時制の一致と例外
着眼点主節が過去形なら、従属節の時制もひとつ過去側にずらす。例外は不変の真理・現在も続く事実・歴史的事実。
| 直接 | 間接 |
|---|---|
| 現在 → 過去 | He said, "I am busy." → He said that he was busy. |
| 過去 → 過去完了 | She said, "I went there." → She said that she had gone there. |
| will → would | He said he would help me. |
| 不変の真理（例外） | The teacher said that light travels faster than sound. |
例文
1
She told me that she was hungry.
彼女はおなかがすいていると私に言った。
2
We learned that the Second World War ended in 1945.
私たちは第二次世界大戦が1945年に終わったと習った。（歴史的事実は過去形）
注意now → then、here → there、tomorrow → the next day など副詞語句も変わる。