The sequence of tenses
What happens to tenses after “he said that…”? Good news: in Greek, almost nothing shifts.
Greek keeps the original tense
Unlike English, there is no mechanical backshift: reported “Θα έρθω” gives Είπε ότι θα έρθει (he said he will/would come). Reported present stays present: Είπε ότι είναι κουρασμένος. You report the words as they were thought.
ότι, πως, που — introducing the clause
ότι and πως are interchangeable (πως slightly more colloquial). After emotion verbs, που: Χαίρομαι που ήρθες (I’m glad you came). After verbs of will, always να: Θέλω να έρθεις.
Reported questions and commands
Yes/no question → αν: Ρώτησε αν έρχομαι (he asked if I’m coming). Open question keeps its question word: Ρώτησε πού μένω. Command → να: “Έλα!” becomes Μου είπε να έρθω.
Your turn
Choose the correct form.