FlexiLingoIn one line
If the main verb is in the past, every verb in the subordinate clause steps one tense back.
English does exactly this and calls it backshifting. "He says he is tired" → "He said he was tired". Same trigger, same operation, same tense pairs — so nothing here is a new idea, only new forms.
The table
| Main verb in the present | Main verb in the past |
|---|---|
present — il est /il ɛ/ | imperfect — il était /il e.tɛ/ |
passé composé — il est venu /il ɛ və.ny/ | pluperfect — il était venu /il e.tɛ və.ny/ |
future — il viendra /il vjɛ̃.dʁa/ | present conditional — il viendrait /il vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
future perfect — il aura fini /il o.ʁa fi.ni/ | past conditional — il aurait fini /il o.ʁɛ fi.ni/ |
imperfect — il était /il e.tɛ/ | unchanged |
pluperfect — il était venu /il e.tɛ və.ny/ | unchanged |
present subjunctive — qu'il vienne /kil vjɛn/ | unchanged |
The last three have nowhere further back to go — the imperfect and pluperfect are already as far back as it gets, and the present subjunctive no longer has a living past form in modern French.
The English pairs line up exactly: is → was, has come → had come, will → would, will have → would have. And English also leaves the past perfect unchanged, for the same reason.
In practice
| Present main verb | Past main verb |
|---|---|
Il dit qu'il est malade. /il di kil ɛ ma.lad/ | Il a dit qu'il était malade. /i.l‿a di ki.l‿e.tɛ ma.lad/ |
Il dit qu'il est venu. /il di kil ɛ və.ny/ | Il a dit qu'il était venu. /i.l‿a di ki.l‿e.tɛ və.ny/ |
Il dit qu'il viendra. /il di kil vjɛ̃.dʁa/ | Il a dit qu'il viendrait. /i.l‿a di kil vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
Il dit qu'il aura fini. /il di kil o.ʁa fi.ni/ | Il a dit qu'il aurait fini. /il a di kil o.ʁɛ fi.ni/ |
Three things that look like exceptions
1. A permanent truth — no change
If the statement is still true, the present can be kept:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Il a dit que la Terre est ronde. | a scientific fact — stays present | /i.l‿a di kə la tɛ.ʁ‿ɛ ʁɔ̃d/ |
Il a dit qu'il habitait à Paris. | his situation — steps back | /il a di kil a.bi.tɛ.t‿a pa.ʁi/ |
Both are correct; the first is more natural.
English allows the same latitude — "he said the Earth is round" — for the same reason.
2. The subjunctive does not step back
In modern French the present subjunctive stays, even with a past main verb:
Je voulais qu'il vienne. /ʒə vu.lɛ kil vjɛn/ | not qu'il vînt /kil vɛ̃/ |
J'étais content qu'il soit là. /ʒe.tɛ kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kil swa la/ | not qu'il fût /kil fy/ |
The old forms (vînt, fût) are extinct. See subjonctif-passe.
3. si steps back too
| Reported | What stepped back |
|---|---|
Il dit que s'il pouvait, il viendrait. /il di kə sil pu.vɛ il vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ | si /si/ + imperfect → present conditional |
Il a dit que s'il avait pu, il serait venu. /il a di kə sil a.vɛ py il sə.ʁɛ və.ny/ | si /si/ + pluperfect → past conditional |
Time adverbs change as well
In past reported speech, the time adverbs shift too:
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
aujourd'hui /o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ | ce jour-là /sə ʒuʁ.la/ |
hier /jɛʁ/ | la veille /la vɛj/ |
demain /də.mɛ̃/ | le lendemain /lə lɑ̃d.mɛ̃/ |
maintenant /mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/ | alors /a.lɔʁ/ à ce moment-là /a sə mo.mɑ̃.la/ |
la semaine prochaine /la sə.mɛn pʁo.ʃɛn/ | la semaine suivante /la sə.mɛn sɥi.vɑ̃t/ |
la semaine dernière /la sə.mɛn dɛʁ.njɛʁ/ | la semaine précédente /la sə.mɛn pʁe.se.dɑ̃t/ |
ici /i.si/ | là /la/ |
ce matin /sə ma.tɛ̃/ | ce matin-là /sə ma.tɛ̃.la/ |
Il a dit : « Je pars demain. »→Il a dit qu'il partait le lendemain.English shifts the same words the same way — today → that day, yesterday → the day before, tomorrow → the next day. This whole table is free.
And the pronouns too
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
Il a dit : « Je viens. » /il a di ʒə vjɛ̃/ | Il a dit qu'il venait. /il a di kil və.nɛ/ |
Elle a dit : « Mon livre. » /ɛl a di mɔ̃ livʁ/ | Elle a dit que c'était son livre. /ɛl a di kə se.tɛ sɔ̃ livʁ/ |
A complete example
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| direct | Il a dit : « Je suis fatigué, je partirai demain. » | /il a di ʒə sɥi fa.ti.ɡe ʒə paʁ.ti.ʁe də.mɛ̃/ |
| indirect | Il a dit qu'il était fatigué et qu'il partirait le lendemain. | /il a di kil e.tɛ fa.ti.ɡe e kil paʁ.ti.ʁɛ lə lɑ̃d.mɛ̃/ |
Three changes in one sentence: the pronoun (je → il), the tenses (suis → était, partirai → partirait), and the adverb (demain → le lendemain).
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| He said he was ill. | Il a dit qu'il était malade. | /i.l‿a di ki.l‿e.tɛ ma.lad/ |
| He said he would come. | Il a dit qu'il viendrait. | /i.l‿a di kil vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/ |
| He said he had come. | Il a dit qu'il était venu. | /i.l‿a di ki.l‿e.tɛ və.ny/ |
| He said he was leaving the next day. | Il a dit qu'il partait le lendemain. | /i.l‿a di kil paʁ.tɛ lə lɑ̃d.mɛ̃/ |
| I thought he had come. | Je pensais qu'il était venu. | /ʒə pɑ̃.sɛ ki.l‿e.tɛ və.ny/ |
| I didn't know where he was. | Je ne savais pas où il était. | /ʒə nə sa.vɛ pa u i.l‿e.tɛ/ |
| I wanted him to come. | Je voulais qu'il vienne. | /ʒə vu.lɛ kil vjɛn/ |
| He said the Earth is round. | Il a dit que la Terre est ronde. | /i.l‿a di kə la tɛ.ʁ‿ɛ ʁɔ̃d/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Il a dit qu'il est malade. | … qu'il était malade. | The main verb is in the past |
Il a dit qu'il viendra. | … qu'il viendrait. | Future → conditional |
Il a dit qu'il partait demain. | … le lendemain. | The adverb changes too |
Je voulais qu'il vînt. | … qu'il vienne. | The subjunctive does not step back |
Il a dit que s'il pourrait… | … s'il pouvait… | No conditional after si |
Why the tenses step back
because the reference point has moved
A verb's tense is measured against a reference point — usually "now".
But when you say "he said that…", the reference point moves to the moment he spoke.
| At that moment he said: "I'm ill" | present, relative to that moment |
| We are reporting it now | that "present" is past relative to our now |
So est becomes était — not because the facts changed, but because the reference point did.
And that explains why a permanent truth does not shift: "the Earth is round" is true relative to any reference point, so there is nothing to move.
English works on exactly the same principle — "he said he was tired" — which is why this whole page transfers without adjustment.
The one difference is strictness. Casual English often skips the backshift: "he said he's tired" passes unremarked. French written registers do not allow that, and an exam will mark it.
The practical habit: every time you write il a dit que, look at the next verb and move it one step back. If it was already at the back, leave it alone.