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3.4.1 Reporting statements

Table of Contents

Overview

In this chapter you will learn how to report what someone said in Urdu, without quoting their exact words. This is called indirect speech or reported speech.

You already know basic tenses and sentence structures from earlier chapters. Now we focus on how those sentences change when we report them.

We will look only at reporting statements here. Reporting questions will have their own chapter.

Direct vs indirect speech in Urdu

In Urdu, as in English, you can show what someone said in two main ways.

Direct speech

You quote the speaker’s exact words, usually with quotation marks in writing.

Structure pattern:

Examples:

    • Direct English: She said, “I am busy.”
    • Direct Urdu:
      • اُس نے کہا، "میں مصروف ہوں۔"
    • Direct English: Ahmed said, “I like tea.”
    • Direct Urdu:
      • احمد نے کہا، "مجھے چائے پسند ہے۔"

Indirect speech

You report the content of what was said, not the exact words.

Here we change pronouns, and often tenses, and we usually use the connector کہ.

Basic pattern for reported statements:

Pattern for reporting statements (very common and neutral):
[Speaker] + نے کہا کہ + [reported clause]

Example:

The connector کہ

In reported statements, کہ works like “that” in English.

You can sometimes omit “that” in English, but in natural Urdu کہ is usually kept in reported statements.

Common reporting verbs with کہ:

UrduTransliterationMeaning
کہنا کہkehna keto say that
بتانا کہbatana keto tell (someone) that
جواب دینا کہjawab dena keto reply that
اعلان کرنا کہelan karna keto announce that
محسوس کرنا کہmehsoos karna keto feel / sense that
سوچنا کہsochna keto think that
سمجھنا کہsamajhna keto understand / assume that
ماننا کہmaanna keto accept / admit that

Examples:

Pronoun changes in reported statements

In indirect speech, you usually change pronouns according to the new speaker and listener.

Basic principle

When you report, you must look from your point of view, not from the original speaker’s point of view.

Rule: In reported speech, pronouns usually change to match the new speaker and listener.
You ask: “Who is ‘I’ now? Who is ‘you’ now?”

“I” and “we”

Direct:

Indirect:

Here, “میں” becomes “وہ” because you are reporting what Ali said.

Another example:

Indirect (in English context “she”):

“You” pronoun

If the reported speech was addressed to you, you often stays تم / آپ but in third person:

  1. You are reporting to a third person what someone said to you:

Here the original “تم” refers to me, so in indirect speech it becomes “میں”.

  1. You are reporting to someone else what A said to B:

“تم” (you all) becomes “وہ” (they) because you are talking about the students, not to them.

“He, she, they”

These usually stay the same, but sometimes switch between یہ / یہ لوگ and وہ / وہ لوگ depending on distance and context.

In writing, reporters often prefer وہ for third person in reported clauses.

Tense changes in reported statements

In everyday Urdu, when reporting recent speech, speakers often keep the original tense.

However, you should also recognize the more “textbook” pattern where past tenses in the reporting clause often influence the tense in the reported clause, especially in written style.

Neutral conversational style

Common pattern in speech:

Examples:

    • Direct: He said, “I live in Lahore.”
    • Indirect (spoken):
      • اُس نے کہا کہ وہ لاہور میں رہتا ہے۔
        He said that he lives in Lahore.
    • Direct: She said, “I am tired.”
    • Indirect (spoken):
      • اُس نے کہا کہ وہ تھکی ہوئی ہے۔
        She said that she is tired.

Here, present is kept because the information is still considered valid at the time of reporting.

More formal or narrative style

In stories, news, or formal writing, Urdu often shifts tenses to show that the statement is about the past.

Typical shifts:

Direct tense (inside quotes)Common reported tense (formal / narrative)
Present habitual ہے / ہیںPast habitual تھا / تھے / تھی / تھیں
Present continuous رہا ہےPast continuous رہا تھا / رہی تھی / رہے تھے
Past simplePast perfect / sometimes same past simple
Future گا / گی / گےConditional / future in the past: گا تھا, etc.

Typical textbook pattern:
If the reporting verb is in the past, present tense in the original quote often becomes a past tense in indirect speech, especially in written or narrative Urdu.

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3, past inside quote:

In everyday speech, many speakers still say:

Both versions are understandable. The version with تھا is more clearly “past of the past”.

Reporting with different tenses: detailed examples

Reporting present simple statements

Direct:

Indirect, conversational:

Indirect, narrative:

Another example:

Indirect (spoken):

Indirect (story):

Reporting present continuous statements

Direct:

Indirect:

More narrative:

Reporting past simple statements

Direct:

Indirect (usually same tense, or perfect-style):

Direct:

Indirect:

More explicitly past-of-past:

Reporting future statements

Direct:

Indirect:

In Urdu, آئے گا can work as “will come” or “would come” depending on context.

Another example:

Indirect:

Reporting with and without کہ

So far we used کہ after the reporting verb. Sometimes speakers drop کہ, especially in very informal speech or when the sentence is short and clear.

Compare:

  1. With کہ:
  1. Without کہ (informal):

Dropping کہ is more common:

In careful or written Urdu, it is safer to keep کہ.

Common reporting verbs and their patterns

Here is how some common reporting verbs behave in typical structures.

کہنا (to say)

Most basic pattern:

Examples:

You can add a person:

بتانا (to tell, to inform)

Pattern:

Examples:

جواب دینا (to reply)

Pattern:

Examples:

سوچنا, سمجھنا, محسوس کرنا

These are not exactly “speaking” verbs, but they are often used with کہ like reported inner speech.

Examples:

Changes in time and place words

When you report something, time and place expressions might change, depending on when and where you are speaking.

This is similar to English:

In Urdu:

Direct wordPossible reported formExample
آجاُس دن / اُس روزtoday → that day
کلاگلے دن / پچھلے دن (need context)yesterday or tomorrow → next day / previous day
یہاںوہاںhere → there
ابھیاُس وقت / اُس وقت پرnow → at that time

Examples:

  1. Direct:
    • "میں آج مصروف ہوں۔"
      “I am busy today.”

Indirect:

  1. Direct:
    • "میں کل آؤں گا۔"
      “I will come tomorrow.”

Indirect (story):

In casual everyday speech, many people do not change these words, especially if the reporting happens very soon after the original speech:

Both styles exist. Context decides which is better.

Politeness and levels of formality in reported speech

Even when reporting, you should keep track of the polite forms like آپ and respectful verb forms.

Example 1:

Indirect, you talking about yourself later:

Here you do not say “میں لیٹ ہیں”. The respect is not grammatical for yourself. The respect is between teacher and you in the original.

Example 2:

Indirect, you reporting to a friend:

Here, original “آپ ہیں” becomes “وہ ہیں” in reported speech.

Comparing English and Urdu reported statements

It can help to see side by side examples. Notice pronoun and tense changes.

Direct EnglishDirect UrduIndirect UrduIndirect English
He said, “I am busy.”اُس نے کہا، "میں مصروف ہوں۔"اُس نے کہا کہ وہ مصروف تھا / ہے۔He said that he was / is busy.
She said, “I live in Karachi.”اُس نے کہا، "میں کراچی میں رہتی ہوں۔"اُس نے کہا کہ وہ کراچی میں رہتی تھی / ہے۔She said that she lived / lives in Karachi.
They said, “We finished the work.”اُنہوں نے کہا، "ہم نے کام ختم کیا۔"اُنہوں نے کہا کہ اُنہوں نے کام ختم کیا تھا / کیا۔They said that they had finished / finished the work.
Ali said, “I will come tomorrow.”علی نے کہا، "میں کل آؤں گا۔"علی نے کہا کہ وہ کل آئے گا۔Ali said that he would come / will come tomorrow.
She said to me, “You are right.”اُس نے مجھ سے کہا، "تم ٹھیک ہو۔"اُس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ میں ٹھیک ہوں۔She told me that I was / am right.

Practice-style example blocks

Below are some direct sentences with their common reported versions. Read them carefully and notice patterns.

    • Direct:
      • احمد نے کہا، "میں تھکا ہوا ہوں۔"
    • Indirect:
      • احمد نے کہا کہ وہ تھکا ہوا تھا۔
    • Direct:
      • سارا نے کہا، "میں کل نہیں آؤں گی۔"
    • Indirect:
      • سارا نے کہا کہ وہ کل نہیں آئے گی۔
    • Direct:
      • لڑکے نے کہا، "میں نے سچ کہا ہے۔"
    • Indirect:
      • لڑکے نے کہا کہ اُس نے سچ کہا تھا۔
    • Direct:
      • اُنہوں نے کہا، "ہم لاہور جا رہے ہیں۔"
    • Indirect:
      • اُنہوں نے کہا کہ وہ لاہور جا رہے ہیں / جا رہے تھے۔
    • Direct:
      • استاد نے طلبہ سے کہا، "تمہیں زیادہ محنت کرنی چاہیے۔"
    • Indirect:
      • استاد نے طلبہ سے کہا کہ اُنہیں زیادہ محنت کرنی چاہیے۔
    • Direct:
      • اُس نے مجھ سے کہا، "تم بہت اچھا لکھتے ہو۔"
    • Indirect:
      • اُس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ میں بہت اچھا لکھتا ہوں۔
    • Direct:
      • اُس نے کہا، "یہ کتاب بہت مشکل ہے۔"
    • Indirect:
      • اُس نے کہا کہ وہ کتاب بہت مشکل ہے۔

Summary of key rules

  1. Use کہ after reporting verbs to introduce the reported clause.
    • اُس نے کہا کہ …
  2. Change pronouns according to the new speaker and listener.
    • "میں" often becomes "وہ" or "میں" depending on who reports.
  3. In conversational Urdu, you can often keep the original tense.
    • اُس نے کہا کہ وہ تھکا ہوا ہے۔
  4. In narrative or written Urdu, present often shifts to past if the reporting verb is in the past.
    • "میں تھکا ہوا ہوں" → اُس نے کہا کہ وہ تھکا ہوا تھا۔
  5. Time and place words may change, especially in written style.
    • آج → اُس دن, یہاں → وہاں.
  6. کہ can be dropped in informal speech, but is usually kept in careful Urdu.

New vocabulary from this chapter

UrduTransliterationEnglish meaning
کہناkehnato say
کہنا کہkehna keto say that
بتاناbatanato tell, to inform
بتانا کہbatana keto tell that
جواب دیناjawab denato reply
جواب دینا کہjawab dena keto reply that
اعلان کرناelan karnato announce
محسوس کرناmehsoos karnato feel, to sense
سوچناsochnato think
سمجھناsamajhnato understand, to assume
مانناmaannato accept, to admit
مصروفmasroofbusy
تھکا ہوا / تھکی ہوئیthaka hua / thaki huitired (m / f)
سچsachtruth
جوابjawabanswer, reply
اعلانelanannouncement
اُس دنus dinthat day
اگلے دنagle dinthe next day
یہاںyahanhere
وہاںwahanthere
ابھیabhinow
اُس وقتus waqtat that time
محنتmehnathard work, effort
مہربانmehrbankind
لیٹlatelate (borrowed from English, used in Urdu)
اعلان کرنا کہelan karna keto announce that
محسوس کرنا کہmehsoos karna keto feel that
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