Style indirect/aide
Cours gratuits > Forum > Forum anglais: Questions sur l'anglais || En basMessage de echyzen posté le 30-12-2016 à 11:31:03 (S | E | F)
Hi
I have a problem to translate the following sentence in direct style:
Jennifer asked John if he had booked a room when he was not at work.
The correct answer is:
Did you book a room when you were not at work?
or
Did you book a room when you are not at work?
In other terms should I use preterite or present?
Best Regards,
Echyzen
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Modifié par lucile83 le 30-12-2016 12:38
Réponse : Style indirect/aide de violet91, postée le 30-12-2016 à 11:45:43 (S | E)
Hello echyzen ,
You know you must follow the rule of the tense concordance ... Your sentence being written in the past can't contain a present tense . The tenses in the different clauses have to match one another . Yet, you could invent another situation with anteriority , you could have a past perfect with a simple past .
Did he tell you he had booked a room when he was not at work ?
Direct speech :
- Did you book a room when you were not at work ? is the right one . Have a nice day !
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