Pernahkah Anda merasa kesulitan saat harus menyampaikan kembali apa yang dikatakan orang lain tanpa mengubah maknanya, namun tetap terdengar alami dalam Bahasa Inggris? Atau mungkin Anda bingung kapan harus mengubah tense, kata ganti, atau bahkan kata keterangan waktu dan tempat? Jangan khawatir, Anda tidak sendirian. Kemampuan untuk melaporkan perkataan seseorang, yang dikenal sebagai Reported Speech (atau Indirect Speech), adalah salah satu keterampilan krusial dalam komunikasi Bahasa Inggris yang efektif. Menguasai Reported Speech bukan hanya tentang tata bahasa; ini tentang kejelasan, akurasi, dan kemampuan Anda untuk menavigasi percakapan dengan lebih percaya diri.
Apa Itu Reported Speech?
Reported Speech adalah cara kita menyampaikan kembali apa yang dikatakan seseorang tanpa mengutip kata-kata persis mereka (Direct Speech). Ini adalah tentang melaporkan inti pesan, bukan mengulanginya kata demi kata. Ketika kita menggunakan Reported Speech, seringkali ada perubahan pada tense, kata ganti, dan ekspresi waktu/tempat.
Perubahan Kunci dalam Reported Speech
Ada beberapa aturan penting yang perlu dipahami saat mengubah Direct Speech menjadi Reported Speech:
1. Perubahan Tense (Backshift)
Ini adalah perubahan paling umum. Jika kata kerja pelapor (reporting verb) berada dalam bentuk lampau (misalnya, said, told, asked), maka tense dalam kalimat yang dilaporkan biasanya akan mundur satu langkah (backshift).
| Direct Speech Tense | Reported Speech Tense | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Direct: “I am happy.” Reported: He said he was happy. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | Direct: “I am working.” Reported: She said she was working. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | Direct: “I have finished.” Reported: He said he had finished. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous | Direct: “I have been waiting.” Reported: She said she had been waiting. |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect | Direct: “I went home.” Reported: He said he had gone home. |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous | Direct: “I was reading.” Reported: She said she had been reading. |
| Future Simple (will) | Conditional (would) | Direct: “I will go.” Reported: He said he would go. |
| Modal Verbs (Can, May, Must) | (Could, Might, Had to) | Direct: “I can swim.” Reported: She said she could swim. |
2. Perubahan Kata Ganti (Pronouns)
Kata ganti harus diubah agar sesuai dengan siapa yang berbicara dan siapa yang dilaporkan. Misalnya:
- Direct: “I love my dog.”
- Reported: He said he loved his dog.
- Direct: “Are you ready?”
- Reported: She asked if I was ready.
3. Perubahan Kata Keterangan Waktu dan Tempat
Ekspresi waktu dan tempat seringkali perlu diubah karena konteksnya berubah dari saat pernyataan asli dibuat.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| now | then, at that time | Direct: “I’m busy now.” Reported: He said he was busy then. |
| today | that day | Direct: “I’ll do it today.” Reported: She said she would do it that day. |
| yesterday | the day before, the previous day | Direct: “I saw him yesterday.” Reported: He said he had seen him the day before. |
| tomorrow | the next day, the following day | Direct: “I’ll come tomorrow.” Reported: She said she would come the next day. |
| here | there | Direct: “Wait here.” Reported: He told me to wait there. |
| this/these | that/those | Direct: “I like this book.” Reported: She said she liked that book. |
Kata Kerja Pelapor (Reporting Verbs)
Pemilihan kata kerja pelapor sangat penting karena dapat mengubah nuansa kalimat. Beberapa yang paling umum adalah:
- Say: Digunakan untuk melaporkan pernyataan secara umum. She said that she was tired.
- Tell: Digunakan saat kita menyebutkan siapa yang diberitahu. He told me that he was leaving. (Tidak bisa He told that… tanpa objek)
- Ask: Digunakan untuk melaporkan pertanyaan. They asked if I was coming.
- Wonder: Digunakan untuk pertanyaan yang tidak ditujukan kepada siapa pun. He wondered where she had gone.
- Advise, Suggest, Recommend, Order, Request: Digunakan untuk melaporkan saran, perintah, atau permintaan. She advised me to study harder.
Jenis-jenis Reported Speech
Reported Speech dapat dibagi menjadi beberapa jenis berdasarkan struktur kalimat aslinya:
1. Pernyataan (Statements)
Biasanya menggunakan said (that) atau told (someone) (that).
- Direct: “The train is late.”
- Reported: She said (that) the train was late.
2. Pertanyaan (Questions)
Menggunakan asked (someone). Jika pertanyaan adalah Yes/No question, gunakan if atau whether. Jika pertanyaan menggunakan kata tanya (Wh-word seperti who, what, where, why), gunakan kata tanya tersebut.
- Direct: “Are you coming?”
- Reported: He asked me if I was coming.
- Direct: “Where do you live?”
- Reported: She asked me where I lived.
Penting: Dalam reported questions, struktur kalimat berubah menjadi seperti pernyataan (subjek + kata kerja), bukan pertanyaan.
3. Perintah/Permintaan (Commands/Requests)
Biasanya menggunakan told (someone) to + infinitive atau asked (someone) to + infinitive.
- Direct: “Close the door!”
- Reported: He told me to close the door.
- Direct: “Please help me.”
- Reported: She asked him to help her.
Pengecualian Penting
- Fakta Umum atau Kebenaran Ilmiah: Tidak ada perubahan tense.
- Direct: “The Earth is round.”
- Reported: He said that the Earth is round.
- Kata Kerja Pelapor dalam Present Tense: Jika kata kerja pelapor (misalnya, says, tells, asks) dalam bentuk sekarang, tidak ada perubahan tense pada kalimat yang dilaporkan.
- Direct: “I am tired,” he says.
- Reported: He says that he is tired.
Menguasai Reported Speech memang membutuhkan latihan, namun dengan memahami aturan-aturan dasar ini, Anda akan dapat melaporkan percakapan dengan lebih akurat dan alami. Ini akan secara signifikan meningkatkan kefasihan dan kepercayaan diri Anda dalam berbahasa Inggris. Selamat berlatih!
