Discours direct et indirect – How to Use Direct and Indirect Speech in French

Key takeaways

• Discours direct = quoting speech exactly, using quotation marks.
• Discours indirect = reporting speech indirectly, often requiring tense changes.
• Key connectors: que, si, ce que, ce qui.
• Some tenses shift in indirect speech (backshifting).
• Essential for storytelling, reporting, and everyday communication.

What Is Direct and Indirect Speech?

French has two ways of reporting what someone says:

• Discours direct (direct speech): quoting word-for-word. 
  
  • Il a dit : « Je suis fatigué. » → He said, “I’m tired.”
• Discours indirect (indirect speech): paraphrasing or reporting. 
  
  • Il a dit qu’il était fatigué. → He said (that) he was tired.

Discours Direct in French

Direct speech repeats exactly what was said, often with quotation marks or dashes.

Examples:

• Elle a répondu : « Je viens demain. » → She answered, “I’m coming tomorrow.”
• Marc a demandé : « Tu m’aimes ? » → Marc asked, “Do you love me?”

Discours Indirect in French

Indirect speech integrates the words into the main sentence with changes in pronouns, word order, or tense.

Examples:

• Elle a répondu qu’elle viendrait le lendemain. → She answered that she would come the next day.
• Marc a demandé si elle l’aimait. → Marc asked if she loved him.

Changes from Direct to Indirect Speech

When switching to indirect speech, adjustments are often required:

1. Pronouns

• « Je suis content. » → Il a dit qu’il était content.

2. Time expressions

• aujourd’hui → ce jour-là
• demain → le lendemain
• hier → la veille

3. Tenses (backshifting in reported speech)

1

Examples of Transformation

1. Discours direct: « Nous allons à Paris demain. » 
    Discours indirect: Ils ont dit qu’ils allaient à Paris le lendemain.
2. Discours direct: « Est-ce que tu comprends ? » 
    Discours indirect: Elle a demandé si je comprenais.
3. Discours direct: « J’ai vu Marie hier. » 
    Discours indirect: Il a dit qu’il avait vu Marie la veille.

Discours Direct vs Indirect – Side by Side

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting tense changes when reporting in the past.
• Keeping time words the same (demain ❌ → le lendemain ✅).
• Using the wrong connector (Il a dit je viens ❌ → Il a dit qu’il venait ✅).

Exercises: Practice Direct and Indirect Speech

1. Convert to indirect speech

• « Je pars aujourd’hui. »
• « Nous irons au cinéma demain. »
• « Est-ce que tu comprends ? »

2. Translate into French

• She said she was tired.
• He asked if we had finished.
• They said they would come.

3. Correct the mistakes

• ❌ Elle a dit qu’elle vient demain.
• ❌ Il a demandé est-ce que tu viens.

Answers

1. Il a dit qu’il partait ce jour-là | Ils ont dit qu’ils iraient au cinéma le lendemain | Elle a demandé si je comprenais
2. Elle a dit qu’elle était fatiguée | Il a demandé si nous avions fini | Ils ont dit qu’ils viendraient
3. Elle a dit qu’elle viendrait le lendemain | Il a demandé si je venais

Tips for Mastering Direct and Indirect Speech

• Memorize common tense shifts (présent → imparfait, futur → conditionnel).
• Learn how to adapt time markers like demain → le lendemain.
• Practice rewriting direct quotes into indirect form.
• Read French news articles for natural indirect reporting.

For more practice, explore French verb tenses. To improve efficiency, check learning French effectively. And to stay motivated, see how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

Discours direct et indirect are essential for reporting speech. Direct speech repeats words exactly, while indirect speech adapts them with changes in pronouns, time markers, and verb tenses.

For deeper insights, ThoughtCo explains direct and indirect speech, and Global Exam’s discours direct et indirect offers transformation examples. With practice, sentences like Il a dit : « Je suis fatigué » → Il a dit qu’il était fatigué will come naturally as you learn French with Promova.