☰ Contents · Uzbek language

Direct and indirect speech

Lessons 42–43 · 2 lessons · N.M. Mahmudov, A. Nurmonov, A.Sh. Sobirov. Ona tili (Uzbek language), Grade 9, 4th edition. “Tasvir” Publishing House, Tashkent, 2019
43

Turning direct speech into indirect speech

Textbook: pp. 85–86
GoalApply the rules for turning direct speech into indirect speech.
New words
verbal noun · harakat nomichange of person · shaxs almashishiinterrogative form · so‘roq shakliimperative form · buyruq shakli
Explanation

When it is turned into indirect speech, the author’s words and the direct speech merge into one simple sentence. The predicate of declarative direct speech turns into a participle (-gan, -digan) or verbal noun (-ish) and takes a possessive ending: «Men o‘qiyman» – o‘qishini aytdi. In an interrogative sentence the question word is kept and the question particle (-mi) drops: «Qachon kelasan?» – qachon kelishini so‘radi. An imperative sentence is expressed with a verbal noun: «Eshikni yoping!» – eshikni yopishni buyurdi (so‘radi). Pronouns and person endings change from the new speaker’s point of view: “men” usually becomes “u”, while “sen” becomes “men” or “u” depending on the sentence. An address often becomes an object or is dropped.

Worked examples
Ustoz dedi: «Imtihon ertaga bo‘ladi». → Ustoz imtihon ertaga bo‘lishini aytdi. / «Soat nechada boshlanadi?» – deb so‘radi Ali. → Ali soat nechada boshlanishini so‘radi.
«Eshikni yoping», – dedi ustoz. → Ustoz eshikni yopishni so‘radi. / «Dilnoza, kitobni ol», – dedi opam. → Opam Dilnozaga kitobni olishni aytdi.
Class activity

“Two columns”: split a page in two: direct speech on the left, indirect on the right; pupils list the changes.

Practice
1
How is declarative direct speech turned into indirect speech?
2
Turn “«Men maktabga boraman», – dedi Aziz” into indirect speech.
3
Turn “«Sen qachon qaytasan?» – deb so‘radi onam” into indirect speech.
4
Why does the question particle drop in indirect questions?