El estilo indirecto con órdenes o peticiones
Para transformar una orden o petición al estilo indirecto, se puede utilizar el verbo 'tell' con un infinitivo: He told me to go away. El esquema se compone de verbo + objeto indirecto + infinitivo. El complemento de objeto indirecto es el interlocutor. Otros verbos que se utilizan del mismo modo para informar sobre órdenes y peticiones son command, order, warn, ask, advise, invite, beg, teach, forbid.
Ejemplos
| Estilo directo | Estilo indirecto |
|---|---|
| The doctor said to me, "Stop smoking!". | The doctor told me to stop smoking. |
| "Get out of the car!" said the policeman. | The policeman ordered him to get out of the car. |
| "Could you please be quiet," she said. | She asked me to be quiet. |
| The man with the gun said to us, "Don't move!" | The man with the gun warned us not to move. |
Peticiones de objetos
Las peticiones de objetos se pasan al estilo indirecto mediante el esquema ask + for + objeto
Ejemplos
| Discurso directo | Discurso indirecto |
|---|---|
| "Can I have an apple?", she asked. | She asked for an apple. |
| "Can I have the newspaper, please?" | He asked for the newspaper. |
| "May I have a glass of water?" he said. | He asked for a glass of water. |
| "Sugar, please." | She asked for the sugar. |
| "Could I have three kilos of onions?" | He asked for three kilos of onions. |
Las sugerencias
Las sugerencias suelen transformarse al estilo indirecto empleando los verbos suggest, insist, recommend, demand, request, propose seguidos de una proposición introducida por 'that'. 'That' y 'should' son opcionales en estas proposiciones, como se muestra en los dos primeros ejemplos. Note que suggest, recommend, propose pueden también ir seguidos de gerund para omitir al interlocutor y hacer así una sugerencia más educada. Este uso del gerund se ilustra en los ejemplos 4 y 5.
Ejemplo
| Estilo directo | Estilo indirecto |
|---|---|
| She said, "Why don't you get a mechanic to look at the car?" |
She suggested that I should get a mechanic to look at the car. O bien: She suggested I should get a mechanic to look at the car. O bien: She suggested that I get a mechanic to look at the car. O bien: She suggested I get a mechanic to look at the car. |
| "Why don't you go to the doctor?" he said. |
He suggested I go to the doctor. O bien: He suggested that I go to the doctor. O bien: He suggested I should go to the doctor. O bien: He suggested that I should go to the doctor. |
| "It would be a good idea to see the dentist", said my mother. | My mother suggested I see the dentist. |
| The dentist said, "I think you should use a different toothbrush". | The dentist recommended using a different toothbrush. |
| You said, "I don't think you have time to see the dentist this week." | You suggested postponing my visit to the dentist. |
| My manager said, "I think we should examine the budget carefully at this meeting." | My manager proposed that we examine the budget carefully at the meeting. |
| "Why don't you sleep overnight at my house?" she said. | She suggested that I sleep overnight at her house. |