Indirect Speech in Hindi

In Brief

Hindi commonly reports a statement or thought with a reporting verb followed by कि “that”: उसने कहा कि वह आएगा। Unlike English, Hindi does not require automatic tense backshift after a past reporting verb. Pronouns, time words, and verb forms are chosen according to the intended speaker, viewpoint, and situation.

Overview

Indirect speech, or परोक्ष कथन, lets you communicate the content of somebody’s words without repeating the exact quotation. It also covers reported thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, and questions. Compare direct रीना ने कहा, “मैं व्यस्त हूँ।” “Reena said, ‘I am busy’” with indirect रीना ने कहा कि वह व्यस्त है। “Reena said that she was/is busy.” The second sentence presents Reena’s message as part of a larger sentence.

The key connector is कि, which introduces a clause (a group of words containing its own subject and verb). In this use, कि usually corresponds to English “that,” but Hindi uses it very freely after verbs such as कहना “to say,” बताना “to tell/inform,” सोचना “to think,” and लगना “to seem/think.” Reported questions also often use कि, while retaining their question word.

This is a core B1 skill because it combines familiar tense forms with longer sentences. The main challenge for an English-speaking learner is not forming a special “reported tense.” It is learning not to copy English backshift mechanically. Hindi often keeps the tense that still makes sense from the current viewpoint.

How It Works

Reporting a statement with कि

The basic pattern is:

reporting clause + कि + reported clause

• उसने कहा कि वह आएगा। — He said that he would come.
• मैंने सुना कि दुकान बंद है। — I heard that the shop is closed.
• हमें पता है कि वह दिल्ली में रहती है। — We know that she lives in Delhi.

The reporting clause tells you who said, thought, heard, or knew something. The reported clause gives the content. Hindi normally keeps ordinary sentence order inside the कि clause: subject, other information, then verb.

Function	Common pattern	Example
Say something	कहना कि…	उसने कहा कि वह तैयार है।
Tell someone something	किसी को बताना कि…	मैंने उसे बताया कि बैठक रद्द हो गई है।
Think/believe	सोचना कि… / मानना कि…	मैं सोचता हूँ कि यह ठीक है।
Feel/seem to someone	किसी को लगना कि…	मुझे लगता है कि बारिश होगी।
Know/discover	पता होना कि… / पता चलना कि…	हमें पता चला कि ट्रेन देर से आएगी।
Hear/read	सुनना कि… / पढ़ना कि…	मैंने पढ़ा कि सड़क बंद है।

Choosing the reporting verb

English “say” and “tell” do not map onto one interchangeable Hindi verb.

• कहना focuses on saying. The person addressed is usually marked with से: मैंने रवि से कहा कि… “I said to Ravi that…”
• बताना means to tell, inform, or explain. The recipient is usually marked with को: मैंने रवि को बताया कि… “I told Ravi that…”
• पूछना means to ask a question. The person asked is normally marked with से: मैंने रवि से पूछा कि… “I asked Ravi…”
• सोचना reports an internal thought; लगना gives an impression or opinion, often in the pattern मुझे लगता है कि… “I think/It seems to me that…”

These postpositions matter. रवि से पूछा means “asked Ravi,” while रवि को बताया means “told Ravi.”

Pronouns and viewpoint

When a direct quotation becomes indirect, pronouns usually change so that the reference remains clear.

• Direct: सीमा ने कहा, “मैं कल आऊँगी।”
• Indirect: सीमा ने कहा कि वह अगले दिन आएगी।

In the quotation, मैं refers to Seema. In the report, the narrator refers to Seema as वह. The future verb also remains feminine: आएगी.

Not every first-person pronoun must become वह. It depends on who is reporting:

• मैंने कहा, “मैं तैयार हूँ।” → मैंने कहा कि मैं तैयार हूँ।
• उसने मुझसे कहा, “तुम देर से आए हो।” → उसने मुझसे कहा कि मैं देर से आया हूँ। (male speaker reporting)

Hindi pronouns do not mark gender in the third person: वह can mean “he” or “she.” Gender may instead appear in the verb or adjective: वह आएगा “he will come,” वह आएगी “she will come.”

Tense: no automatic backshift

In standard English reporting, “I am tired” often becomes “She said that she was tired.” Hindi is less mechanical. A past reporting verb does not by itself force the following verb into the past.

• उसने कहा कि वह बीमार है। — She said that she is/was ill.
• उसने कहा कि वह बीमार थी। — She said that she had been/was ill.
• उसने कहा कि वह अगले दिन आएगी। — She said that she would come the next day.

Choose the Hindi tense for the meaning you want:

Intended meaning	Natural Hindi choice
The information is still true or presented as current	present: है / करता है
The state or event belonged to the past	past: था / किया / कर रहा था
The event was future from the original speaker’s viewpoint	future: आएगा / आएगी
The report expresses a wish, request, or possibility	context-appropriate subjunctive: आए / करें

This means उसने कहा कि वह आएगा uses a grammatical future form even though English normally translates it as “He said that he would come.” Do not replace the Hindi future merely because English uses “would.”

Reporting questions

A reported question is embedded inside a larger statement. It therefore does not need English-style auxiliary inversion, and Hindi retains its normal verb-final order.

For a question with a question word, keep that word:

• Direct: उसने पूछा, “तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो?”
• Indirect: उसने पूछा कि मैं कहाँ जा रहा हूँ।

For a yes/no question, क्या can mark the reported content:

• Direct: उसने पूछा, “क्या तुम तैयार हो?”
• Indirect: उसने पूछा कि क्या मैं तैयार हूँ।

In everyday Hindi, speakers may omit कि and say उसने पूछा, मैं कहाँ जा रहा हूँ or उसने पूछा, क्या मैं तैयार हूँ. For a clear, neutral B1 pattern—especially in writing—use कि.

Negative reports

Negation stays in the reported clause, normally before the relevant verb:

• उसने कहा कि वह नहीं आएगा। — He said that he would not come.
• मुझे नहीं लगता कि यह सही है। — I do not think this is right.

Notice the second pattern. Hindi naturally places नहीं with लगता when the speaker rejects the whole belief. मुझे लगता है कि यह सही नहीं है is also possible, but it puts the negative directly on “is right”: “I think this is not right.”

Examples in Context

Hindi	English	Note
उसने कहा कि वह आएगा।	He said that he would come.	Hindi keeps the future form आएगा.
मुझे लगता है कि यह सही है।	I think this is right.	लगना expresses an opinion or impression.
उसने पूछा कि मैं कहाँ जा रहा हूँ।	He asked where I was going.	The original question word कहाँ remains.
मीरा ने बताया कि दुकान आज बंद है।	Meera said that the shop is closed today.	बताना presents information.
मैंने रोहन से कहा कि मैं व्यस्त हूँ।	I told Rohan that I was busy.	The addressee of कहना takes से.
शिक्षक ने हमें बताया कि परीक्षा सोमवार को होगी।	The teacher told us that the exam would be on Monday.	The recipient of बताना takes को.
उसने मुझसे पूछा कि क्या मुझे मदद चाहिए।	She asked me whether I needed help.	कि क्या introduces a yes/no question.
हमें पता चला कि ट्रेन दो घंटे देर से आएगी।	We found out that the train would arrive two hours late.	Future meaning stays future in Hindi.
अनिल ने कहा कि वह कल घर पर था।	Anil said that he was at home yesterday.	Past था locates the state in the past.
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि मुझे आराम करना चाहिए।	The doctor said that I should rest.	Advice remains चाहिए.
वह सोच रही थी कि सब लोग उसे भूल गए हैं।	She was thinking that everyone had forgotten her.	A thought can be reported with सोचना.
क्या तुमने सुना कि नेहा को नई नौकरी मिली है?	Did you hear that Neha has got a new job?	सुनना कि… reports received information.
माँ ने कहा कि दरवाज़ा बंद कर दो।	Mother said to close the door.	A quoted instruction can retain a command-like form in conversation.
अधिकारी ने घोषणा की कि कार्यालय अगले दिन बंद रहेगा।	The official announced that the office would remain closed the next day.	More formal reporting verb and shifted time expression.

Common Mistakes

Backshifting every verb because English does

• Wrong: उसने कहा कि वह आता। (intended meaning: “He said that he would come.”)
• Right: उसने कहा कि वह आएगा।
• Why: Hindi commonly uses its future tense for an event that was future when the original words were spoken. The habitual form आता has other meanings and is not a general replacement for English “would.”

Keeping the original pronoun without checking its reference

• Wrong: सीमा ने कहा कि मैं थकी हूँ। when the current narrator is not Seema
• Right: सीमा ने कहा कि वह थकी है।
• Why: In direct speech, Seema can call herself मैं. In the narrator’s report, she is normally वह. The feminine form थकी preserves her gender.

Mixing up से and को with reporting verbs

• Wrong: मैंने रवि को कहा कि वह आए। in careful neutral usage
• Right: मैंने रवि से कहा कि वह आए।
• Also right: मैंने रवि को बताया कि बैठक है।
• Why: The person addressed with कहना is conventionally marked by से; the recipient of information with बताना is marked by को. You may hear regional or conversational variation, but these patterns are the safest models.

Turning a reported question into a direct question

• Wrong: उसने पूछा कि क्या तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो?
• Right: उसने पूछा कि तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो।
• Why: कहाँ already makes this a where-question. Do not add yes/no क्या as well. Use कि क्या only when the original question can be answered yes or no.

Forcing कि into every reporting construction

• Awkward: उसने मुझसे कि जल्दी आने को कहा।
• Right: उसने मुझसे जल्दी आने को कहा।
• Also possible: उसने मुझसे कहा कि मैं जल्दी आऊँ।
• Why: A request can use an infinitive construction, आने को कहा, or a full कि clause. The connector belongs before a complete reported clause, not before the infinitive phrase in the first pattern.

Usage Notes

कि is common, but not always equivalent to English “that”

English can often omit “that”: “She said she was ready.” Neutral written Hindi normally favors कि: उसने कहा कि वह तैयार थी। In quick conversation, it may be dropped after a reporting verb, especially when the pause and context make the boundary obvious. Keeping it is clear and natural for learners.

Do not confuse the conjunction कि “that” with की, the feminine form of the possessive postposition का/के/की. They sound different and perform completely different jobs: उसने कहा कि… “she said that…,” but रीना की किताब “Reena’s book.”

वर्तमान relevance affects tense choice

A present form after a past reporting verb can deliberately present information as still valid:

• वैज्ञानिकों ने कहा कि पृथ्वी सूर्य के चारों ओर घूमती है। — Scientists said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Using घूमती थी would suggest a past state and would be misleading here. Conversely, if the reported condition has clearly ended, a past form is better: उसने कहा कि वह बचपन में बहुत शर्मीला था। “He said that he had been very shy as a child.”

Time and place words may change

Words such as आज “today,” कल “yesterday/tomorrow,” यहाँ “here,” and अभी “now” can remain unchanged if the report is made in the same time and place. If the viewpoint has moved, replace them with a clearer expression.

Original viewpoint	Possible later report
आज today	उस दिन that day
कल tomorrow/yesterday	अगले दिन the next day / पिछले दिन the previous day
यहाँ here	वहाँ there
अभी now	उस समय at that time

Hindi कल is especially context-dependent because it can mean either “yesterday” or “tomorrow.” In an indirect report, अगले दिन or पिछले दिन often prevents ambiguity.

Register and punctuation

In conversation, direct and indirect styles may blend: a speaker can introduce somebody’s words and then reproduce their tone or command. Formal prose tends to maintain a clearer distinction. Direct quotations use quotation marks; indirect clauses do not: मंत्री ने कहा, “हम तैयार हैं।” versus मंत्री ने कहा कि वे तैयार हैं। Formal reporting also uses verbs such as घोषणा करना “announce,” स्पष्ट करना “clarify,” and सूचित करना “inform.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Reporting requests, instructions, and commands

Hindi has two important patterns. The infinitive (the dictionary-like -ना form of a verb) can be followed by को कहना:

• उसने मुझे बैठने को कहा। — She told me to sit down.
• डॉक्टर ने उसे दवा लेने को कहा। — The doctor told him to take the medicine.

A full कि clause can instead use a subjunctive form, which presents a desired or requested action:

• उसने कहा कि मैं बैठूँ। — She said that I should sit down.
• डॉक्टर ने कहा कि वह दवा ले। — The doctor said that he should take the medicine.

Conversational Hindi may preserve an imperative (command form): माँ ने कहा कि जल्दी आओ। “Mother said, ‘Come quickly’/Mother said to come quickly.” This is vivid and common, but the infinitive or subjunctive patterns make the grammatical relationship clearer in careful reporting.

कि after nouns and formal impersonal expressions

A कि clause can explain the content of a fact, hope, news item, decision, or claim—not only speech:

• यह खबर कि स्कूल बंद होगा, सबको हैरान कर गई। — The news that the school would close surprised everyone.
• यह निर्णय लिया गया कि बैठक स्थगित की जाए। — It was decided that the meeting should be postponed.
• इस बात की उम्मीद है कि स्थिति सुधरेगी। — There is hope that the situation will improve.

These patterns are frequent in news, administration, and academic writing. Notice इस बात की… कि…, literally “of this matter… that…,” a useful way to frame a content clause formally.

Ambiguity and clarification

Because वह means both “he” and “she,” and may refer to more than one person, an indirect report can become ambiguous:

• राहुल ने अमित से कहा कि वह आएगा।

Who will come—Rahul or Amit? Context may answer, but careful Hindi repeats a name or restructures the sentence: राहुल ने अमित से कहा, “मैं आऊँगा।” or राहुल ने कहा कि अमित आएगा। Advanced control of indirect speech is therefore not just about grammar; it is also about managing viewpoint so the listener can identify each person.

Reported speech versus evidential distance

A reporting expression can show how strongly the narrator supports the information. मुझे पता है कि… presents knowledge, मुझे लगता है कि… presents an opinion, मैंने सुना है कि… marks hearsay, and कहा जाता है कि… means “it is said that.” Choosing among them tells the reader where the claim comes from and how certain it is.

Practice Tips

1. Transform short quotations in three steps. Underline the original speaker, change pronouns from the narrator’s viewpoint, then choose a tense based on whether the content is current, past, or still future. Only after that add कहा कि, बताया कि, or पूछा कि.
2. Build verb-and-postposition pairs. Say aloud: उससे कहा, उसको बताया, उससे पूछा. Then complete each with a realistic कि clause. Learning the reporting verb together with its person marker prevents many errors.
3. Listen for tense rather than translating “would.” In interviews or Hindi news, note phrases such as उन्होंने कहा कि… and predict the next verb. Collect examples where Hindi uses present or future after कहा even though an English translation uses past or “would.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Simple Past Tense — helps you form reporting clauses such as उसने कहा, मैंने बताया, and उसने पूछा.
• Next steps: Reported Speech — develops tense, viewpoint, commands, and stylistic choices in more complex reporting.