What are common mistakes with अप्रत्यक्ष कथन?

Backshifting the tense as English requires, and dropping ki. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian does not backshift either, so this transfers cleanly; the remaining surprise is that Hindi often keeps the original first-person pronoun where Russian would switch to third.

अप्रत्यक्ष कथन: rules, examples & exercises | Hindi Grammar A2

अप्रत्यक्ष कथन

A2 — वाक्य रचना

उसने कहा कि — और हिंदी में काल नहीं बदलता

I can report what somebody said without changing their tense

उसने कहा कि — और हिंदी में काल नहीं बदलता

Examples

— He said he would come tomorrow.
— I think he's right.
— He asked where you live.

वाक्य रचनाA2

Reported Speech

Reporting what somebody said, with no shift of tense

Learning Goal

I can report what somebody said without changing their tense

Exam Skills:बोलनालिखना

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

He said he would come tomorrow.

I think he's right.

He asked where you live.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

कि, and nothing else changes

Hindi reports speech by putting कि between the two halves and leaving the quoted words as they were:

उसने कहा कि मैं आऊँगा। - He said he would come. (literally: he said that I will come)
उसने कहा कि वह बीमार है। - She said she was ill.
माँ ने पूछा कि तुम कहाँ हो। - Mother asked where you were.

There is no backshift. The tense of the original stays. And the pronoun often stays first-person too, which looks wrong to an English speaker and is entirely correct.

Questions

A reported question keeps its question word and takes no क्या: उसने पूछा कि तुम कब आओगे।

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Backshifting the tense as English requires, and dropping ki.

Common Error Patterns

Shifting the tense back as English does

Hindi does not backshift, and neither does Russian. Keep the original tense.

Omitting ki in writing

ki may be dropped in speech but is normal in writing.

He said he would come tomorrow.

The future stays future, exactly as in Russian.

I think he's right.

ki joins without changing either half.

He asked where you live.

A reported question keeps its question word and takes no kya.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

A2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is अप्रत्यक्ष कथन used?: Hindi reports speech by putting कि between the two halves and leaving the quoted words as they were:
How is अप्रत्यक्ष कथन formed?: There is no backshift. The tense of the original stays. And the pronoun often stays first-person too, which looks wrong to an English speaker and is entirely correct. A reported question keeps its question word and takes no क्या: उसने पूछा कि तुम कब आओगे।
What are common mistakes with अप्रत्यक्ष कथन?: Backshifting the tense as English requires, and dropping ki. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian does not backshift either, so this transfers cleanly; the remaining surprise is that Hindi often keeps the original first-person pronoun where Russian would switch to third.

Sources

हिन्दी व्याकरण — काशी नागरी प्रचारिणी सभा, 1920
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi verb and particle usage.
Hindi (London Oriental and African Language Library 12) — John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2006
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account of modality, particles and reported speech used here.