Verbos de reporte más usados: say, tell, ask, warn, explain, suggest
Verbos de reporte: elige la palabra exacta
En reported speech, no solo usamos «say» y «tell». Dependiendo de la intención del hablante original, podemos utilizar verbos como ask, warn, explain, suggest, promise, admit, complain, etc. Cada uno aporta un matiz diferente y sigue estructuras concretas. En este post dominarás los más comunes.
🎯 En este post aprenderás: Las diferencias entre say y tell, la estructura de ask para preguntas, verbos de orden, consejo, advertencia, sugerencia, promesa, y 5 ejercicios para usar verbos de reporte con precisión.
🔍 Say vs Tell: la diferencia clave
| Verbo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Say | say + (that) + frase say + to + persona + (that) + frase | He said (that) he was tired. He said to me (that) he was tired. |
| Tell | tell + persona + (that) + frase (obligatorio la persona) | He told me (that) he was tired. (No se puede decir «He told that he was tired») |
💡 Truco: Si necesitas mencionar la persona a quien se habla, usa «tell». Si no, «say» es más común. «Say to» es posible pero menos frecuente que «tell».
📋 Otros verbos de reporte esenciales
| Verbo | Estructura | Significado / Uso | Ejemplo (directo → indirecto) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask | ask + (persona) + if/wh- + frase ask + persona + to + infinitivo | Preguntar / Pedir | «Do you speak English?» → He asked if I spoke English. «Please help me» → He asked me to help him. |
| Warn | warn + persona + (not) + to + infinitivo warn + persona + that | Advertir | «Don’t touch the wire» → He warned me not to touch the wire. |
| Advise | advise + persona + to + infinitivo advise + that + sujeto + should + verbo | Aconsejar | «You should rest» → He advised me to rest. / He advised that I should rest. |
| Explain | explain + (to + persona) + that / wh- | Explicar | «The system works like this» → He explained (to me) how the system worked. |
| Suggest | suggest + that + sujeto + verbo (base / should) suggest + gerundio | Sugerir | «Let’s go to the cinema» → He suggested that we (should) go to the cinema. / He suggested going to the cinema. |
| Promise | promise + (that) + frase promise + to + infinitivo | Prometer | «I will call you» → He promised (that) he would call me. / He promised to call me. |
| Admit | admit + (that) + frase | Admitir | «I made a mistake» → He admitted (that) he had made a mistake. |
| Complain | complain + (that) + frase complain + about + gerundio | Quejarse | «It’s too noisy» → He complained that it was too noisy. |
⚙️ Ejemplos con cambio de estructura
- Suggest + gerundio: «Why don’t we eat out?» → He suggested eating out.
- Promise + to infinitivo: «I’ll help you» → He promised to help me.
- Warn + that: «The floor is wet» → He warned us that the floor was wet.
- Explain + wh-: «This is how you do it» → He explained how to do it. / He explained how we should do it.
🧪 5 Ejercicios con verbos de reporte
Ejercicio 1: Elige say o tell
- He _______ me that he was happy.
- She _______ «hello» to everyone.
- They _______ that they would arrive late.
- Please _______ me your name.
- The teacher _______ us to be quiet.
✅ Ver solución
1. told; 2. said; 3. said; 4. tell; 5. told.
Ejercicio 2: Usa ask / warn / advise / promise
- «Don’t touch that wire,» he said to me. (warn)
- «Could you open the window?» she said to John. (ask)
- «You should exercise more,» the doctor said to me. (advise)
- «I will never lie again,» she said. (promise)
- «Be careful with the dog,» they said to us. (warn)
✅ Ver solución
a. He warned me not to touch that wire. b. She asked John to open the window. c. The doctor advised me to exercise more. d. She promised (that) she would never lie again / to never lie again. e. They warned us to be careful with the dog.
Ejercicio 3: Usa explain y suggest
- «The machine works like this,» he said to me. (explain)
- «Let’s go to the beach,» she said. (suggest + gerundio)
- «Why don’t we take a taxi?» he said. (suggest + that)
- «This is the reason I left,» she said. (explain + reason)
✅ Ver solución
a. He explained to me how the machine worked. b. She suggested going to the beach. c. He suggested that we (should) take a taxi. d. She explained why she had left / the reason why she had left.
Ejercicio 4: Completa con el verbo adecuado
- «I’m sorry, I broke the vase,» he _______.
- «This room is so cold,» she _______.
- «I will pay you back tomorrow,» he _______.
- «You shouldn’t smoke,» the doctor _______ him.
- «What time is the meeting?» he _______.
✅ Ver solución
a. admitted; b. complained; c. promised; d. advised; e. asked.
Ejercicio 5: Transforma las siguientes oraciones usando el verbo de reporte indicado
- «I didn’t steal the money.» (deny) → He denied ________.
- «Yes, it was me who ate the cake.» (admit) → She admitted ________.
- «You must finish the report today.» (insist) → The boss insisted ________.
- «We offer you the job.» (offer) → They offered ________.
- «Don’t forget to lock the door.» (remind) → He reminded ________.
✅ Ver solución
a. He denied stealing the money / that he had stolen the money. b. She admitted eating the cake / that she had eaten the cake. c. The boss insisted that I finish the report that day / on finishing the report. d. They offered me the job / to give me the job. e. He reminded me to lock the door.
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