Le Discours Indirect (Reported Speech)
Le discours indirect permet de rapporter les paroles de quelqu'un sans les citer mot pour mot.
Découvrez les règles de concordance des temps, les verbes introducteurs et les changements nécessaires.
Direct : "I am happy." → Indirect : He said (that) he was happy.
La Concordance des Temps (Backshift)
Quand le verbe introducteur est au passé (said, told...), le temps du verbe dans la phrase rapportée recule d'un cran :
| Discours Direct | Discours Indirect | Exemple Direct | Exemple Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple | "I like coffee." | He said (that) he liked coffee. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | "I am working." | She said she was working. |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect | "I went home." | He said he had gone home. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | "I have finished." | She said she had finished. |
| Will | Would | "I will help you." | He said he would help me. |
| Can | Could | "I can swim." | She said she could swim. |
| May | Might | "I may come." | He said he might come. |
| Must | Had to | "I must leave." | She said she had to leave. |
Les Verbes Introducteurs (Reporting Verbs)
say / said
Le plus courant, sans complément indirect
tell / told
Toujours suivi d'un complément (me, him, her...)
ask / asked
Pour rapporter des questions
explain
Pour des explications
suggest
Souvent suivi du subjonctif
promise
Pour des promesses
Rapporter des Questions
Questions fermées (Yes/No)
On utilise if ou whether
"Do you like tea?"
She asked if/whether I liked tea.
Questions ouvertes (WH-)
On garde le mot interrogatif + ordre affirmatif
"Where do you live?"
He asked where I lived.
⚠️ Attention : dans le discours indirect, les questions n'ont PAS d'inversion sujet-verbe et PAS de point d'interrogation.
Changements de Pronoms, Temps et Lieu
| Discours Direct | Discours Indirect |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next year | the following year |
| ago | before / earlier |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| now | then / at that time |
Erreurs Courantes
❌ He said me that he was tired.
✅ He told me that he was tired. / He said that he was tired.
Say n'a jamais de complément indirect direct. On dit "say to me" ou "tell me".
❌ She asked where did I live.
✅ She asked where I lived.
Pas d'inversion dans le discours indirect !
❌ He told that he was happy.
✅ He told me that he was happy.
Tell est toujours suivi d'un complément d'objet (me, him, her, us, them...).
Pratiquez le Discours Indirect
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Quiz Discours Indirect