Reported Speech — English Bac Lettres

ضمن برنامج بكالوريا Lettres

English is a major subject in the Bac Lettres stream, with a coefficient of 4 — second only to Arabic Language (coefficient 7) and ahead of History-Geography and Philosophy (coefficient 3). There is no Mathematics in the stream. The high coefficient raises the bar: richer vocabulary, more developed argumentative writing, and firmer control of register and style are expected, and the English mark genuinely shapes the average.

في الامتحان

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing. In the Lettres stream the Writing task is longer and more demanding — a structured essay with a clear thesis, developed arguments on both sides, illustrative examples and a personal conclusion — and language accuracy and range are scored throughout.

أهداف التعلم

Apply this grammar point accurately in the Language section and in the guided writing of the Bac Lettres English exam (coefficient 4)
Apply the backshift of tenses (present → past, past → past perfect, will → would)
Report a yes/no question with if / whether and an open question by keeping the question word
Report an order or a request with tell / ask + object + to + infinitive
Adjust time and place markers (now → then, tomorrow → the next day, here → there)

المفاهيم الأساسية

The tense change (backshift)

present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, past simple → past perfect, present perfect → past perfect, will → would, can → could. E.g. “I am tired.” → She said (that) she was tired.

Reported questions and word order

Word order goes back to that of a statement (subject + verb), with no auxiliary do / does / did; a yes/no question is introduced by if or whether; an open question keeps the question word (what, where, why…). E.g. “Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.

Orders and marker changes

tell / ask + object + to + infinitive for an order or a request (“Close the door.” → He told me to close the door). Time and place markers also change: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there, this → that.

الأخطاء الشائعة

Forgetting the tense backshift: “She said she is tired” is wrong in classic reported speech — use “She said she was tired”.

Keeping question word order (auxiliary before subject) in a reported question: “He asked where did I live” is wrong — use “He asked where I lived”.

Forgetting to change time markers: reporting “I'll call you tomorrow” without changing tomorrow to the next day distorts the meaning when the report is made on another day.

مثال محلول

نص السؤال

Put into reported speech: Tom said, “I will finish the project tomorrow.”

التصحيح

Backshift the modal. will becomes would in reported speech.

Change the time marker. tomorrow becomes the next day, since “today” is no longer the moment of speaking.

Adjust the pronoun. I becomes he (Tom is talking about himself).

Result. “Tom said (that) he would finish the project the next day.”

افهم الدرس، ثم تدرب.

ينشئ Orka تمارين غير محدودة وامتحانات تجريبية مصححة تغطي برنامج اللغة الإنجليزية في بكالوريا Lettres، مع تتبع تقدمك درساً بعد درس.

تابع مجاناً مع Orka

3 تمارين للتدرب

التمرين 1

Easy

Report: She said, “I am reading a good book.”

عرض التصحيح

“She said (that) she was reading a good book.” — present continuous → past continuous.

التمرين 2

Medium

Report the question: He asked, “Did you see the movie?”

عرض التصحيح

“He asked if I had seen the movie.” — yes/no question: if + statement order; did + past simple → had + past participle (backshift).

التمرين 3

Hard

Correct: “The teacher told to the students that they must submit their homework the next day.”

عرض التصحيح

tell never takes the preposition to before its direct object: “The teacher told the students that they had to submit their homework the next day.” (must becomes had to in classic reported speech).

تعمق أكثر في هذا الدرس

أكثر من 50 تمريناً تفاعلياً في هذا الدرس

تمارين يولدها الذكاء الاصطناعي ويصححها خطوة بخطوة حسب مستواك.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

اختبار ذكي متكيف

أسئلة تتكيف تلقائياً مع إجاباتك الصحيحة وأخطائك.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

تصحيح امتحانات سابقة مرتبطة بالدرس

مواضيع من الامتحانات الوطنية والجهوية السابقة.

تسجيل الدخول مطلوب

خطة مراجعة شخصية

ترتب أولوية هذا الدرس حسب تقدمك الحقيقي في الشعبة.

Premium

بطاقات مراجعة الدرس

الصيغ والتعريفات الأساسية لمراجعة سريعة.

Premium

مدرس ذكي بالدارجة

اطرح أسئلتك حول الدرس واحصل على شرح فوري.

Premium

الأسئلة الشائعة

Is the backshift always compulsory?

It is expected in Bac writing, except when the reporting verb (say, tell, ask) is in the present (“He says he is tired”) or when the reported fact is a still-valid general truth (“She said the sun rises in the east”).

How do I report an order or a prohibition?

With tell + object + to + infinitive for an order (“He told me to close the door”), and tell + object + not to + infinitive for a prohibition (“He told me not to be late”).

if or whether for a reported yes/no question?

Both are correct and interchangeable for a yes/no question: “He asked if / whether I had seen the movie.” whether is compulsory before or not (“whether or not”).

English is coefficient 4 in the Lettres stream — how do I revise it seriously?

Treat it as a core subject. For each of the 31 chapters, fix the rule or the word field with two solid examples, and write at least one full essay a fortnight under timed conditions. Read short English articles to build argumentative vocabulary and sentence variety, since range and accuracy are marked directly.

Is this grammar point actually tested on the Bac Lettres English paper?

Yes — in the Language section as gap-fill, sentence-joining or error-correction, and indirectly in Writing, where the same structures decide whether a sentence is marked as accurate. One rule, two examples and one typical mistake per point is enough to cover both.