Direct speech
Direct speech is a structure that fully and faithfully reports the message as it was transmitted by the speaker introduced by a verb of the type of [dire say, affermare affirm, esclamare exclaim, etc.]: (so-called introductory verbs of”say”), placed either at the beginning or at the end or in the middle of the speech, or separated by two dashes or commas. Words of direct speech are usually enclosed in quotation marks or dashes.
Indirect speech
Indirect speech is a structure that reports the speaker’s message not with his identical words, but through the words of the person who reports it. The reported words become a subordinate clause (mostly objective or indirect interrogative) governed by the same “introductory” verbs as direct speech.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
| Gianni mi ha detto: “Non sono d’accordo!” Gianni told me: “I don’t agree!” “Non siamo stati noi!” gridarono in coro i ragazzi “It wasn’t us!” the boys shouted in chorus | Gianni mi ha detto che non è d’accordo. Gianni told me that he doesn’t agree. I ragazzi gridarono in coro che non erano stati loro. The boys shouted in chorus that it wasn’t them. |
Free indirect speech
It is a particular type of indirect speech, a kind of mixed form that lies between direct speech and indirect speech. It is formed by the lack of subordinate clauses introduced by verbs such as [dire, affermare, esclamare, etc.] which usually precede indirect speech, and at the same time by the absence of those punctuation marks typical of direct speech [che, di, come, perchè, etc.]
| Direct speech | Indirect speech | Free indirect speech |
| Mauro decise: “Partirò domani, porterò con me tutti i documenti e cercherò di concludere l’affare”. Mauro decided: “I will leave tomorrow, I will take all the documents with me and I will try to conclude the deal”. | Mauro decise che sarebbe partito il giorno dopo, (che) avrebbe portato con sé tutti i documenti e (che) avrebbe cercato di concludere l’affare. Mauro decided that he would leave the next day, (that) he would take all the documents with him and (that) he would try to close the deal. | Mauro sarebbe partito il giorno dopo, avrebbe portato con sé tutti i documenti e avrebbe cercato di concludere l’affare. Mauro would leave the next day, take all the documents with him and try to close the deal. |