In Russian, when we change sentences from direct speech (what someone says) to indirect speech (what someone said), we need to change some time words. This helps us understand how reported speech works.

1. Basic Changes in Time Expressions:

Here are some usual changes to time words:

• Теперь (now) changes to тогда (then):

  • Direct: Он говорит: "Я сейчас занят."
    (He says, "I am busy now.")

  • Indirect: Он сказал, что тогда был занят.
    (He said that he was busy then.)

• Сегодня (today) changes to тогда (that day):

  • Direct: Она отвечает: "Сегодня жара."
    (She replies, "It's hot today.")

  • Indirect: Она сказала, что тогда была жара.
    (She said that it was hot that day.)

• Вчера (yesterday) stays as вчера (yesterday) but can change based on what's being said:

  • Direct: Он говорит: "Вчера я работал."
    (He says, "I worked yesterday.")

  • Indirect: Он сказал, что вчера работал.
    (He said that he worked yesterday.)

• Завтра (tomorrow) changes to на следующий день (the next day):

  • Direct: Она говорит: "Завтра мы поедем."
    (She says, "We will go tomorrow.")

  • Indirect: Она сказала, что на следующий день поедут.
    (She said that they would go the next day.)

• Через неделю (in a week) stays as через неделю (in a week), but we think about it differently:

  • Direct: Он говорит: "Я уеду через неделю."
    (He says, "I will leave in a week.")

  • Indirect: Он сказал, что уедет через неделю.
    (He said that he would leave in a week.)

2. Context Matters:

Besides changing the time words, the situation also matters. When using reported speech, it’s essential to show when something happened. For example, if someone talks about something that happened in the past, the time expressions need to be changed based on when they are speaking.

3. Quick Reference of Key Changes:

| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | |---------------------|---------------------------------| | Теперь | Тогда | | Сегодня | Тогда | | Вчера | Вчера | | Завтра | На следующий день | | Через неделю | Через неделю |

By practicing these changes with different sentences, you'll get better at using reported speech. This will also help you understand how to adjust time expressions, which is a crucial part of Russian grammar!