Il faut changer les références de temps et de lieu pour utiliser le discours rapporté
| Phrase en discours direct | Équivalent en discours rapporté |
|---|---|
| today (aujourd'hui) | that day (ce jour là) |
| "I saw him today", she said. | She said that she had seen him that day. |
| yesterday (hier) | the day before (le jour d'avant) |
| "I saw him yesterday", she said. | She said that she had seen him the day before. |
| The day before yesterday (avant-hier) | two days before (deux jours avant) |
| "I met her the day before yesterday", he said. | He said that he had met her two days before. |
| Tomorrow (demain) | the next/following day (le jour suivant) |
| "I'll see you tomorrow", he said | He said that he would see me the next day. |
| The day after tomorrow (après-demain) | in two days time/ two days later (dans deux jours / deux jours plus tard) |
| "We'll come the day after tomorrow", they said. | They said that they would come in two days time/ two days later. |
| Next week/month/year (la semaine / mois / année prochaine) | the following week/month/year (la semaine / mois / année suivante) |
| "I have an appointment next week", she said. | She said that she had an appointment the following week. |
| Last week/month/year (la semaine / mois / année dernière) | the previous/week/month/year (la semaine / mois / année précédente) |
| "I was on holiday last week", he told us. | He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week. |
| ago (Il y a) | before (avant) |
| "I saw her a week ago," he said. | He said he had seen her a week before. |
| this (for time) (ce / cet / cette, indications de temps) | that (ce / cet / cette) |
| "I'm getting a new car this week", she said. | She said she was getting a new car that week. |
| this/that (noms) (ce / cet / cette, noms) | the (le, la) |
| "Do you like this shirt?" he asked | He asked if I liked the shirt. |
| here (ici) | there (là) |
| He said, "I live here". | He told me he lived there. |
En général, les pronoms personnels changent à la troisième personne du singulier ou du pluriel, sauf lorsque le locuteur rapporte ses propres paroles :
I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours = him/his/her/hers
we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours = they/their/theirs
He said: "I like your new car." = He told her that he liked her new car.
I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." = I said that I was going to my friend's house.