Understanding Indirect Speech in Ancient Greek

Forms of Greek used from around the 9th century BC to the 6th century AD.

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is a way of reporting what someone has said without quoting them directly. In Ancient Greek, as in many other languages, the rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech can be complex, but they are crucial for mastering the language.

Introduction to Indirect Speech

In Ancient Greek, indirect speech is often introduced by a verb of saying, thinking, or perceiving, followed by an accusative and infinitive construction. The subject of the reported speech is in the accusative case, and the verb is in the infinitive form.

For example, the direct speech "Socrates says, 'I am wise'" would be reported in indirect speech as "Socrates says that he is wise."

Rules for Changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

When changing direct speech into indirect speech in Ancient Greek, the tense of the verb in the reported clause changes according to the sequence of tenses. This means that the tense of the verb in the reported clause depends on the tense of the main verb.

• If the main verb is in a primary tense (present, future, future perfect), the verb in the reported clause remains in the same tense as in direct speech.
• If the main verb is in a secondary tense (imperfect, aorist, pluperfect), the verb in the reported clause changes to a corresponding secondary tense.

For example, the direct speech "He says, 'I am learning'" would be reported in indirect speech as "He says that he is learning." But "He said, 'I am learning'" would be reported as "He said that he was learning."

Practice Exercises

To master indirect speech in Ancient Greek, it's important to practice converting direct speech into indirect speech, paying careful attention to the sequence of tenses. Here are some exercises to get you started:

1. Convert the following sentences from direct to indirect speech:

   • "She says, 'I will go to Athens.'"
   • "They said, 'We have seen the Parthenon.'"

2. Now try converting these sentences from indirect to direct speech:

   • "He said that he had been to Delphi."
   • "She says that she is studying philosophy."

Remember, mastering indirect speech is a crucial step towards achieving fluency in Ancient Greek. With practice, you'll be able to report what others have said with ease and accuracy.