Dialogue
Report French quotations faithfully: a dialogue to practise
Relay a wish, an offer and an instruction in French. Practise a dialogue, check time and pronoun changes, and keep each speaker’s meaning.
- B2
- 10 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B2 notebook →
A reported paraphrase keeps the same person, action, time and degree of commitment. Je voudrais que Sami vienne expresses a wish; reporting Sami viendra turns it into a prediction. Read for meaning before changing tenses.
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Monday’s conversation, Wednesday’s report
You spoke to Léa and Sami on Monday. On Wednesday, Inès asks what they said. The conversation below keeps Monday’s viewpoint. In practice mode, hide your lines and relay each message before revealing the model.
- Inès
Léa t’a parlé de la réunion ?
English
Did Léa talk to you about the meeting?
- You
Oui. Lundi, elle m’a dit : « Je voudrais que Sami vienne demain. »
Quote Léa’s wish from Monday: she would like Sami to come tomorrow.
English
Yes. On Monday, she said to me, “I would like Sami to come tomorrow.”
- Inès
Donc, elle a annoncé que Sami viendrait mardi ?
English
So she announced that Sami would come on Tuesday?
- You
Elle a dit qu’elle voudrait que Sami vienne mardi. C’était son souhait.
Keep the wish: Léa would like Sami to come on Tuesday.
English
She said that she would like Sami to come on Tuesday. It was her wish.
- Inès
Et Sami, qu’a-t-il répondu ?
English
And what did Sami reply?
- You
Il a dit : « Je pourrais participer si la réunion avait lieu après dix heures. »
Quote Sami’s conditional offer: he could take part if the meeting was after ten.
English
He said, “I could take part if the meeting was held after ten.”
- Inès
Comment as-tu résumé sa réponse ?
English
How did you summarise his reply?
- You
J’ai dit qu’il pourrait participer si la réunion avait lieu après dix heures.
Report the offer while keeping both the possibility and its condition.
English
I said that he could take part if the meeting was held after ten.
- Inès
Léa t’a demandé autre chose ?
English
Did Léa ask you for anything else?
- You
Elle m’a dit : « Préviens-moi avant ce soir. » Elle m’a demandé de la prévenir avant lundi soir.
Quote Léa’s instruction, then report it with the original Monday-evening deadline.
English
She said to me, “Let me know before this evening.” She asked me to let her know before Monday evening.
How do you report a quotation faithfully in French?
| Original words | Reported wording | What stays |
|---|---|---|
| Je voudrais que Sami vienne demain. | Elle voudrait que Sami vienne mardi. | A wish about Sami; Tuesday is the day after Monday. |
| Je pourrais participer si… | Il pourrait participer si… | A possibility with the condition retained. |
| Préviens-moi avant ce soir. | Elle m’a demandé de la prévenir avant lundi soir. | The listener acts; Léa receives the update; the deadline stays Monday. |
The conditional voudrait stays conditional in this past report, and vienne stays subjunctive after the wish. Choosing a past reporting verb does not turn a wish into a promise. Time words follow the situation: “tomorrow” said on Monday points to Tuesday, even when the report happens on Wednesday.