Master one of the most useful grammar concepts for speaking and writing naturally in French.

 

Imagine your friend tells you:

“Je suis fatigué.”
  I am tired.

Later, someone asks you,

“What did your friend say?”

You don’t repeat the exact sentence.

Instead, you say,

He said that he was tired.

 

This is something we do naturally in English every day. French works exactly the same way. Sometimes we repeat someone’s exact words. Sometimes we report what they said.

These are called:

• Discours Direct (Direct Speech)
• Discours Indirect (Indirect Speech / Reported Speech)

 

Many students find this topic confusing because they think they need to memorise dozens of grammar rules. The truth is much simpler. Once you understand when and why we use each one, the grammar starts making sense.

Let’s break it down.

 

WHAT IS DISCOURS DIRECT?

“Discours direct” simply means repeating someone’s exact words. Think of it as putting quotation marks around what someone said.

For example,

Marie says:

“Je suis heureuse.”

If we repeat her exact words, we write:

Marie dit : “Je suis heureuse.”

Nothing changes. The sentence stays exactly the same because we’re quoting her.

 

More examples:

Paul dit :

“J’habite à Montréal.”

 

Le professeur dit :

“Ouvrez vos livres.”

 

Sophie demande :

“Tu viens demain ?”

 

These are all examples of discours direct.

 

WHAT IS DISCOURS INDIRECT?

Now imagine you want to tell someone what Marie said. Instead of repeating her exact words, you report the information.

Marie says:

“Je suis heureuse.”

You report it:

Marie dit qu’elle est heureuse.

 

Notice what changed. The quotation marks disappeared. The sentence became part of your own sentence. That’s exactly what discours indirect means.

 

DIRECT VS INDIRECT

Let’s compare.

• Direct

Paul dit :

“Je travaille aujourd’hui.”

• Indirect

Paul dit qu’il travaille aujourd’hui.

Same meaning. Different structure.

• Direct

Julie dit :

“J’aime le chocolat.”

 

2. Indirect

Julie dit qu’elle aime le chocolat.

 

WHY DO WE USE DISCOURS INDIRECT?

Because that’s how conversations work. Imagine this dialogue.

Emma says: “I’m going to Paris.”

Later your friend asks, “What did Emma say?”

You probably won’t answer, Emma said: “I’m going to Paris.”

You’ll naturally say, Emma said she was going to Paris.

French follows the same logic.

 

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

This is always the first step.

Direct

Pierre dit :

“Je regarde un film.”

↓

Indirect

Pierre dit qu’il regarde un film.

 

Step 2: Change the Pronouns

This is where most learners make mistakes. Whenever you report someone else’s words, the pronouns usually change.

Look carefully.

• Direct

Marie dit :

“Je suis occupée.”

↓

Indirect

Marie dit qu’elle est occupée.

Je

↓

Elle

• Direct

Paul dit :

“Nous partons demain.”

↓

Paul dit qu’ils partent demain.

 

Always ask yourself, who is speaking? That helps you choose the correct pronoun.

 

Step 3: Introduce “que”

Most reported statements begin with que

Examples:

Il dit que…

Elle explique que…

Le professeur pense que…

Ils disent que…

You’ll use que constantly in reported speech.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO QUESTIONS?

Questions follow a slightly different pattern.

• Direct

Elle demande :

“Tu habites où ?”

 

Indirect

Elle demande où tu habites.

Notice something. The question marks disappear. The sentence becomes a statement.

• Direct

Il demande :

“Pourquoi es-tu en retard ?”

↓

Il demande pourquoi tu es en retard.

 

Yes/No Questions

If the answer can only be yes or no, French uses si

Example.

• Direct

Il demande :

“Tu viens ?”

↓

Indirect

Il demande si tu viens.

• Direct

Elle demande :

“Vous parlez français ?”

↓

Elle demande si vous parlez français.

 

Remember:

Questions beginning with

Why

Where

When

How

keep their question word. Questions answered by Yes/No use si.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO COMMANDS?

Commands also change.

• Direct

Le professeur dit :

“Fermez la porte.”

↓

Indirect

Le professeur demande de fermer la porte.

• Direct

Maman dit :

“Fais tes devoirs.”

↓

Maman demande de faire ses devoirs.

 

Notice the infinitive. French often reports commands using de + infinitive

 

DO VERB TENSES ALWAYS CHANGE?

Here’s some good news. If the reporting verb is in the present, most verb tenses stay exactly the same.

Example.

1. Marie dit :

“Je travaille.”

↓

Marie dit qu’elle travaille.

 

1. Pierre dit :

“Je vais partir.”

↓

Pierre dit qu’il va partir.

 

NO tense change. This is what you’ll use most often at A1, A2 and B1.

 

WHEN DO TENSES CHANGE?

Tense changes mainly happen when the reporting verb is in the past.

For example,

• Direct

Paul a dit :

“Je suis fatigué.”

↓

Paul a dit qu’il était fatigué.

Present

↓

Imparfait

• Direct

Elle a dit :

“Je partirai demain.”

↓

Elle a dit qu’elle partirait le lendemain.

Future

↓

Conditionnel

This is more common at B2 and DALF levels. For beginners, simply understanding the concept is enough.

 

TIME WORDS ALSO CHANGE

Sometimes the time expressions change too.

Direct	Indirect
aujourd’hui	ce jour-là
demain	le lendemain
hier	la veille
maintenant	alors

Example.

Direct:

Il dit :

“Je pars demain.”

Indirect:

Il a dit qu’il partirait le lendemain.

 

DISCOURS DIRECT VS DISCOURS INDIRECT IN EXAMS

This topic appears regularly in

• DELF B1
• DELF B2
• TCF Canada
• TEF Canada

Not because examiners want to test grammar tables. But because reported speech helps you communicate naturally.

Imagine writing:

“The manager said that the office would open tomorrow.”

Or

“My teacher told us to practise every day.”

These structures sound much more natural than repeating quotations all the time.

 

COMMON MISTAKES

• Forgetting “que”

 Il dit il est malade.

Il dit qu’il est malade.

• Keeping “je”

Marie dit que je suis heureuse.

Correct only if you are Marie.

Usually:

Marie dit qu’elle est heureuse.

• Forgetting “si”

Il demande tu viens.

Il demande si tu viens.

• Keeping Commands

 Le professeur demande ferrmez la porte.”

Le professeur demande de fermer la porte.

 

HOW TO PRACTISE REPORTED SPEECH

One simple activity works extremely well. Watch a short French video. Pause after each sentence. Now imagine you’re telling a friend what the speaker said.

For example,

Speaker:

“J’adore voyager.”

You say:

Il dit qu’il adore voyager.

This exercise trains both grammar and speaking.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

At first, discours direct and discours indirect may seem like two separate grammar topics. But in reality, they’re simply two different ways of sharing information.

Sometimes you want to repeat someone’s exact words.

Sometimes you just want to explain what they said.

That’s all. Once you stop thinking of it as a grammar rule and start seeing it as a communication tool, everything becomes much easier.

The next time you watch a French movie, read an article, or have a conversation, pay attention to how people report what others say.

You’ll start noticing que, si, and de + infinitive everywhere.

And before long, you’ll begin using them naturally in your own speaking and writing.

Like every grammar concept in French, reported speech isn’t mastered by memorising rules. It’s mastered by hearing it, noticing it, and using it in real conversations. The more you practise, the more natural it becomes.

 

PRACTICE EXERCISE

Exercise A

Transform into indirect speech.

1. Marie dit : “Je suis étudiante.”

1. Paul dit : “J’habite à Lyon.”

1. Sophie dit : “J’aime le français.”

1. Ils disent : “Nous travaillons aujourd’hui.”

1. Emma dit : “Je vais au cinéma.”

Exercise B

Transform the questions.

1. Il demande : “Tu parles français ?”

1. Elle demande : “Où habites-tu ?”

1. Le professeur demande : “Pourquoi es-tu absent ?”

1. Il demande : “Quand pars-tu ?”

1. Elle demande : “Comment vas-tu ?”

Exercise C

Transform the commands.

1. Le professeur dit : “Ouvrez vos cahiers.”

1. Papa dit : “Range ta chambre.”

1. Le médecin dit : “Buvez beaucoup d’eau.”

1. La mère dit : “Ferme la fenêtre.”

1. Le policier dit : “Attendez ici.”

 

ANSWER KEY

Exercise A

1. Marie dit qu’elle est étudiante.
2. Paul dit qu’il habite à Lyon.
3. Sophie dit qu’elle aime le français.
4. Ils disent qu’ils travaillent aujourd’hui.
5. Emma dit qu’elle va au cinéma.

 

Exercise B

1. Il demande si tu parles français.
2. Elle demande où tu habites.
3. Le professeur demande pourquoi tu es absent.
4. Il demande quand tu pars.
5. Elle demande comment tu vas.

 

Exercise C

1. Le professeur demande d’ouvrir vos cahiers.
2. Papa demande de ranger ta chambre.
3. Le médecin demande de boire beaucoup d’eau.
4. La mère demande de fermer la fenêtre.
5. Le policier demande d’attendre ici.

 

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