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French reported speech in the past test for French 4 (free PDF download)

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Quick answer: When the introducing verb is in the past (il a dit que, elle a demandé si), French shifts the tenses back: présent becomes imparfait, passé composé becomes plus-que-parfait, and futur becomes conditionnel. This French 4 test on reported speech in the past has 9 questions worth 20 points, to do in 45 minutes: name the tense, time words and conjugate. The scoring guide is on a separate page; free printable PDF.

This test checks reported speech in the past, from the tense shift to questions and commands. Work alone, without notes, and answer every part in French unless the question asks for English. Verb forms, time words and pronouns all count toward the score.

Level: French 4 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Mid) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Mid, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational, WL 4.1 Language Comparisons

Time: 45 minutes · 9 questions · Total: 20 points · No dictionary

Question 1 Name the tense (2 points)

Name the tense used in reported speech after a past introducing verb.

  1. direct présent (1 point)
  2. direct futur simple (1 point)

Question 2 Time words (2 points)

Write the reported form.

  1. hier (1 point)
  2. demain (1 point)

Question 3 Conjugate (3 points)

Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the correct tense.

  1. Il a dit qu’il (avoir) faim. (1 point)
  2. Elle a dit qu’elle (finir) tôt la veille. (pluperfect) (1 point)
  3. Ils ont dit qu’ils (venir) le lendemain. (1 point)

Question 4 Report statements (3 points)

Report each statement.

  1. Karim : « Je suis à Lyon. » → Karim a dit que… (1 point)
  2. Nadia : « J’ai gagné le match. » → Nadia a dit que… (1 point)
  3. Les voisins : « Nous déménagerons demain. » → Les voisins ont annoncé que… (1 point)

Question 5 Question and command (2 points)

Report each sentence.

  1. « Tu parles anglais ? » → Elle m’a demandé… (1 point)
  2. « Écoute bien ! » → Il m’a dit… (1 point)

Question 6 Correct the error (2 points)

Rewrite each sentence correctly.

  1. Il a dit qu’il viendra demain. (1 point)
  2. Elle a demandé si est-ce que j’étais prêt. (1 point)

Question 7 Translate into French (2 points)

Translate into French.

  1. She said she was tired. (1 point)
  2. He told us that he had arrived the day before. (1 point)

Question 8 Reading (2 points)

Read the text message and the report, then answer in English.

Text message from Maëlle to Hugo saying she missed her train and will arrive tomorrow morningMaëlle → Hugo« J’ai raté mon train. J’arriverai demain matin. »21 h 15
Text message.

Hier soir, Maëlle a écrit à Hugo qu’elle avait raté son train et qu’elle arriverait le lendemain matin. Hugo lui a demandé si elle avait besoin d’aide. Elle a répondu que non, qu’elle avait déjà réservé un autre billet.

  1. When will Maëlle arrive? (1 point)
  2. What did Hugo ask her? (1 point)

Question 9 Short writing (2 points)

Write two sentences in French reporting what a friend told you yesterday. Include one present → imperfect shift in the first and one future → conditional shift in the second. (1 point each)

See the French Reported Speech In The Past test answer key with scoring

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