In Russian, when we talk about things that happened in the past, we have two ways to do it: direct speech and indirect speech. Let’s look at how they are different in a simple way.

1. Direct Speech

Direct speech is when we say exactly what someone said. We usually use present or past tense. Here are some examples:

• Statement: Он сказал: "Я посмотрел фильм."
  (He said: "I watched the movie.")

• Question: Она спросила: "Когда ты вернешься?"
  (She asked: "When will you come back?")

2. Indirect Speech

Indirect speech is when we don’t use the exact words. Instead, we explain what someone said. This means we change some words like verbs, pronouns, and time words.

A. Changing Verb Forms

When we move from direct to indirect speech, we often change verbs to show that it happened in the past.

• Example (statement):
  • Direct: Он сказал: "Я посмотрел фильм."
    (He said: "I watched the movie.")
  • Indirect: Он сказал, что он посмотрел фильм.
    (He said that he had watched the movie.)

B. Changing Pronouns and Time Words

We also need to change pronouns and time words to make sense in the new context.

• Pronoun Change:

  • Direct: Она сказала: "Я вижу его."
    (She said: "I see him.")
  • Indirect: Она сказала, что она видит его.
    (She said that she sees him.)

• Time Expression Change:

  • Direct: Он сказал: "Я был там вчера."
    (He said: "I was there yesterday.")
  • Indirect: Он сказал, что он был там накануне.
    (He said that he had been there the day before.)

3. Key Points to Remember

• Change present tense to past tense when using indirect speech for past statements.
• Adjust pronouns based on who is speaking.
• Change time words to fit the conversation.

Try practicing both direct and indirect speech to get better!