In English, you know it's indirect discourse when you see the word "that" instead of quotation marks.
He says (that) you have come. [Indirect]
He says, "You have come." [Direct]
In Latin, there is a prescribed sequence of tenses for indirect discourse, which is used after verbs of saying, knowing, thinking, feeling, etc. The sequence of tenses means that depending on the main verb (the "he said"), the other verb will be in the same tense or a different one, depending on when it happens. In Latin, we write indirect discourse with the accusative of the subject of the indirect speech plus the infinitive for its verb. In our example, the word after "that" is you. That "you" would be in the accusative case and its verb, "have come," would be an infinitive.
- If the infinitive happens at the same time as the main verb, the infinitive is in the present tense.
Dicit se venire - He says that he is coming.
Dixerunt eum iuvare eam - They said that he/she was helping her/him.
- If the infinitive happens before the main verb, the infinitive is in the perfect tense.
Dicit se venisse - He says that he has come.
Dixerunt eum iuvisse eam - They said that he/she had helped her/him.
- If the infinitive will happen after the main verb, the infinitive is in the future.
Dicit se venturum esse - He says that he will come.
Dicent eum iuturum esse eam- They will say that he/she will help her/him.
Index of Quick Tips on Latin Verbs
