SPEECH
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SPEECH
Speech means expressing thoughts, ideas, or feelings using spoken words. It can be formal (like a speech on stage) or informal (like daily conversation). In grammar, speech is how we report or tell what someone said — either Directly or Indirectly.
Speech भन्नाले बोलचालका शब्दहरू प्रयोग गरेर आफ्ना विचार, भावना, वा सूचना व्यक्त गर्नु हो। यो औपचारिक (जस्तै: भाषण) वा अनौपचारिक (जस्तै: सामान्य कुराकानी) हुन सक्छ। व्याकरणमा भनेको कुरालाई सिधै (Direct) वा परकण (Indirect) तरिकाले भन्नु Speech हो।
Types of Speech
Speech in grammar refers to how we report or repeat what someone has said. There are two main types:
- Direct Speech – exact words of the speaker.
- Indirect Speech (Reported Speech) – when we report what someone said.
Speech भन्नाले अरूले बोलेको कुरा प्रस्तुत गर्ने तरिका हो। दुई प्रकारका Speech हुन्छन्:
- Direct Speech (प्रत्यक्ष भाषण) – जुन वाक्यमा बोलेको कुरा जस्ताको तस्तै हुन्छ।
- Indirect Speech (अप्रत्यक्ष भाषण) – जुन वाक्यमा बोलेको कुरा आफ्नै शब्दमा व्यक्त गरिन्छ।
Direct Speech – प्रत्यक्ष वाक्य
Direct speech means reporting the exact words spoken by someone. These words are written inside quotation marks (“ ”). It shows the original message without any change.
It answers: What exactly did the person say?
Structure:
Subject + said/asked + “Exact Words.”
प्रत्यक्ष वाक्य भनेको बोलेको कुरा जसको तस्सी उधृत गर्नु हो। स्पिकरले बोलेको शब्द जस्ताको तस्तै उद्धरण चिन्ह (“ ”) भित्र राखिन्छ।
Examples:
| Type | English Sentence | Nepali Meaning |
| Direct Speech | He said, “I am learning English.” | उसले भन्यो, “म अङ्ग्रेजी सिक्दैछु।” |
| She said, “My mother is cooking.” | उनले भनिन्, “मेरो आमा खाना पकाउँदै हुनुहुन्छ।” | |
| I said, “We will meet tomorrow.” | मैले भनें, “हामी भोलि भेट्नेछौं।” | |
| They said, “We play football every day.” | उनीहरूले भने, “हामी हरेक दिन फुटबल खेल्छौं।” | |
| He asked, “Do you know the answer?” | उसले सोध्यो, “के तिमी उत्तर थाहा छ?” | |
| She said, “I went to the market yesterday.” | उनले भनिन्, “म हिजो बजार गएँ।” | |
| The teacher said, “Be quiet.” | शिक्षकले भन्नुभयो, “शान्त बस।” | |
| I said, “He has a new phone.” | मैले भनें, “उसको नयाँ फोन छ।” | |
| She asked, “Where are you going?” | उनले सोधिन्, “तिमी कहाँ जाँदैछौ?” | |
| He said, “I don’t like loud music.” | उसले भन्यो, “म ठूलो आवाजको संगीत मन पराउँदिन।” |
Indirect Speech – अप्रत्यक्ष वाक्य / परक वाक्य
Indirect speech is used to report what someone said without quoting their exact words. The tense, pronouns, and time expressions usually change to match the reporting context. Quotation marks are not used.
It answers: What did the person say (in your own words)?
Structure:
Subject + said/asked + (that/if/wh-word) + reported sentence (tense change if needed).
1. Using “that” in Indirect Speech
- Used for: Statements (declarative sentences)
- Structure: Subject + said/told + that + [changed sentence]
2. Using “if” or “whether” in Indirect Speech
- Used for: Yes/No questions
- Structure: Subject + asked/wanted to know + if/whether + [changed sentence]
3. Using WH-words in Indirect Speech
- Used for: WH-questions (what, where, when, why, who, how, etc.)
- Structure: Subject + asked/wanted to know + wh-word + [changed sentence]
अप्रत्यक्ष वाक्य भनेको कसैले भनेको कुरा हाम्रो आफ्नै शब्दमा भन्नु हो। यसमा उद्धरण चिन्ह प्रयोग हुँदैन, र वाक्यको काल, सर्बनाम, र समय परिवर्तन गरिन्छ।
- “that” को प्रयोग (वाक्य/कथनका लागि)
- प्रयोग हुने ठाउँ: सामान्य वाक्य (Statements)
- संरचना (Structure): Subject + भन्यो/भनेको थियो + that + [परिवर्तित वाक्य]
- नेपाली व्याख्या: जब कसैले केहि भन्यो भन्ने कुरा अरूलाई भन्नुपर्छ, तब “that” प्रयोग गरेर भनिन्छ।
2. “if” / “whether” को प्रयोग (Yes/No प्रश्नका लागि)
- प्रयोग हुने ठाउँ: हो/होइन (Yes/No) प्रकारका प्रश्नहरू
- संरचना (Structure): Subject + सोध्यो/थाहा पाउन खोज्यो + if/whether + [परिवर्तित वाक्य]
- नेपाली व्याख्या: जब प्रश्न हो वा होइनमा उत्तर दिन मिल्ने हुन्छ, तब “if” वा “whether” प्रयोग गरिन्छ।
3. WH-words को प्रयोग (प्रश्नवाचक वाक्यका लागि)
- प्रयोग हुने ठाउँ: what, where, when, who, why, how आदि शब्दबाट सुरु हुने प्रश्नहरू
- संरचना (Structure): Subject + सोध्यो/थाहा पाउन खोज्यो + wh-word + [परिवर्तित वाक्य]
- जब प्रश्न wh-word बाट सुरु हुन्छ (जस्तै — के, कहाँ, किन, कसरी), तब सोही wh-word राखिन्छ।
Examples:
| Type | English Sentence | Nepali Meaning |
| Indirect Speech | He said that he was learning English. | उसले भन्यो कि ऊ अङ्ग्रेजी सिक्दै थियो। |
| She said that her mother was cooking. | उनले भनिन् कि उनकी आमा खाना पकाउँदै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | |
| I said that we would meet the next day. | मैले भनें कि हामी भोलि भेट्ने थियौं। | |
| They said that they played football every day. | उनीहरूले भने कि उनीहरूले हरेक दिन फुटबल खेल्थे। | |
| He asked if I knew the answer. | उसले सोध्यो कि मलाई उत्तर थाहा थियो कि थिएन। | |
| She said that she had gone to the market the day before. | उनले भनिन् कि उनी अघिल्लो दिन बजार गएकी थिइन्। | |
| The teacher told us to be quiet. | शिक्षकले हामीलाई शान्त बस्न भन्नुभयो। | |
| I said that he had a new phone. | मैले भनें कि उससँग नयाँ फोन थियो। | |
| She asked where I was going. | उनले सोधिन् कि म कहाँ जाँदै थिएँ। | |
| He said that he didn’t like loud music. | उसले भन्यो कि उसलाई ठूलो आवाजको संगीत मन पर्दैनथ्यो। |
Tense & Pronoun Changes in Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)
When we write what someone said in indirect speech (Reported Speech), especially when using a past reporting verb (e.g. said, told), the tense and pronoun change. This is called “Backshift of Tense“.
जब हामी कुनै व्यक्तिले बोलेको कुरा indirect speech (Reported Speech) मा लेख्छौं, विशेष गरी past reporting verb (जस्तै: said, told) प्रयोग गर्दा, tense र pronoun परिवर्तन हुन्छ। यसलाई “Backshift of Tense” भनिन्छ।
Tense Change Rules (Direct → Indirect)
Only change the tense if the reporting verb is in past tense (said, told, asked).
| Direct Speech Tense (अहिलेको Tense) | Indirect Speech Tense (परिवर्तित Tense) |
| Present Simple (V1 / V5) | Past Simple (V2) |
| Present Continuous (is/am/are + V-ing) | Past Continuous (was/were + V-ing) |
| Present Perfect (has/have + V³) | Past Perfect (had + V³) |
| Past Simple (V2) | Past Perfect (had + V³) |
| Future (will + V¹) | Would + V¹ |
Examples:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Change Rule |
| She said, “I go to school.” | She said that she went to school. | Present Simple → Past Simple |
| He said, “I am reading a book.” | He said that he was reading a book. | Present Continuous → Past Continuous |
| They said, “We have finished dinner.” | They said that they had finished dinner. | Present Perfect → Past Perfect |
| I said, “She came home.” | I said that she had come home. | Past Simple → Past Perfect |
| He said, “I will help you.” | He said that he would help me. | Will → Would |
Note: यदि reporting verb (जस्तै: said, told) present या future tense मा छ भने tense परिवर्तन हुँदैन।
Pronoun Change Rules
| Direct Speech Pronoun | Indirect Speech Pronoun (परिवर्तित) | Meaning (नेपाली अर्थ) |
| I | he / she | म → ऊ / उनी |
| We | they | हामी → उनीहरू |
| You | I / he / she / they | तिमी / तपाईं → म / ऊ / उनी / उनीहरू |
| My | his / her | मेरो → उसको / उनको |
| Our | their | हाम्रो → उनीहरूको |
Examples:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Change Rule |
| He said, “I am tired.” | He said that he was tired. | I → He |
| She said, “You are smart.” | She said that I was smart. | You → I |
| I said, “We are ready.” | I said that we were ready. | (No change needed) |
| They said, “He is our friend.” | They said that he was their friend. | Our → Their |
| She said, “They will help me.” | She said that they would help her. | Me → Her |
Time and Place Word Changes
When reporting speech, some time and place words change:
| Direct Word | Indirect Word | Nepali Meaning |
| now | then | अहिले → त्यसबेला |
| today | that day | आज → त्यो दिन |
| yesterday | the day before | हिजो → अघिल्लो दिन |
| tomorrow | the next day | भोलि → अर्को दिन |
| this | that | यो → त्यो |
| these | those | यी → ती |
| here | there | यहाँ → त्यहाँ |
| ago | before | पहिले → अघिनै |
| tonight | that night | आज राति → त्यो राति |
Examples:
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Change Rule |
| He said, “I will come tomorrow.” | He said that he would come the next day. | Tomorrow → The next day |
| She said, “We met yesterday.” | She said that they had met the day before. | Yesterday → The day before |
| They said, “I am busy today.” | They said that she was busy that day. | Today → That day |
| I said, “I was there last night.” | I said that I had been there the night before. | Last night → The night before |
| He said, “We will meet here.” | He said that they would meet there. | Here → There |
Reporting Verb: “Said” vs. “Told”
Use “said” when there’s no object:
- He said that he was busy.
Use “told” when there’s an object:
- He told me that he was busy.
Examples
| Direct Speech (सीधा वाक्य) | Indirect Speech (रिपोर्ट गरिएको वाक्य) |
| She said, “I am happy.” (उनीले भनिन्, “म खुसी छु।”) | She said that she was happy. (उनले भनिन् कि उनी खुसी थिइन्।) |
| He said, “I will call you.” (उसले भन्यो, “म तिमीलाई फोन गर्छु।”) | He said that he would call me. (उसले भन्यो कि उसले मलाई फोन गर्नेछ।) |
| They said, “We have finished the work.” (उनीहरूले भने, “हामीले काम सक्यौं।”) | They said that they had finished the work. (उनीहरूले भने कि उनीहरूले काम सकेका थिए।) |
| Rina said, “I like chocolate.” (रिनाले भनिन्, “मलाई चकलेट मनपर्छ।”) | Rina said that she liked chocolate. (रिनाले भनिन् कि उनलाई चकलेट मनपर्थ्यो।) |
| He said, “I went to the market.” (उसले भन्यो, “म बजार गएँ।”) | He said that he had gone to the market. (उसले भन्यो कि ऊ बजार गएको थियो।) |
| I said, “My brother is playing.” (मैले भनें, “मेरो दाइ खेल्दैछ।”) | I said that my brother was playing. (मैले भनें कि मेरो दाइ खेल्दै थियो।) |
| She said, “I can dance.” (उनले भनिन्, “म नाच्न सक्छु।”) | She said that she could dance. (उनले भनिन् कि उनी नाच्न सक्थिन्।) |
| The teacher said, “You are late.” (शिक्षकले भने, “तिमी ढिला भयौ।”) | The teacher said that I was late. (शिक्षकले भने कि म ढिला भएँ।) |
| Mother said, “I am cooking dinner.” (आमाले भनिन्, “म बेलुकाको खाना पकाउँदैछु।”) | Mother said that she was cooking dinner. (आमाले भनिन् कि उनी खाना पकाउँदै थिइन्।) |
| They said, “We will come tomorrow.” (उनीहरूले भने, “हामी भोलि आउँछौं।”) | They said that they would come the next day. (उनीहरूले भने कि उनीहरू अर्को दिन आउँछन्।) |
Structure Rules:
Statement
- Direct: He said, “I am tired.”
- Indirect: He said that he was tired.
Yes/No Question
- Direct: She asked, “Are you coming?”
- Indirect: She asked if I was coming.
Wh- Questions
- Direct: He asked, “Where do you live?”
- Indirect: He asked where I lived.
Imperative Sentence
- Direct: She said, “Sit down.”
- Indirect: She told me to sit down.
Negative Imperative
• Direct: She said, “Never be rude to others.”
• Indirect: She told me never to be rude to others.
• Direct: He said, “Stop making excuses.”
• Indirect: He told me to stop making excuses.
• Direct: The teacher said, “Avoid silly mistakes.”
• Indirect: The teacher told us to avoid silly mistakes.
• Direct: They said, “Do not ever lie to your parents.”
• Indirect: They advised us not to ever lie to our parents.
• Direct: The doctor said, “You must not skip your medicine.”
• Indirect: The doctor warned me not to skip my medicine.
Common Changes from Direct to Indirect Speech
| Category | Direct Speech | Indirect Speech | Change Rule |
| Tense | Present Simple | Past Simple | Verb tense shifts one step back in the past |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | ||
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | ||
| Past Simple | Past Perfect | ||
| Will | Would | ||
| Pronoun | I | He / She | Change according to the speaker and context |
| You | I / He / She / They | ||
| We | They | ||
| My | His / Her | ||
| Our | Their | ||
| Time / Place | Today | That day | Adjust according to the time/place of reporting |
| Tomorrow | The next day | ||
| Yesterday | The day before | ||
| Now | Then | ||
| Here | There | ||
| Last night | The night before |