Reported and Indirect Speech in Yoruba

In Brief

Yoruba commonly places pé (“that”) before a reported statement and kí before the action in a reported command or request. Unlike English, Yoruba does not apply a mechanical tense backshift after a past reporting verb: the aspect and time markers in the reported clause are chosen for the meaning the speaker intends. For yes/no questions, bóyá (“whether/if”) is especially useful.

Overview

Reported speech tells someone what another person said, asked, heard, thought, or requested without necessarily repeating the exact original words. In Yoruba, this usually means joining a reporting clause—the part such as Ó sọ (“He/She said”)—to a content clause, the part containing the message. The main linking words are pé, for propositions or statements, and kí, for desired or commanded actions.

This B2 topic builds on ordinary conjunctions, but it also brings together pronouns, negation, aspect, and time expressions. Yoruba reports speech differently from English in one important respect. English often changes will to would or is to was after said. Yoruba has no obligatory sequence-of-tenses rule of that kind. A speaker selects forms such as ń (ongoing action), ti (completed or already attained action), and máa (future, intended, or habitual action) according to the intended viewpoint.

Reporting is not limited to the verb sọ (“say”). The same structures occur after verbs and expressions meaning tell, hear, know, think, remember, ask, warn, and request. Learning the clause patterns is therefore more useful than memorizing one English-to-Yoruba formula.

How It Works

Reporting statements with pé

The basic pattern is:

reporting clause + pé + reported clause

In the reported clause, keep an explicit subject when one is required:

• Ó sọ pé ó máa wá. — “He/She said that he/she would come.”
• Mo gbọ́ pé wọ́n ti lọ. — “I heard that they have left.”

The first and second ó in the first sentence belong to separate clauses. Context determines whether they refer to the same person. Yoruba does not mark that relationship by changing the pronoun.

A listener can be added after sọ with fún (“to/for”):

subject + sọ fún + listener + pé + message

• Wọ́n sọ fún mi pé kò sí. — “They told me that he/she is not around.”
• Mo sọ fún Adé pé mo ti dé. — “I told Ade that I had arrived.”

This distinction helps English speakers: English say and tell use different grammar, while Yoruba regularly expresses “tell someone” as sọ fún ẹnìkan, literally “say to someone.”

Choosing aspect and time inside the report

The reporting verb does not automatically force a change in the following clause.

Marker or form	Core contribution in a report	Example
unmarked verb	event, state, or contextually understood time	Ó sọ pé ó mọ̀ ọ́n. — “She said that she knew him/her.”
ń	action in progress or current situation	Ó sọ pé òun ń ṣiṣẹ́. — “She said that she was working.”
ti	action already completed or resulting state	Mo gbọ́ pé wọ́n ti lọ. — “I heard that they had/have left.”
máa	future, intention, or habitual action, according to context	Ó sọ pé ó máa wá. — “He said that he would come.”
kò	negative statement	Ó sọ pé òun kò lè wá. — “She said that she could not come.”

English translations may use was, had, or would, but those choices do not represent a single Yoruba “reported tense.” They reflect how English naturally locates the event. Pay attention to the Yoruba marker itself and to time words such as lọ́la (“tomorrow”) or nígbà yẹn (“at that time”).

Pronouns and who is speaking

Pronouns must be interpreted from the new reporting situation. A quoted speaker’s “I” may become an ordinary third-person pronoun in an indirect report. When two third-person participants could be confused, Yoruba can use òun as an independent third-person pronoun to make a participant prominent or contrastive. It can help track the reported speaker, but it is not a mechanical equivalent of English himself/herself, and context still matters.

Compare:

• Adé said: “Mo máa wá.” — “I will come.”
• Adé sọ pé ó máa wá. — “Ade said that he would come.”
• Adé sọ pé òun máa wá. — “Ade said that he himself/he (as the relevant person) would come.”

Use a name again when clarity matters more than stylistic smoothness.

Reporting yes/no questions

A yes/no question asks whether something is true. In indirect speech, bóyá (“whether/if”) can introduce that uncertainty:

reporting verb + bóyá + clause

• Ó béèrè bóyá mo ti jẹun. — “He/She asked whether I had eaten.”
• Wọ́n fẹ́ mọ̀ bóyá a máa lọ. — “They want to know whether we will go.”

The indirect clause is not presented as a direct question to the current listener, so do not simply copy English question word order. Yoruba can also report the substance of a question with pé in appropriate discourse, but bóyá is the clearest general choice when “whether” is central.

Reporting information questions

For a question containing “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” or “why,” retain the relevant Yoruba question expression in the embedded clause:

• Ó béèrè ibi tí wọ́n ń lọ. — “She asked where they were going.”
• Mo fẹ́ mọ ẹni tí ó pè ọ́. — “I want to know who called you.”

The linker tí often appears in these embedded structures. Do not assume that every English that, if, or question word corresponds to pé.

Reporting commands, requests, and advice with kí

For an action someone wants another person to perform, use:

reporting clause + kí + subject + verb phrase

• Olùkọ́ sọ fún wa kí a kà ìwé. — “The teacher told us to read.”
• Ìyá ní kí n dúró nílé. — “Mother said/told me to stay at home.”

The subject after kí identifies the person expected to act. English often uses to + verb, but Yoruba uses a full clause with its own subject: kí a kà (“that we should read”), not a bare infinitive. Yoruba verbs do not have an English-style to read infinitive form here.

For a negative command, place má before the verb:

• Ó kìlọ̀ fún wọn kí wọ́n má lọ. — “He/She warned them not to go.”

Do not confuse command-negative má (“do not”) with máa, which can mark future, intended, or habitual action.

Direct wording and indirect reporting

Yoruba also readily introduces a speaker’s actual words with pé. Writing may use quotation marks or punctuation to show that the exact wording follows:

• Adé sọ pé, “Mo máa padà lọ́la.” — Ade said, “I will return tomorrow.”
• Adé sọ pé ó máa padà lọ́la. — Ade said that he would return the next day/tomorrow.

The grammar alone does not always create a sharp boundary between an exact quotation and a close report. Pronouns, time expressions, intonation in speech, and quotation marks in writing help the reader decide.

Examples in Context

Yoruba	English	Note
Ó sọ pé ó máa wá.	He/She said that he/she would come.	Statement with pé and future/intended máa
Wọ́n sọ fún mi pé kò sí.	They told me that he/she was not around.	Listener follows sọ fún
Mo gbọ́ pé wọ́n ti lọ.	I heard that they have left.	Completed action with ti
Bísí sọ pé òun ń ṣiṣẹ́.	Bisi said that she was working.	Ongoing action; òun highlights the reported speaker
Adé sọ fún mi pé òun kò lè wá.	Ade told me that he could not come.	Negative statement with kò
Dókítà sọ pé kí n sinmi.	The doctor said that I should rest.	Desired action with kí
Olùkọ́ sọ fún wa kí a kà ìwé.	The teacher told us to read.	The subject a names who must act
Ìyá ní kí wọ́n dé ní kutukutu.	Mother told them to arrive early.	ní can convey “say/tell” in this construction
Ó kìlọ̀ fún mi kí n má ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀.	He/She warned me not to do that.	Negative instruction with má
Ó béèrè bóyá mo ti jẹun.	He/She asked whether I had eaten.	Indirect yes/no question
Wọ́n fẹ́ mọ̀ bóyá a máa lọ lọ́la.	They want to know whether we will go tomorrow.	Embedded uncertainty with bóyá
Mo béèrè ibi tí ó ń gbé.	I asked where he/she lived.	Embedded information question
Mo mọ̀ pé o sọ òtítọ́.	I know that you told the truth.	pé after a verb of knowing
Adé sọ pé, “Mo ti dé.”	Ade said, “I have arrived.”	Direct wording introduced by pé

Common Mistakes

Copying English tense backshift automatically

• Misleading habit: Changing every time or aspect marker solely because the reporting verb is past.
• Better: Ó sọ pé ó máa wá.
• Why: Yoruba chooses máa because the coming was future or intended from the relevant viewpoint. There is no automatic Yoruba equivalent of the English will → would rule.

Using pé for every kind of report

• Wrong for a command: Olùkọ́ sọ fún wa pé a kà ìwé.
• Right: Olùkọ́ sọ fún wa kí a kà ìwé.
• Why: Pé introduces the content of a statement; kí introduces an action that is requested, commanded, advised, or desired.

Leaving out the subject after kí

• Wrong: Ó sọ kí lọ.
• Right: Ó sọ kí n lọ. — “He/She told me to go.”
• Why: The kí clause normally states who is to perform the action. Here n means “I.”

Confusing má and máa

• Wrong: Ó sọ kí n máa lọ when the intended meaning is “He told me not to go.”
• Right: Ó sọ kí n má lọ.
• Why: Má negates a command. Máa commonly presents a future, intended, or habitual action; kí n máa lọ can instead suggest that I should keep going or go habitually, depending on context.

Translating “tell someone” without fún

• Awkward/incomplete: Ó sọ mi pé ó dé.
• Right: Ó sọ fún mi pé ó dé. — “He/She told me that he/she arrived.”
• Why: A listener is normally introduced with fún after sọ.

Allowing pronouns to become ambiguous

• Unclear: Adé sọ fún Kúnlé pé ó máa wá.
• Clearer when needed: Adé sọ fún Kúnlé pé Adé máa wá.
• Why: Ó may be understood from context, but repeating a name is often the safest option when either person could be the subject of the report.

Usage Notes

In conversation, context does much of the work. If everyone knows who spoke and when, a report may contain fewer explicit time expressions than its English translation. In careful writing, repeat a name or add a time phrase whenever a string of third-person pronouns would make the reference uncertain.

Pé is frequent after more than speech verbs: Mo mọ̀ pé… (“I know that…”), Mo rò pé… (“I think that…”), and Mo gbọ́ pé… (“I heard that…”). This makes it a general content linker, not simply a translation of English that. English can omit that—“I heard they left”—but Yoruba normally retains the linker in the corresponding Mo gbọ́ pé… pattern.

Time words deserve deliberate attention. A reporter may preserve lọ́la (“tomorrow”) if tomorrow is still the intended day, or choose a phrase anchored to the reporting context when necessary. This is a matter of viewpoint and clarity, not a fixed conversion table like today → that day.

Tone marks are especially valuable in learning materials. Forms such as sọ, kí, má, máa, òun, and bóyá are easier to recognize—and less likely to be confused—when their tones and underdots are written accurately.

Beyond the Basics

Reports can preserve a speaker’s viewpoint

Indirect reporting is not always a neutral summary. A reporter may retain wording that presents the original speaker’s perspective, or may reformulate it from the current speaker’s perspective. That choice affects pronouns, place expressions, and time expressions. Rather than asking “What word must change after sọ?”, ask three questions: Who is speaking now? Whose viewpoint is being represented? When does the reported event occur relative to that viewpoint?

Òun and reference tracking

Advanced narratives often involve several third-person participants. Òun can place contrastive weight on a third-person referent and often helps readers connect the reported proposition with the relevant speaker. It should not, however, be taught as a guaranteed switch-reference marker. Natural discourse, emphasis, and context all influence the choice between ó, òun, a name, and a noun phrase.

Reporting speech versus reporting an intention

A kí clause does not quote the grammatical shape of the original utterance. A direct command such as “Ẹ kà ìwé!” (“Read the book!” addressed to more than one person or respectfully) can be recast as Olùkọ́ sọ fún wa kí a kà ìwé. The person forms change because the new sentence is narrated from the reporter’s position. This is one reason word-for-word conversion produces errors.

Formal and rhetorical reporting

In formal prose, public speech, and storytelling, reports may be longer and may contain several linked clauses. The same core contrast remains useful: pé presents information as a proposition, while kí presents an intended action. Advanced style then depends on careful reference tracking, connectors, repetition, and the speaker’s degree of commitment to the reported claim.

Practice Tips

1. Convert by meaning, not by English tense. Take five direct messages and identify statement, question, or command first. Then choose pé, bóyá, or kí before adjusting pronouns and time expressions.
2. Build three-column notes. Write the original Yoruba words, your Yoruba report, and an English translation. Underline aspect markers such as ń, ti, and máa; explain why each one fits the timeline.
3. Train reference clarity aloud. Retell a short exchange involving two named people. First use names freely, then replace only the pronouns that remain unambiguous. This develops a more reliable instinct than translating every English he or she as ó.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Conjunctions and Connectors — provides the foundation for linking a reporting clause to its message.
• Next step: Formal and Oratorical Register — develops longer, more carefully structured reports in speeches and formal discourse.