Indirect speech

Question

Hi,I'm doing an exercise and I'm to convert a sentencein direct speech into indirect speech.A: I like spaghetti.B: But you told me you ............. (hate) Italian food.Can I use "hate" in Present Simple?"But you told me you hate Italian food"Thank You

Clive · Accepted Answer

Yes

Hotmale · Answer

Thanks. But what is the difference then between these two?

You told me you hate Italian food.
You told me you hated Italan food.

Clive · Answer

Both are possible.
But the focus in your example is whether he still likes it today.

Hotmale · Answer

I see. Thank you.

Clive · Answer

Another way to think about it is this.

If someone says 'I hate Italian food', it's a kind of 'eternal truth'.

CalifJim · Answer

HotmaleThanks. But what is the difference then between these two?You told me you hate Italian food.You told me you hated Italian food.

In my opinion, in the given context there is no difference whatsoever.

Personally, I'd use "hated" to match the tense of "told". The listener is always able to decode the shifted time frame to understand what the speaker means.

CJ

Hotmale · Answer

Thank you both for your answers <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Indirect speech

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