Phrase guide

reported speech

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A grammatical construction used to represent another person's words, thoughts, or statements indirectly rather than by quoting them verbatim, often involving a change in tense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, narratology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: indirect discourse, indirect speech

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: ситләтелгән телмәр (sitlətelgən telmər) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Belarusian: уско́сная гаво́рка (uskósnaja havórka) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Belarusian: уско́сная мо́ва (uskósnaja móva) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Bulgarian: непря́ка реч (neprjáka reč) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Chinese Mandarin: 間接引語 /间接引语 (jiànjiē yǐnyǔ) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Czech: nepřímá řeč — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Danish: indirekte tale — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Dutch: indirecte rede — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Finnish: epäsuora lainaus — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • French: discours indirect — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • French: discours rapporté — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • German: indirekte Rede — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Greek: πλάγιος λόγος (plágios lógos) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Hungarian: függő beszéd — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Icelandic: óbein ræða — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Irish: claoninsint — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Italian: discorso indiretto — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Japanese: 間接話法 (kansetsu wahō) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Korean: 간접화법 (ganjeophwabeop) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Lithuanian: netiesioginė kalba — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Malayalam: അനുകഥനം (anukathanaṁ) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Polish: mowa zależna — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Polish: mowa pośrednia — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Portuguese: discurso indireto — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Romanian: vorbire indirectă — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Russian: ко́свенная речь (kósvennaja rečʹ) — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Slovak: nepriama reč — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Spanish: estilo indirecto — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Swedish: indirekt anföring — a form of speech used to express what another has said
  • Ukrainian: непряма́ мо́ва (neprjamá móva) — a form of speech used to express what another has said