Reported speech

Polish keeps the original tense — no backshift.

Reporting speech is simpler than in English in one big way: Polish does not shift tenses back. 'He said he is tired' stays present — Powiedział, że jest zmęczony. You just pick the right linking word for the type of sentence.

Reporting…	Connector	Example
a statement	że	Mówi, że pada
a yes/no question	czy	Pyta, czy mam czas
a request / purpose	żeby	Prosi, żebym przyszedł

•że for statements, czy for yes/no questions, żeby for requests.
•The reported tense matches what the speaker actually said.

Powiedziała, że przyjdzie.

She said she will come.

Spytał, czy lubię Polskę.

He asked whether I like Poland.

Poprosił, żebym został.

He asked me to stay.

Mówią, że będzie zimno.

They say it will be cold.

Nie wiem, gdzie on jest.

I don't know where he is.

🧠 Tactic — Whatever tense the person used, keep it. No backshift means less to juggle than in English.

⚠️ Watch out — Never use że for a question. 'He asked if…' needs czy, never że.

Quick check

Report a statement with:

że introduces reported statements.

Compared with English, Polish reported speech…

No backshift — the tense stays.

Practice

Now produce the answers yourself — type them, choose the form, or build the sentence.

Report a statement: 'Mówi, ___ pada.'

Report a yes/no question: 'Pyta, ___ mam czas.'

Polish reported speech shifts the tense back?

No backshift — keep the tense.

Say: She said she will come.

Prosi, ___ przyszedł. (a request — 'that I come')

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