Il discorso indiretto si introduce con say (He said that…) o tell + persona (He told me that…). I tempi fanno di solito un passo indietro: “I'm tired” → He said he was tired, “I'll call you” → She said she would call me. Le domande indirette non hanno inversione (She asked where I lived) e gli ordini usano to + verbo (He told me to wait).
In italiano facciamo già qualcosa di molto simile: “Sono stanco” diventa “Ha detto che era stanco”. L'inglese segue la stessa logica, ma ha tre trappole per noi: la differenza tra say e tell, le domande indirette (dove l'ordine delle parole torna normale) e gli ordini (“mi ha detto di aspettare” → he told me to wait). In questa guida trovi say e tell, la tabella dei tempi, quando non spostarli, i cambi di pronomi e di tempo, le domande e gli ordini indiretti e gli altri verbi per riferire, con errori tipici ed esercizi.
Say o tell?
| Verbo | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| say | say (that) + frase | She said (that) she was busy. |
| say to | say to + persona (meno comune) | She said to me that she was busy. |
| tell | tell + persona + (that) + frase | She told me (that) she was busy. |
| tell + ordine | tell + persona + to + verbo | She told me to sit down. |
Lo spostamento dei tempi (backshift)
| Discorso diretto | Discorso indiretto | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | past simple | “I live in Rome.” → He said he lived in Rome. |
| present continuous | past continuous | “I'm working.” → She said she was working. |
| past simple | past perfect (o past simple) | “I saw it.” → He said he had seen it. |
| present perfect | past perfect | “I've finished.” → She said she had finished. |
| will | would | “I'll help you.” → He said he would help me. |
| can | could | “I can come.” → She said she could come. |
| must / have to | had to (o must) | “I must go.” → He said he had to go. |
| may | might | “It may rain.” → She said it might rain. |
Would, could, should, might e il past perfect non cambiano. Il past perfect è spiegato in past perfect.
Quando non serve spostare i tempi
| Caso | Esempio |
|---|---|
| Verbo introduttivo al presente | He says he's tired. She has told me she loves the job. |
| È ancora vero | She said she lives in Milan. (vive ancora lì) |
| Verità generali | The teacher said the Earth goes round the Sun. |
| Racconto immediato | – What did he say? – He said he's coming. |
Pronomi, espressioni di tempo e di luogo
| Diretto | Indiretto |
|---|---|
| now | then / at that moment |
| today / tonight | that day / that night |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week | the week before |
| next month | the following month |
| ago | before |
| here / this | there / that |
Come in italiano, cambiano anche i pronomi e i possessivi: “I love my job,” said Anna → Anna said she loved her job. Attenzione a scegliere his o her in base a chi possiede (vedi pronomi e possessivi).
Domande indirette
| Domanda diretta | Domanda indiretta |
|---|---|
| “Where do you live?” | She asked me where I lived. |
| “What time is it?” | He asked what time it was. |
| “Are you ready?” | She asked if / whether I was ready. |
| “Did you see the match?” | He asked me if I had seen the match. |
| “Can you help me?” | She asked if I could help her. |
Due regole: niente inversione e niente do / does / did (l'ordine torna soggetto + verbo) e niente punto interrogativo. Per le domande sì / no si usa if o whether. La stessa struttura serve per le domande indirette di cortesia: Could you tell me where the station is? (vedi domande in inglese).
Ordini, richieste e consigli
| Diretto | Indiretto | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| “Wait here.” | He told me to wait there. | Mi ha detto di aspettare lì. |
| “Don't be late.” | She told us not to be late. | Ci ha detto di non fare tardi. |
| “Could you close the door?” | He asked me to close the door. | Mi ha chiesto di chiudere la porta. |
| “You should rest.” | The doctor advised me to rest. | Il medico mi ha consigliato di riposare. |
“Mi ha detto di…” non è He said me to… né He told me that I wait: la struttura è sempre tell / ask + persona + to + verbo.
Altri verbi per riferire
| Verbo | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| explain | explain (to sb) that | She explained that the shop was closed. |
| promise | promise to + verbo | He promised to call me. |
| offer | offer to + verbo | She offered to help. |
| suggest | suggest + -ing / that | He suggested going to the cinema. |
| admit / deny | + -ing / that | He denied taking the money. |
| remind | remind sb to + verbo | She reminded me to buy milk. |
Errori tipici degli italiani
| Errore | Corretto | Perché |
|---|---|---|
| She told that she was tired. | She said / She told me that she was tired. | Tell + persona |
| He said me to wait. | He told me to wait. | Ordini: tell + to |
| She asked me where did I live. | She asked me where I lived. | Niente inversione |
| He asked me if was I ready. | He asked me if I was ready. | Ordine normale |
| She told me to not worry. | She told me not to worry. | Not prima di to |
| He suggested me to go. | He suggested going / that I go. | Suggest + -ing |
Esercizi sul discorso indiretto con soluzioni
Scrivi le risposte e clicca su “Controlla”: vedrai subito cosa è giusto e cosa no.
Esercizio 1: Say o tell?
Completa con la forma giusta di say o tell.
- She ___ me that she was moving to London.
- He ___ that he didn't like the film.
- Can you ___ me the time, please?
- My boss ___ us to finish the report by Friday.
- What did she ___ about the meeting?
Mostra le soluzioni
- told
- said
- tell
- told
- say
Esercizio 2: Riporta la frase
Riscrivi al discorso indiretto, iniziando con He / She said (that)…
- “I'm very tired.” (Marco)
- “I've lost my keys.” (Anna)
- “I'll call you tomorrow.” (Luca)
- “I can't come to the party.” (Sara)
- “We went to Paris last year.” (Paolo)
Mostra le soluzioni
- He said (that) he was very tired.
- She said (that) she had lost her keys.
- He said (that) he would call me the next day.
- She said (that) she couldn't come to the party.
- He said (that) they had gone / went to Paris the year before.
Esercizio 3: Domande indirette
Riscrivi iniziando con She asked me…
- “Where do you work?”
- “Are you married?”
- “What time does the train leave?”
- “Did you enjoy the film?”
- “Can you speak French?”
Mostra le soluzioni
- She asked me where I worked.
- She asked me if / whether I was married.
- She asked me what time the train left.
- She asked me if I had enjoyed the film.
- She asked me if I could speak French.
Esercizio 4: Ordini e richieste
Riscrivi con told / asked + persona + (not) to.
- “Sit down, please.” (the teacher → us)
- “Don't touch it!” (my mum → me)
- “Could you open the window?” (Giulia → me)
- “Don't be late.” (the boss → them)
- “Please call me back.” (the doctor → her)
Mostra le soluzioni
- The teacher told us to sit down.
- My mum told me not to touch it.
- Giulia asked me to open the window.
- The boss told them not to be late.
- The doctor asked her to call him / her back.
Esercizio 5: Correggi l'errore
In ogni frase c'è un errore. Correggilo.
- He told that he was busy.
- She said me to wait outside.
- They asked me where did I buy it.
- He asked me if was I hungry.
- My friend told me to not worry.
Mostra le soluzioni
- He said that he was busy. / He told me that he was busy.
- She told me to wait outside.
- They asked me where I had bought it.
- He asked me if I was hungry.
- My friend told me not to worry.
Il discorso indiretto nelle storie: Storytime Premium
She told me you were coming, He asked where the key was, They said it was dangerous: nei racconti il discorso indiretto è ovunque, perché i personaggi riferiscono quello che hanno sentito. Nelle storie in inglese di Storytime Premium lo senti in contesto, accanto al discorso diretto. Con i sottotitoli cliccabili controlli ogni parola, salvi le frasi come flashcard video e con il dettato alleni l'orecchio su told, said e asked, che nel parlato veloce si confondono facilmente. Le storie sono adatte a tutti, anche ai bambini.
Chi ha detto cosa
Senti i personaggi riferire parole e segreti.
Sottotitoli cliccabili
Controlli i tempi verbali dopo said e told.
Flashcard video
Salvi frasi come “She told me not to…” con la scena.
Dettato
Distingui said, told e asked nel parlato veloce.
La prima lezione è gratuita: puoi provare tutte le funzioni con una storia completa prima di decidere.
Ascolta il discorso indiretto in una storia
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Domande frequenti sul discorso indiretto
Come si forma il discorso indiretto in inglese?
Con say o tell + (that) + frase, spostando di solito i tempi un passo indietro: “I'm tired” → He said (that) he was tired. Si cambiano anche i pronomi e le espressioni di tempo e luogo (today → that day, here → there).
Che differenza c'è tra say e tell?
Tell vuole sempre la persona a cui si parla: She told me (that)… Say no: She said (that)… Se vuoi indicare la persona con say, usa to: She said to me… ma è meno comune.
Si devono sempre spostare i tempi?
No. Se quello che è stato detto è ancora vero o se il verbo che introduce è al presente, si può lasciare il tempo originale: He says he's tired. She said she lives in Rome (vive ancora lì).
Come si fanno le domande indirette?
Senza inversione e senza do: “Where do you live?” → She asked me where I lived. Per le domande sì/no si usa if o whether: He asked if I was ready.
Come si riportano gli ordini?
Con tell / ask + persona + to + verbo: “Wait here” → He told me to wait there. Negativo: not to: She asked me not to call her.
Si può omettere that?
Sì, nel parlato that si omette quasi sempre: He said he was busy. Nello scritto formale si tende a mantenerlo.
Riepilogo
Il discorso indiretto usa say (that) o tell + persona (that) e di solito sposta i tempi un passo indietro (is → was, will → would, can → could). Cambiano anche pronomi ed espressioni di tempo (tomorrow → the next day). Le domande indirette non hanno inversione né do; gli ordini usano tell / ask + persona + (not) to. Inizia dall'esercizio 3.
Ascolta il discorso indiretto in una storia
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