Indirect speech — reporting what someone else said — requires shifting verb tenses and pronouns in Dutch, just as in English. The main reporting verbs are zeggen (to say), vertellen (to tell), denken (to think), and vragen (to ask). When using dat to introduce indirect speech, the clause becomes subordinate and the verb moves to the end: “Hij zei dat hij morgen zou komen” (He said that he would come tomorrow).
Tense shifts in Dutch indirect speech are more flexible than in English. The tense of the reported speech can stay the same as the original or shift to match the reporting verb’s tense. “Ik hou van jou” → “Ze zei dat ze van hem hield” (shift to past) or informally “Ze zei dat ze van hem houdt” (no shift). Written Dutch favors the shifted tense; spoken Dutch often keeps the original tense. Both are acceptable.
Indirect questions follow the same subordinate clause pattern, using the original question word: “Waar woon jij?” → “Hij vroeg waar ik woonde” (He asked where I lived). Yes/no questions use of: “Ben je thuis?” → “Ze vroeg of ik thuis was” (She asked whether I was home). These patterns appear constantly in narration, conversation reporting, and written Dutch — mastering them significantly increases your range of expression.