Zmiany czasów w mowie zależnej
Tworząc Mowę Zależną (Reported Speech) musimy pamiętać o właściwej zamianie czasów. Tabelka poniżej przedstawia zmiany jakie mają miejsce w przypadku czasów oraz czasowników posiłkowych.
| Zamieniamy z: | Zamieniamy na: |
| a) Simple Present: | Simple Past |
| b) Simple Past: | Past Perfect |
| c) Present Perfect: | |
| d) Past Perfect: | |
| e) will | would |
| Progressive Forms | |
| f) am / is | was |
| g) are | were |
| h) was / were | had been |
| i) has been | |
| j) had been |
Tabelka poniżej pokazuje przykładowe zdania w angielskich czasach. Pierwsza kolumna zawiera zdania w Direct Speech, Mowie bezpośredniej, natomiast kolumna z prawej strony pokazuje zdania w Reported Speech, czyli Mowie Zależnej.
| Mowa Niezależna | Mowa Zależna |
| a) Tom: "I write a letter". | Tom said (that) he wrote a letter. |
| b) Tom: "I wrote a letter". | Tom said (that) he had written a letter. |
| c) Tom: "I have written a letter". | |
| d) Tom: "I had written a letter". | |
| e) Tom: "I will write a letter". | Tom said (that) he would write a letter. |
| Progressive Forms | |
| f) Tom: "I am writing a letter". | Tom said (that) he was writing a letter. |
| g) Tom: "They are writing a letter". | Tom said (that) they were writing a letter. |
| h) Tom: "I was writing a letter". | Tom said (that) he had been writing a letter. |
| i) Tom: "I have been writing a letter". | |
| j) Tom: "I had been writing a letter". |