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French Grammar

Reported Speech with Past Anchor Adjustments (Concordance des Temps)

Q: What level is Reported Speech with Past Anchor Adjustments (Concordance des Temps)?

This lesson is designed for B2 learners and can still help a learner revising the topic at another level.

Shifting tenses in reported speech when the introductory verb is in the past (Present becomes Imparfait, Future becomes Conditionnel).

Level B2 Category Grammar

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Lesson Summary

Shifting tenses in reported speech when the introductory verb is in the past (Present becomes Imparfait, Future becomes Conditionnel).

Grammar

Reporting in the Past

Reported speech with a present‑tense introductory verb is treated in introduction to reported speech: present tense anchor. When the introductory verb is in a past tense (passé composé, imparfait, or plus‑que‑parfait), the tense of the reported clause must shift backward in time. This set of adjustments is called the concordance des temps (sequence of tenses).

Tense Shifts in Past Reported Speech

Direct Speech	Reported Speech (past anchor)
présent → imparfait	« Je suis fatigué. » → Il a dit qu’il était fatigué.
futur simple → conditionnel présent	« Je viendrai. » → Elle a promis qu’elle viendrait.
futur proche → imparfait de aller + infinitif	« Je vais partir. » → Il a annoncé qu’il allait partir.
passé composé → plus‑que‑parfait	« J’ai terminé. » → Elle a répondu qu’elle avait terminé.
imparfait → imparfait (no change)	« Il pleuvait. » → Il a dit qu’il pleuvait.
conditionnel présent → conditionnel présent (no change)	« Je voudrais venir. » → Il a dit qu’il voudrait venir.

Adjustments to Pronouns and Time Markers

In addition to tense shifts, personal pronouns and possessive adjectives must be adjusted, exactly as when the introductory verb is in the present. Time markers also shift:
- aujourd’hui → ce jour‑là (that day)
- demain → le lendemain (the next day)
- hier → la veille (the day before)
- la semaine prochaine → la semaine suivante
- ici → là

These changes complete the transposition from the original utterance to the reported context.

Examples

L’historien a déclaré que ce monument appartenait au patrimoine mondial.
The present appartient in direct speech shifts to the imparfait appartenait after the past introductory verb a déclaré.
Le maire a promis que la ville restaurerait la cathédrale l’année suivante.
The future restaurera becomes the conditionnel présent restaurerait; the time marker l’année prochaine becomes l’année suivante.

Related searches

These are the main phrases this lesson covers:

Reported Speech with Past Anchor Adjustments (Concordance des Temps)Shifting tenses in reported speech when the introductory verb is in the past (Present becomes Imparfait, Future becomes Conditionnel).Keep timelines aligned when reporting historical statements or past business discussions.GrammarB2grammarLearn French GrammarFrench GrammarReporting in the PastReported speech with a present‑tense introductory verb is treated in introduction to reported speech: present tense anchor. When the introductory verb is in a past tense (passé composé, imparfait, or plus‑que‑parfait), the tense of the reported clause must shift backward in time. This set of adjustments is called the concordance des temps (sequence of tenses).