Reported speech
Reporting statements, questions and commands with ότι / πως / αν / να — and why Greek keeps the original tense, with no backshift.
Statements: ότι / πως
Reported statements are introduced by ότι or πως, which are interchangeable; πως is slightly more colloquial. Register lives in the reporting verb: είπε, δήλωσε, ισχυρίστηκε, παραδέχτηκε.
- Ο υπουργός ισχυρίστηκε ότι δεν γνώριζε τίποτα.The minister claimed he knew nothing.
- Μου είπε πως έρχεται αύριο.He told me he is coming tomorrow.
No backshift
Unlike French and English, Greek keeps the tense of the original words: «Είμαι κουρασμένος» → Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος (literally “he said that he is tired”). Only pronouns and person endings change.
- Είπε ότι μένει χρόνια στη Λωζάνη.He said he had been living in Lausanne for years (Greek keeps the present).
- Μας διαβεβαίωσε ότι θα τελειώσει εγκαίρως.He assured us he would finish on time (Greek keeps the future).
Reported questions: αν, πού, πότε
Yes/no questions are reported with αν; wh-questions keep their accented question word (πού, πότε, γιατί). Word order and tense stay unchanged.
- Με ρώτησε αν θα έρθω στη γιορτή.He asked me whether I would come to the party.
- Ρώτησε πού μένουμε και πότε γυρίζουμε.He asked where we live and when we are coming back.
Reported commands: να
A command or request is reported with να + subjunctive: «Περίμενε!» → Μου είπε να περιμένω. The negative becomes να μην.
- Η γιατρός μού είπε να μην πίνω καφέ το βράδυ.The doctor told me not to drink coffee in the evening.
- Μου είπε να περιμένω.He told me to wait.
- Μας παρακάλεσε να μιλήσουμε πιο σιγά.He asked us to speak more quietly.
| ευθύς λόγος | πλάγιος λόγος |
|---|---|
| «Είμαι κουρασμένος.» | Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος. |
| «Θα έρθεις;» | Με ρώτησε αν θα έρθω. |
| «Πού μένεις;» | Με ρώτησε πού μένω. |
| «Περίμενε!» | Μου είπε να περιμένω. |
The same topic at other levels
Pyetjet e bëra shpesh
Does Greek shift tenses in reported speech the way English does?
No — there is no backshift. «Είμαι κουρασμένος» → «Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος» (literally “he said that he is tired”). Only the pronouns and person endings change.
How do you report a question in Greek?
Yes/no questions take «αν»: «Με ρώτησε αν θα έρθω» (he asked whether I would come). Wh-questions keep their accented question word: «Ρώτησε πού μένουμε και πότε γυρίζουμε» (he asked where we live and when we are coming back).
How do you report an order or a request?
With «να» + subjunctive: «Περίμενε!» → «Μου είπε να περιμένω» (he told me to wait). The negative becomes «να μην»: «Μου είπε να μην πίνω καφέ το βράδυ» (she told me not to drink coffee in the evening).