în vorbire, dacă nu se produce confuzie cu privire la momentele celor două acțiuni:

                                                                • My friend said to me, i saw good film last night.

                                                                  • My friend told me he saw a good film last night.
                                                                    f) în propozițiile circumstanțiale de timp. Propoziția regentă circumstanțialei de timp poate fi de asemenea menținută la Past Tense sau deveni Past Perfect:

                                                                    • Our neighbour told us he met our father when he was living in Bordeaux.

                                                                      • Our neighbour told us he had met our father when he was living in Bordeaux.
                                                                        g) în propozițiile condiționale de tipul 2:

                                                                        • Harry said, I would go to the museum if it was open.

                                                                          • Harry said he would go to the museum if it was open.
                                                                            h) după wish, would rather, it is time:

                                                                            • It’s time you finished your papers, the teacher said.

                                                                              • The teacher told the pupils it was time they finished their papers.
                                                                                26.3.9. Past Tense Continuous devine în principiu Past Perfect Continuous, dar în practică rămâne adesea neschimbat.
                                                                                Schimbarea are loc doar când acest timp se referă la o acțiune terminată:

                                                                                • He said, We were thinking of moving house but have changed our minds.

                                                                                  • He said that they had been thinking of moving house but had changed their minds.
                                                                                    26.3.10. Verbele modale se schimbă în felul următor: may devine might, will devine would, can devine could:

                                                                                    • The typist said, The mechanic can fix my typewriter but he won’t.

                                                                                      • The typist complained that the mechanic could fix her typewriter but he wouldn’t.
                                                                                        Dacă verbele modale exprimate în vorbire directă nu au forme pentru trecut, ca de exemplu must, need, should, ought to, had better, sau sunt deja la trecut sau condițional, ca would, could, might și used to (numai Past Tense), ele rămân neschimbate în vorbirea indirectă:

                                                                                        • We must buy Mother a present for her birthday, the children said.

                                                                                          • The children said they must buy mother a present for her birthday.

                                                                                            • You ought to help your parents, Tom, the teacher said.

                                                                                              • The teacher told Tom he ought to help his parents.
                                                                                                Atenție! În general must se menține în vorbirea indirectă. Când însă must exprimă o obligație, el poate deveni would have to sau had to, în funcție de sens:

                                                                                                • Harry said, I must go to school now.

                                                                                                  • Harry said he had to go to school immediately.

                                                                                                    • Father said, I must go to a conference tomorrow.

                                                                                                      • Father said he would have to go a conference the next day.
                                                                                                        În mod similar, could este menținut în vorbirea indirectă:

                                                                                                        • George asked, Could I use your pen?

                                                                                                          • George asked me if he could use my pen.

                                                                                                             sau menținut / schimbat în funcție de sens:

                                                                                                            • He said Could you lend me your dictionary, please?

                                                                                                              • He said I could swim when it was nine.

                                                                                                                • He said I couldn’t go into the water alone when I was a child.

                                                                                                                  • He asked me to lend him my dictionary.

                                                                                                                    • He asked me if I could lend him my dictionary.

                                                                                                                      • He said he could swim when it was nine.

                                                                                                                        • He said he had been able to swim when it was nine.

                                                                                                                          • He added he couldn’t go into the water alone when he was a child.

                                                                                                                            • He added he had not been allowed to go into the water alone when he was a child.
                                                                                                                              26.3.11. Frazele condiționale de tipul 2 și 3 nu se schimbă în vorbirea indirectă. Cele de tipul 1 devin identice ca formă cu condiționalele de tipul 2:

                                                                                                                              • He said, You’ll hurt yourself if you are not careful.

                                                                                                                                • He told me I would hurt myself if was not careful.
                                                                                                                                  B. Modificările specifice se referă la verbele care trebuie folosite în fiecare fel de propoziție reprodusă (enunțiativă, exclamativă, interogativă, imperativă), la punctuație, ordinea cuvintelor etc.