According to Cambridge English Grammar in Use, this depends entirely on whether the fact has changed.
If she still doesn't, then it's doesn't. If she does now, it's didn't.
This comment annoys me because I tried to say the same thing as you, but did it over the course of a paragraph. You did it in one sentence and explained it much clearer than me lol well done
When I have one simple thing I'm trying to explain, I end up writing multiple paragraphs and erasing everything so I can rewrite it more concisely, only to to end up with the same amount of text again. When I need to write an essay about something I've studied for long and know a lot about, I suddenly have nothing to say.
But if you don't know if the fact has changed, you can only assume your information was good for when it was gathered. Therefore, A is definitely the right answer to give. It's also the one I learned to give.
I think this is completely bullshit, because what she actually said doesn’t change based on what’s currently true. If she said she currently doesn’t speak Spanish, whether or not she does now is wholly irrelevant.
It depends on the context, and what you're emphasizing, but both A and D are grammatically correct...without context, I would guess that D is the intended answer.
Suppose someone asked me "Would this candidate for the job be able to work with our Hispanic clients?" I would answer "She said that she doesn't speak Spanish." I believe her answer, and I don't think she's learned Spanish in the week since her job interview, so I use the present tense.
On the other hand, if I was telling a story about 10 years ago, or later learned that her answer was not truthful, or was being challenged on my handling of a particular incident, I'd probably go with "She said that she didn't speak Spanish."
I'd go with d. But honestly, I'd find it amusing to answer that she said she " dont speak Spanish", manually adding the " " to also make that answer correct.
You’re probably right, but that only makes it more frustrating. I keep seeing this error again and again. There are plainly two correct answers. A is for a past conversation, and D is for an ongoing conversation. Anyone who speaks the language well enough can tell you that.
Which makes me wonder: If they’re going to the trouble of creating and publishing an English quiz, shouldn’t they involve someone who actually speaks the language?
They don't care really. A lot of schools test whether you understood theory they wrote instead of whether you acquired an ability. I remember my English teachers admitting that two are possible but we have to learn that past tense is ‘correct’ when they ask for reported speech and it's not a *universal truth* thing.
And the way that the question is written actually makes D seem like the correct answer, because "she" just said one sentence before that she doesn't speak Spanish.
Thank you for this confirmation. I studied reported speech about 6 years ago and I've always thought that both expressions make sense in different contexts even though I was taught to only use past tense. Both made sense to me but one was just outright deemed wrong.
But yea, about your question, you'd be surprised at how low-quality the English teaching and testing system is in my country (can only say for my country, but I think it says a lot about an ESL education system). Tests would be constantly riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. Some questions don't even make sense. This happens even in formal competitions designed for "gifted students". The only ones that are of decent quality are copied from other foreign sources for practicing English (Cambridge English Tests and the likes). And there's also the cost of hiring a native speaker. It'll no doubt be higher than hiring a local teacher who is "qualified" for the current standard, which is actually only decent at certain aspects of the language.
Definitely. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the original quote or the continuity. Text book reported speech uses the past simple tense.
But this is not reported speech, this is about an *ability* to speak Spanish, in which case the simple past - an action that started and finished in the past doesn't really make sense.
It is reported speech - the speaker doesn't know whether she speaks Spanish or not, just that she has said 'I don't speak Spanish'
The past simple isn't always used for something that finished in the past, especially in reported speech. She introduced herself and told me she was French. - that doesn't imply she's no longer French.
I replied to someone else. I agree with you now, I can see another perspective. I think both ways are right depending on the context, which is not defined enough in the sentence fragment.
A and D are both grammatically correct in their own situations but wouldn’t D be the answer here? The person said “I don’t speak Spanish” meaning at that present moment. D says “She doesn’t speak Spanish” which is also at the present moment. A saying “she didn’t speak Spanish” indicates she didn’t in the past but says nothing about now unlike the initial comment from the girl. I might be completely wrong and if so please correct but that’s how I interpreted this.
Although the responses seem to demonstrate that this is not common knowledge, this is a phenomenon called backshifting, where in reported speech the tense goes back one. So “i speak Spanish” becomes “She said she spoke Spanish” and “I did the dishes” becomes “She said she had done the dishes.”
It can very well be context understanding question sneaked in, in which D would be the correct answer, depending on course level. And given that there's something about master's in the next point, it's either a higher than A1/2 level exercise or a starting course for adults, in both cases you can expect a context question.
I'd think D would be correct for the limited information in this question. A would require some type of information that at some point someone thought she had spoken Spanish.
That's how tests for non-native speakers are written, you have to learn the strategy how to solve them instead of how to speak and you become fluent watching YouTube and chatting on Discord.
A and D are both options, but IMHO, D is more correct. "Doesn't speak" is more often meant to imply that one is not capable of speaking that language, while "didn't speak" is implying that it simply was not done. "Didn't speak" can also mean incapable, but it would be something more distant in the past.
Also, "doesn't" matches the tense of the original, but "didn't" matches the tense of the second sentence. It's a poorly-constructed question, because both are perfectly normal for native speakers, and would fall to personal preference under most circumstances.
Grammatically both A and D are correct. I would argue D is more correct here since she, most probably, still can't speak Spanish but I would choose A because a person who's designed this question clearly isn't knowledgeable enough to know using simple past is not a must in reported speech and actually depends on whether the situation has changed or not. A is always correct, D is correct only if the situation hasn't changed which in this case, there's high chance it hasn't.
As some comments mentioned, the answer is ambiguous. However, this is most definitely a test on Reported Speech.
With that in mind, the correct answer should be A. I have had a very similar exam at my high school. The teacher allowed only one answer, and in this case, it would have been A.
Wrong. The context here is reported speech (current relevance) not reported speech (backshifted). If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense. 'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house as an example
Be careful with these simplified descriptions of grammar, especially if you're only going to skim them. In this case the article you linked does in fact add some nuance:
>**No backshift**
>
>We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words:
>
>He **told** me his brother **works** for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.)
>
>She **said** she**’s getting** married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)
>
>He **said** he**’s finished** painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.)
>
>She **promised** she**’ll help** us. (The promise applies to the future.)
*Be careful with these simplified descriptions of grammar, especially if you're only going to skim them*
You're arguing with monolinguals with no F.L. experience. It's a waste of time.
"I do not eat eggs." She said that she did not eat eggs.
Do you see how wrong that is?
"I do not eat eggs." She said that she does not eat eggs.
Much better.
It depends on whether "I do not eat eggs" was stated in the past or in the present.
"Why did you not give her eggs for breakfast on the date in question?" "She said that she did not eat eggs."
"What did she say just now? I couldn't hear." "She said that she does not eat eggs."
A. I trust that B and C are obviously wrong, and it is D that needs explanation. The (second) sentence is in the past tense. The sentence being referred to (the one in quotes) happened in the past by the time the second sentence happens. When the two sentences are jammed together like this, you’d probably infer that she’s unlikely to have learned to speak Spanish between the two, but the statement that she made was still a statement about the time she made it. If someone said “I don’t speak Spanish” then a year later I was asked what she said then I can’t say “She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish,” because what she said was a statement about the facts a year ago. If she had said “In a year’s time I *won’t* speak Spanish,” then you’d have to say “She said that she *wouldn’t* speak Spanish”—it’s a statement about the future of the past.
I know there are some languages where the present tense always refers to the “current” time of the sentence, which gets updated every time you go through a tense marker, but English doesn’t work like that. Except for directly quoted speech, the present tense always refers to the time at which the words are spoken or written. (This is why we have past perfect etc—if you want to put a sentence in the “past of the past” you have to say not “he walked” but “he had walked”. “Would” is the past tense of “will”, so you can form the “future of the past”—“He would walk”—and even the “future of the past of the past”—“He would have walked”…)
You take the tense too mechanically — probably this is what you learned in the English class regarding clauses. In reality, not only in oral but also in written English, tenses in the principal clause and subordinate clause don’t have to agree with each other all the time.
Assuming you are a grade 1 student, and the teacher just taught her a scientific truth that “the earth goes around the sun”. The kid went home after class and told her parents: “My teacher taught me today that the earth goes around the sun.” This sentence is perfect in grammar. If you force the tense to match each other, saying “My teacher taught me today that the earth went around the sun”, then the parents would be confused, “how about now? Doesn’t the earth still go around the Sun at this time?” The past tense implies the earth may not still be going around the sun now.
Going back to the question, doesn’t and didn’t are more than oral and written, but are about the implications:
-if she said she “doesn’t” speak Spanish, then the listener can be certain that she doesn’t speak Spanish at the present moment, so don’t bother trying to communicate with her in Spanish.
-if she said she “didn’t” speak Spanish, it means she wasn’t able to speak Spanish in the past, but she may or may not speak Spanish now, because she might have taken a Spanish class. So the listener will still wonder, does she speak Spanish now?
All in all, the tenses depend on whether it describes the matter truthfully, not following the rules rigorously. Such subtle hints can be picked up gradually because seldom can a textbook include everything, and English grammar has its flexibility as well
The correct answer is D.
Some other posters are saying that A could be the answer, but A is not correct. "She *said*" does NOT need to match tense with "*didn't* speak". Matching tense is irrelevant. Consider this: the given sentence (*"I don't speak Spanish")* is in the present tense. She currently does not speak it. Now we are reporting on what she just said. She just said that she isn't able to speak Spanish, nowadays. If A were correct, then that would mean that we are reporting that she just said that she couldn't speak Spanish in the past. That's not what she said. She said that she can't speak Spanish *currently.* Only answer D reflects this. Therefore, answer D is the correct option.
The point is that when you report something you necessarily talk about the past events, so it's thought like that to esl. Without any context A is the only correct answer.
Does she speak spanish? Well, she said she didn't.
- it is correct for either the next day, year or whatever.
This is an early B2 level concept that forces esl learners to take the tense into consideration. Lots of languages use the same tense for reported speech as in direct, whereas in English it can differ.
I am so confused by all these people saying A is the correct answer. I’ve read all the explanations, but it still doesn’t make any sense.
I mean it didn’t make any sense.
/s
But really, I don’t get it.
We keep seeing this same question, always with two correct answers. A and D are both correct. If you’re talking about a conversation that happened long ago, use A. If you’re talking about what someone recently said in an ongoing conversation, use D.
The fact that English teachers and publishers don’t understand that two of the answers are correct, is a little frustrating. I’ve seen at least six different versions of this same mistake here on Reddit.
i could be wrong, but i thought isn't the point that A is technically not incorrect even if it's an ongoing conversation? of course, logically, it doesn't make a lot of sense since you'd be able to assume she still does not speak spanish presently and therefore choose D. but i guess, without being given that context of time, i'd argue that assumptions are irrelevant, as A is the only grammatically correct answer in all of the circumstances.
I do not speak Spanish. Put it into a "she" context and you will come to the right answer. She does not speak Spanish or she doesn't speak Spanish is the correct answer. A is not correct because the context given says "I do not" not "I did not" or "I once did not." Its current, not past tense
Edit: those using the reported speech argument/ESL argument are misunderstanding what the context is used in
It is only applicable in single concluded events/details, for example:
I am leaving.
He said he was leaving
The reported speech being switched from am to was only works because it was a single use instance/an event that is not ongoing. Let's try a context where this isn't the case and the description is continuous:
I am white.
He said he is white
As you can see here saying "he said he was white" does not make sense as the description of him being white is assumed to be still a current reality. The reason there is an issue here is bc yall are using reported speech (backshifted) instead of reported speech (current relevance)
For example: If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense. 'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gy
Your obvious example is not obvious to me. :\
Person on phone: "I am white."
Me telling the story later that day: "He said he was white."
I am almost certain I wouldn't say "He said he is white."
It's a poor question with two valid answers, depending on context. I immediately assumed D was the correct answer, but then I realized I didn't know the context. I began to second guess myself.
Pardon me while I go off topic:
Bizarrely, if I read "She said she didn't speak Spanish," I would likely assume she actually does, and the word "said" was emphasized with a knowing wiggle of the eyebrow. I wonder if that's a common construction when the veracity of the statement is in question.
Eh this is standard direct to indirect speech conversion. Just note that “she said” indicates past tense, so the answer is “didn’t speak”. Don’t overthink it.
Some people are so confident it's A which makes me hesitate. But I am so convinced the answer is D.
"I don't speak Spanish" is ongoing present tense. This matches the tense of "doesn't speak."
She "said" it is past tense, so I get A too. But it just doesn't sound as right.
I’m curious as to whether there were instructions on how you were supposed to answer the questions in that part of the test . If not, there should have been. If so, then the instructions should have been included in the post.
*It can be A or*
*D. I personally would*
*Have chosen R though*
\- AFuckingAbortedFetus
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A or D are both plausibly correct. B is definitely incorrect and C is gibberish
The problem they introduced completely needlessly was the past tense, which makes A viable. That said, I would assume the test was written by a half wit and they intended the answer to b D
doesn’t speak. they’re talking about what she said in the past but that ability is in the present.
if it were A we would assume that she said something referring to her ability in the past, but not at the moment she said it. like “i didn’t speak spanish when i was a child”.
D is the best answer. It doesn’t matter what else it CAN be because D is the best answer.
Edit: for those of you that only speak English, this is supposed to test the student’s ability to distinguish the difference in conversational English from how the phrase could be translated from another language. OP, please update us. I’m not interested in other people’s opinions, but rather what the professor is looking for.
It's D
They want an answer in the imperfect tense, not the preterite.
She doesn't speak English, and this is an ongoing phenomenon. After the question is asked, she continues not to speak English.
To say she "didn't speak" english subtly implies that this event happened purely in the past. It leaves open the possibility that she now does speak english.
Both are grammatically correct, but in this circumstance, I believe that the correct answer is D.
I discussed this type of question with my university teacher yesterday and he agreed that you have to learn how to solve them kinda independently from how it works in real life use of English. A speaker would know whether the referenced thing is still true or not and whether they want to say it in the past or present tense but the student has to remember that past tense is used in reported speech, thus a.
It would be present if it was a *general truth* as in *my mother said life is unfair* or *Shakespeare wrote that the world is a stage*.
D is correct. A is incorrect because it states that she does not currently speak Spanish. in this context choice D is more likely correct as it is more likely to be in the same tense.
I love questions like this because it kind of depends on what you’re trying to say. If you’re trying to say that she didn’t speak Spanish in that one specific instance, as if you don’t know whether she still doesn’t or not, then you might say, “She said that she didn’t speak Spanish.” But if you’re trying to say that she’s claiming that she still doesn’t speak Spanish as of the time of saying this sentence, then you might say, “She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish.”
Personally, I would probably assume that she did not learn Spanish between making the statement and you making yours, so I would go with “D.” She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish.
If I’m wrong about multiple answer potentially being right, someone please correct me. That’s how I interpret the options.
It depends on the scenario. Doesn't speak is probably the best option without knowing if it's telling a story from the past or just restating a fact now.
D is the right answer. A is grammatically correct, but implies she learned Spanish later. This was not implied by the original statement. Also, the conjunction of "does not" is "doesn't".
I would guess A here but D is also equally correct imo. I’m guessing A because I feel like they’re trying to reframe it as being in the past. That’s why they say “she SAID that she_____ Spanish” instead of “she SAYS that she_____ Spanish”. Said implies that the event of her saying has already happened even though in a real life situation that’s not necessarily the case. Without more context though it’s really just up to whoever is grading the test as to which one they prefer I guess.
I’m neither a person learning English, nor an English teacher though so I could be 100% wrong. Thats just my intuition as a native speaker.
Only d is correct - a implies she didn’t speak Spanish (at a particular moment, she may or may not be able to speak Spanish), d implies she cannot speak Spanish at all (at any moment) as in the original statement “I don’t (can’t) speak Spanish”
AAVE may be correct in an American context but it’s not taught as standard English to non-native speakers.
Doesn’t speak
She said [in the past] that she doesn’t speak Spanish (this is a fact. She, today, cannot speak Spanish)
She said that she didn’t speak Spanish [but now she may possibly speak Spanish… but now she is learning Spanish… but now…. But now….)
Keeping it in the present shows that this is a fact that continues today
After all these arguments, THIS is one of many reasons I LOVE mathematics and music theory. There are no arguments that I know of AND there even could be two CORRECT ways to solve the same problem at times such as using polar coordinates instead of x-y-z .
"I do not (presently) speak Spanish." = "She said that she does not (presently) speak Spanish." -- D. grammatically and contextually correct.
"Didn't speak" does fit grammatically into the second sentence but it does not coincide with the contextual verb tense of the passage to which the second is referring. -- A. is close but incorrect.
The other 2 options do not fit at all. -- B. and C. are grammatically incorrect.
I think fluency in a language goes beyond demonstrating "technically" correct grammar and further encompasses a foundational understanding of contextual evidence. This is likely why so many non-native English speakers do not immediately comprehend sarcastic remarks. Grammatically speaking, sarcasm is as ordinary as any other sentence. The flavor of sarcasm is masked behind context.
This is a sequence of tenses question; in English, sequence of tenses is hardly a formal rule, but generally you’d say “She said she didn’t speak Spanish”, or better yet, an imperfect like “she said she was not able to speak Spanish” or “she said she was not speaking Spanish”
As someone who is not a native speaker, I can say that this exercise SCREAMS reported speech. Try googling reported speech rules, you may fins an explanation for it and which tenses change to which. In this case present simple would change to past simple, so the answer is a. Why? Well, we don’t know when she said that, so at that moment, when she was saying that she does not speak Spanish, she didn’t. But we don’t know if she haven’t learned it by now.
I am teaching this topic right now. The best answer is 'A' since we normally change the verb one step into the past (called backshifting). If the sentence is still true (she hasn't learrned Spanish since the conversation) 'D' could also be correct. 'B' and 'C' are completely wrong. 'B' isn't using the 3rd person 's'. 'C' is the positive and means that she speaks Spanish.
As someone who studied English and answered a lot of questions like this one, it's letter D. Simple as that. Basic A1 exercise. Although A is also right, usually if that was the intended correct answer, the question would specifically ask for that structure.
I think D is the most correct. Saying "I don't speak Spanish" implies a continuity of not speaking the Spanish language. Answer A implies that the speaker did not speak Spanish at a single point in time. D reflects that the speaker does not speak Spanish at all.
It's a grammar question which was most probably made to follow the 'backshift' rule in reported speech. Hence why I would say A is correct only for that reason. D is also correct but if I were taking this exam I would choose A.
It's "doesn't"
If he had said "I didn't speak Spanish," then yours would also change to "didn't"
"I'm sorry, I'd love to help you; but I don't speak Spanish."
"Don't/Doesn't" implies that I do not currently speak Spanish. It's talking about right now.
"Didn't" "Didn't" leaves the door open to the possibility that I have learned Spanish since some previous time. This happened in the past.
"I didn't speak Spanish the last time we went to Mexico; but all that's changed since I took that course."
D, A is also correct but it uses past tense, the person saying the sentence in present tense so A is technically not correct and D is because D is present tense.
Interestingly, in practice I will use two forms, depending on context:
- "I tried asking him in Spanish, but he said he doesn't speak it."
^ I say this in conversation talking about someone who does not have the ability to speak Spanish.
- "Wait, he understood you?? He told me he didnt speak Spanish!!
^ I say this in conversation about someone who understands and speaks Spanish, but lied to me about, making me think he does not.
- "She arrived in the capital city on a train from the quaint village where she grew up. She asked the train conductor for directions, but he said he didn't speak Spanish."
^ I write this in a narrative when I am reporting a story in past tense about someone who is unable to speak it.
It’s D, A implies that she used to not speak Spanish, but does now speak Spanish. D implies that she currently cannot speak Spanish, which is what the quote says. It’s a complicated question though.
As a native English speaker who taught English in a foreign country, the answer is D. A implies that she didn’t in the past but does now. It’s more probable that she still doesn’t speak Spanish, we can’t assume she has learned Spanish and now speaks it but didn’t in the past.
D.
She: "I don't speak Spanish."
He: "She said that she doesn't speak Spanish."
I suspect a fine point of grammar might make either A or D correct, but as a native speaker of US English, I would say D. It may very well be that the English you are being taught is not the same as the English that is spoken.
D.
She does not speak Spanish.
a. Implies that she did not speak Spanish in the past yet she now does speak Spanish.
b. she “do not speak” Spanish is incorrect grammar (actually incorrect verb conjugation which I guess is also called “grammar”)
c. Implies that she, at one specific time in the past (yet not now and no longer does) spoke (speak) Spanish.
In other words a, b, c are “weird” and d is not “weird”
Thus the answer must be D.
A is the answer here. I get that D is acceptable to everyone's ears but according to grammar that is taught, in reported speech tense goes one level to the past from what was used in the original sentence if the verb that introduced the report is in the past tense like "said" here.
Present tense - > Past tense is the rule here.
So "I don't speak..." becomes I said "she says she didn't speak...", but in everyday English this is negligible
Without additional context, “doesn’t” is the most “correct” in this case. If there were more context, it could be possible for it to be “didn’t” instead.
D Is correct. I "don't speak Spanish" does not imply that they now can.
A suggests that she couldn't in the past, but now can. But she said she doesn't speak Spanish
B is grammatically incorrect.
C is contextually wrong
If you remove the contractions, the quote says, "I do not speak Spanish." Therefore, the correct response in the second half is, "She said that she doesn't [does not] speak Spanish."
According to Cambridge English Grammar in Use, this depends entirely on whether the fact has changed. If she still doesn't, then it's doesn't. If she does now, it's didn't.
This comment annoys me because I tried to say the same thing as you, but did it over the course of a paragraph. You did it in one sentence and explained it much clearer than me lol well done
When I have one simple thing I'm trying to explain, I end up writing multiple paragraphs and erasing everything so I can rewrite it more concisely, only to to end up with the same amount of text again. When I need to write an essay about something I've studied for long and know a lot about, I suddenly have nothing to say.
all glory belongs to Cambridge English Grammar in Use (intermediate) lol
if she does now, wouldn’t she have said “I didn’t speak Spanish” instead of “I don’t”?
Maybe she didn’t when she said it, and now she does! You could be quoting someone from a while ago.
But if you don't know if the fact has changed, you can only assume your information was good for when it was gathered. Therefore, A is definitely the right answer to give. It's also the one I learned to give.
I think this is completely bullshit, because what she actually said doesn’t change based on what’s currently true. If she said she currently doesn’t speak Spanish, whether or not she does now is wholly irrelevant.
Note that we can also use "didn't" even if it's still true that she doesn't speak Spanish
It depends on the context, and what you're emphasizing, but both A and D are grammatically correct...without context, I would guess that D is the intended answer. Suppose someone asked me "Would this candidate for the job be able to work with our Hispanic clients?" I would answer "She said that she doesn't speak Spanish." I believe her answer, and I don't think she's learned Spanish in the week since her job interview, so I use the present tense. On the other hand, if I was telling a story about 10 years ago, or later learned that her answer was not truthful, or was being challenged on my handling of a particular incident, I'd probably go with "She said that she didn't speak Spanish."
I'd go with d. But honestly, I'd find it amusing to answer that she said she " dont speak Spanish", manually adding the " " to also make that answer correct.
A is definitely what’s being asked for. That’s the variant that’s taught as correct for reported speech in ESL classes.
You’re probably right, but that only makes it more frustrating. I keep seeing this error again and again. There are plainly two correct answers. A is for a past conversation, and D is for an ongoing conversation. Anyone who speaks the language well enough can tell you that. Which makes me wonder: If they’re going to the trouble of creating and publishing an English quiz, shouldn’t they involve someone who actually speaks the language?
They don't care really. A lot of schools test whether you understood theory they wrote instead of whether you acquired an ability. I remember my English teachers admitting that two are possible but we have to learn that past tense is ‘correct’ when they ask for reported speech and it's not a *universal truth* thing.
But how hard can it be, to include only one correct answer among the choices?
And the way that the question is written actually makes D seem like the correct answer, because "she" just said one sentence before that she doesn't speak Spanish.
Not to mention that the two sentences are on the same line, suggesting they refer to events happening one after the other.
Thank you for this confirmation. I studied reported speech about 6 years ago and I've always thought that both expressions make sense in different contexts even though I was taught to only use past tense. Both made sense to me but one was just outright deemed wrong. But yea, about your question, you'd be surprised at how low-quality the English teaching and testing system is in my country (can only say for my country, but I think it says a lot about an ESL education system). Tests would be constantly riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. Some questions don't even make sense. This happens even in formal competitions designed for "gifted students". The only ones that are of decent quality are copied from other foreign sources for practicing English (Cambridge English Tests and the likes). And there's also the cost of hiring a native speaker. It'll no doubt be higher than hiring a local teacher who is "qualified" for the current standard, which is actually only decent at certain aspects of the language.
The lady said that she doesn’t speak Spanish, you hear?
Definitely. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the original quote or the continuity. Text book reported speech uses the past simple tense.
But this is not reported speech, this is about an *ability* to speak Spanish, in which case the simple past - an action that started and finished in the past doesn't really make sense.
It is reported speech - the speaker doesn't know whether she speaks Spanish or not, just that she has said 'I don't speak Spanish' The past simple isn't always used for something that finished in the past, especially in reported speech. She introduced herself and told me she was French. - that doesn't imply she's no longer French.
Native speakers use both and would understand both as correct. 🤷🏽
I replied to someone else. I agree with you now, I can see another perspective. I think both ways are right depending on the context, which is not defined enough in the sentence fragment.
A and D are both grammatically correct in their own situations but wouldn’t D be the answer here? The person said “I don’t speak Spanish” meaning at that present moment. D says “She doesn’t speak Spanish” which is also at the present moment. A saying “she didn’t speak Spanish” indicates she didn’t in the past but says nothing about now unlike the initial comment from the girl. I might be completely wrong and if so please correct but that’s how I interpreted this.
Although the responses seem to demonstrate that this is not common knowledge, this is a phenomenon called backshifting, where in reported speech the tense goes back one. So “i speak Spanish” becomes “She said she spoke Spanish” and “I did the dishes” becomes “She said she had done the dishes.”
It can very well be context understanding question sneaked in, in which D would be the correct answer, depending on course level. And given that there's something about master's in the next point, it's either a higher than A1/2 level exercise or a starting course for adults, in both cases you can expect a context question.
I'd think D would be correct for the limited information in this question. A would require some type of information that at some point someone thought she had spoken Spanish.
D is correct because it means always. A only means in one instance.
Who on earth 🌍 wrote this test ?
He don't speak English very good.
That’s unpossible!
That's how tests for non-native speakers are written, you have to learn the strategy how to solve them instead of how to speak and you become fluent watching YouTube and chatting on Discord.
Crazy 🤪! Thank you for sharing that.
Sorry why do you ask? Seems pretty normal..
What’s the problem?
A and D are both options, but IMHO, D is more correct. "Doesn't speak" is more often meant to imply that one is not capable of speaking that language, while "didn't speak" is implying that it simply was not done. "Didn't speak" can also mean incapable, but it would be something more distant in the past. Also, "doesn't" matches the tense of the original, but "didn't" matches the tense of the second sentence. It's a poorly-constructed question, because both are perfectly normal for native speakers, and would fall to personal preference under most circumstances.
She said that she spoke Spanish Spanish
My fellow C believer. We will take over!
As opposed to Mexican Spanish, Argentinian Spanish, or Cuban Spanish.
Grammatically both A and D are correct. I would argue D is more correct here since she, most probably, still can't speak Spanish but I would choose A because a person who's designed this question clearly isn't knowledgeable enough to know using simple past is not a must in reported speech and actually depends on whether the situation has changed or not. A is always correct, D is correct only if the situation hasn't changed which in this case, there's high chance it hasn't.
As some comments mentioned, the answer is ambiguous. However, this is most definitely a test on Reported Speech. With that in mind, the correct answer should be A. I have had a very similar exam at my high school. The teacher allowed only one answer, and in this case, it would have been A.
Wrong. The context here is reported speech (current relevance) not reported speech (backshifted). If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense. 'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house as an example
Nahh. Not unless she has since learned Spanish between her answer and the reporting of her answer. The Grammer is correct but not the logic.
D. She said (in the past, yesterday, etc), that she doesn't (now, currently) speak Spanish.
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Be careful with these simplified descriptions of grammar, especially if you're only going to skim them. In this case the article you linked does in fact add some nuance: >**No backshift** > >We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their original words: > >He **told** me his brother **works** for an Italian company. (It is still true that his brother works for an Italian company.) > >She **said** she**’s getting** married next year. (For the speakers, the time at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.) > >He **said** he**’s finished** painting the door. (He probably said it just a short time ago.) > >She **promised** she**’ll help** us. (The promise applies to the future.)
*Be careful with these simplified descriptions of grammar, especially if you're only going to skim them* You're arguing with monolinguals with no F.L. experience. It's a waste of time.
don't spoked.
A is correct. D is like … passable. But A is definitely right.
"I do not eat eggs." She said that she did not eat eggs. Do you see how wrong that is? "I do not eat eggs." She said that she does not eat eggs. Much better.
It depends on whether "I do not eat eggs" was stated in the past or in the present. "Why did you not give her eggs for breakfast on the date in question?" "She said that she did not eat eggs." "What did she say just now? I couldn't hear." "She said that she does not eat eggs."
A is definitely what’s being asked for. That’s the variant that’s taught as correct for reported speech in ESL classes.
Either A or D, but given the context I'd say D is probably the right answer.
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A. I trust that B and C are obviously wrong, and it is D that needs explanation. The (second) sentence is in the past tense. The sentence being referred to (the one in quotes) happened in the past by the time the second sentence happens. When the two sentences are jammed together like this, you’d probably infer that she’s unlikely to have learned to speak Spanish between the two, but the statement that she made was still a statement about the time she made it. If someone said “I don’t speak Spanish” then a year later I was asked what she said then I can’t say “She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish,” because what she said was a statement about the facts a year ago. If she had said “In a year’s time I *won’t* speak Spanish,” then you’d have to say “She said that she *wouldn’t* speak Spanish”—it’s a statement about the future of the past. I know there are some languages where the present tense always refers to the “current” time of the sentence, which gets updated every time you go through a tense marker, but English doesn’t work like that. Except for directly quoted speech, the present tense always refers to the time at which the words are spoken or written. (This is why we have past perfect etc—if you want to put a sentence in the “past of the past” you have to say not “he walked” but “he had walked”. “Would” is the past tense of “will”, so you can form the “future of the past”—“He would walk”—and even the “future of the past of the past”—“He would have walked”…)
I think it's most likely to be A, to make it agree with 'said' - D would be fine in everyday speech though.
You take the tense too mechanically — probably this is what you learned in the English class regarding clauses. In reality, not only in oral but also in written English, tenses in the principal clause and subordinate clause don’t have to agree with each other all the time. Assuming you are a grade 1 student, and the teacher just taught her a scientific truth that “the earth goes around the sun”. The kid went home after class and told her parents: “My teacher taught me today that the earth goes around the sun.” This sentence is perfect in grammar. If you force the tense to match each other, saying “My teacher taught me today that the earth went around the sun”, then the parents would be confused, “how about now? Doesn’t the earth still go around the Sun at this time?” The past tense implies the earth may not still be going around the sun now. Going back to the question, doesn’t and didn’t are more than oral and written, but are about the implications: -if she said she “doesn’t” speak Spanish, then the listener can be certain that she doesn’t speak Spanish at the present moment, so don’t bother trying to communicate with her in Spanish. -if she said she “didn’t” speak Spanish, it means she wasn’t able to speak Spanish in the past, but she may or may not speak Spanish now, because she might have taken a Spanish class. So the listener will still wonder, does she speak Spanish now? All in all, the tenses depend on whether it describes the matter truthfully, not following the rules rigorously. Such subtle hints can be picked up gradually because seldom can a textbook include everything, and English grammar has its flexibility as well
I disagree because the word “did” implies that she didn’t speak Spanish in the past.
"I could have spoken Spanish, but I spoke English instead" then the answer could be A.
The correct answer is D. Some other posters are saying that A could be the answer, but A is not correct. "She *said*" does NOT need to match tense with "*didn't* speak". Matching tense is irrelevant. Consider this: the given sentence (*"I don't speak Spanish")* is in the present tense. She currently does not speak it. Now we are reporting on what she just said. She just said that she isn't able to speak Spanish, nowadays. If A were correct, then that would mean that we are reporting that she just said that she couldn't speak Spanish in the past. That's not what she said. She said that she can't speak Spanish *currently.* Only answer D reflects this. Therefore, answer D is the correct option.
The point is that when you report something you necessarily talk about the past events, so it's thought like that to esl. Without any context A is the only correct answer. Does she speak spanish? Well, she said she didn't. - it is correct for either the next day, year or whatever. This is an early B2 level concept that forces esl learners to take the tense into consideration. Lots of languages use the same tense for reported speech as in direct, whereas in English it can differ.
I am so confused by all these people saying A is the correct answer. I’ve read all the explanations, but it still doesn’t make any sense. I mean it didn’t make any sense. /s But really, I don’t get it.
We keep seeing this same question, always with two correct answers. A and D are both correct. If you’re talking about a conversation that happened long ago, use A. If you’re talking about what someone recently said in an ongoing conversation, use D. The fact that English teachers and publishers don’t understand that two of the answers are correct, is a little frustrating. I’ve seen at least six different versions of this same mistake here on Reddit.
i could be wrong, but i thought isn't the point that A is technically not incorrect even if it's an ongoing conversation? of course, logically, it doesn't make a lot of sense since you'd be able to assume she still does not speak spanish presently and therefore choose D. but i guess, without being given that context of time, i'd argue that assumptions are irrelevant, as A is the only grammatically correct answer in all of the circumstances.
A
I do not speak Spanish. Put it into a "she" context and you will come to the right answer. She does not speak Spanish or she doesn't speak Spanish is the correct answer. A is not correct because the context given says "I do not" not "I did not" or "I once did not." Its current, not past tense Edit: those using the reported speech argument/ESL argument are misunderstanding what the context is used in It is only applicable in single concluded events/details, for example: I am leaving. He said he was leaving The reported speech being switched from am to was only works because it was a single use instance/an event that is not ongoing. Let's try a context where this isn't the case and the description is continuous: I am white. He said he is white As you can see here saying "he said he was white" does not make sense as the description of him being white is assumed to be still a current reality. The reason there is an issue here is bc yall are using reported speech (backshifted) instead of reported speech (current relevance) For example: If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense. 'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gy
Your obvious example is not obvious to me. :\ Person on phone: "I am white." Me telling the story later that day: "He said he was white." I am almost certain I wouldn't say "He said he is white." It's a poor question with two valid answers, depending on context. I immediately assumed D was the correct answer, but then I realized I didn't know the context. I began to second guess myself. Pardon me while I go off topic: Bizarrely, if I read "She said she didn't speak Spanish," I would likely assume she actually does, and the word "said" was emphasized with a knowing wiggle of the eyebrow. I wonder if that's a common construction when the veracity of the statement is in question.
Eh this is standard direct to indirect speech conversion. Just note that “she said” indicates past tense, so the answer is “didn’t speak”. Don’t overthink it.
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C, "Spoke Spanish". She said that she spoke Spanish Spanish. That is, not Mexican Spanish. For example, "coche" instead of "carro".
d
A. Cuz' indirect/reported speech https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-statements
I would say D but some say A. Neither are incorrect I think.
Some people are so confident it's A which makes me hesitate. But I am so convinced the answer is D. "I don't speak Spanish" is ongoing present tense. This matches the tense of "doesn't speak." She "said" it is past tense, so I get A too. But it just doesn't sound as right.
I’m curious as to whether there were instructions on how you were supposed to answer the questions in that part of the test . If not, there should have been. If so, then the instructions should have been included in the post.
No habla espanol is corrext
I think a. Something with correlations of tenses.
Answer D
I'm a redneck so B!
It can be A or D. I personally would have chosen D though
*It can be A or* *D. I personally would* *Have chosen R though* \- AFuckingAbortedFetus --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Doesn't, probably
D
B if the speaker is an American southener. C if you wanna be funny (She said that she spoke Spanish Spanish).
A or D are both plausibly correct. B is definitely incorrect and C is gibberish The problem they introduced completely needlessly was the past tense, which makes A viable. That said, I would assume the test was written by a half wit and they intended the answer to b D
D. The verb tense matches the verb tense used in the quote.
If you hood then the answer is B dawg
And the next line would be "So then why the F you speaking to us in Spanish"
A or D would be correct This is a poorly written question by some idiot
If you are reviewing the Reported Speech subject (which it looks like it), I guess the right answer is the A.
doesn’t speak. they’re talking about what she said in the past but that ability is in the present. if it were A we would assume that she said something referring to her ability in the past, but not at the moment she said it. like “i didn’t speak spanish when i was a child”.
Obviously D. “Don’t” is do not. Present. Does not-> doesn’t.
A
C
D is the best answer. It doesn’t matter what else it CAN be because D is the best answer. Edit: for those of you that only speak English, this is supposed to test the student’s ability to distinguish the difference in conversational English from how the phrase could be translated from another language. OP, please update us. I’m not interested in other people’s opinions, but rather what the professor is looking for.
D is the answer. She doesn't speak Spanish.
D
It's D They want an answer in the imperfect tense, not the preterite. She doesn't speak English, and this is an ongoing phenomenon. After the question is asked, she continues not to speak English. To say she "didn't speak" english subtly implies that this event happened purely in the past. It leaves open the possibility that she now does speak english. Both are grammatically correct, but in this circumstance, I believe that the correct answer is D.
I discussed this type of question with my university teacher yesterday and he agreed that you have to learn how to solve them kinda independently from how it works in real life use of English. A speaker would know whether the referenced thing is still true or not and whether they want to say it in the past or present tense but the student has to remember that past tense is used in reported speech, thus a. It would be present if it was a *general truth* as in *my mother said life is unfair* or *Shakespeare wrote that the world is a stage*.
D
D is correct. A is incorrect because it states that she does not currently speak Spanish. in this context choice D is more likely correct as it is more likely to be in the same tense.
Doesn’t speak
A and D are both correct
D
I love questions like this because it kind of depends on what you’re trying to say. If you’re trying to say that she didn’t speak Spanish in that one specific instance, as if you don’t know whether she still doesn’t or not, then you might say, “She said that she didn’t speak Spanish.” But if you’re trying to say that she’s claiming that she still doesn’t speak Spanish as of the time of saying this sentence, then you might say, “She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish.” Personally, I would probably assume that she did not learn Spanish between making the statement and you making yours, so I would go with “D.” She said that she doesn’t speak Spanish. If I’m wrong about multiple answer potentially being right, someone please correct me. That’s how I interpret the options.
They want A, but actually D is correct because the subject is speaking in the present tense, so you should refer to her actions that way.
D
It depends on the scenario. Doesn't speak is probably the best option without knowing if it's telling a story from the past or just restating a fact now.
Doesn't
It's clearly not C. Perhaps she doesn't speak Mexican Spanish.
A or D, but this question is rather poorly written. Why is C "spoke Spanish" and not simply "spoke"? >She said that she spoke Spanish Spanish.
I’d be answering D, but A is also possible
When did she say this? It’s either A or D depending
Stupid question really. I understand they’re looking for A, but a native speaker is going to say D.
d
Doesn’t. When she says she dont, she’s really saying that she do not but is putting both words together
A and D are both correct. The test was made by a fool.
D
D is the right answer. A is grammatically correct, but implies she learned Spanish later. This was not implied by the original statement. Also, the conjunction of "does not" is "doesn't".
I would guess A here but D is also equally correct imo. I’m guessing A because I feel like they’re trying to reframe it as being in the past. That’s why they say “she SAID that she_____ Spanish” instead of “she SAYS that she_____ Spanish”. Said implies that the event of her saying has already happened even though in a real life situation that’s not necessarily the case. Without more context though it’s really just up to whoever is grading the test as to which one they prefer I guess. I’m neither a person learning English, nor an English teacher though so I could be 100% wrong. Thats just my intuition as a native speaker.
It’s reported speech. Both A and D are correct.
It’s d.
D
Only d is correct - a implies she didn’t speak Spanish (at a particular moment, she may or may not be able to speak Spanish), d implies she cannot speak Spanish at all (at any moment) as in the original statement “I don’t (can’t) speak Spanish” AAVE may be correct in an American context but it’s not taught as standard English to non-native speakers.
Doesn’t speak She said [in the past] that she doesn’t speak Spanish (this is a fact. She, today, cannot speak Spanish) She said that she didn’t speak Spanish [but now she may possibly speak Spanish… but now she is learning Spanish… but now…. But now….) Keeping it in the present shows that this is a fact that continues today
D
Doesn't speak would say she does not have the ability Didn't speak would mean she just did not.
This is a frustrating question because A is correct for past tense and D is correct for present tense and it doesn’t specify which it wants
After all these arguments, THIS is one of many reasons I LOVE mathematics and music theory. There are no arguments that I know of AND there even could be two CORRECT ways to solve the same problem at times such as using polar coordinates instead of x-y-z .
D
Definitely A. Some would say d but when handling indirect speech the verb should always move 1 step into the past. In this case do -> did
I would assume D.
I would say d, but a would also be possible. This was a very badly written test.
D. Doesn’t speak Spanish
"Doesn't"
"I do not (presently) speak Spanish." = "She said that she does not (presently) speak Spanish." -- D. grammatically and contextually correct. "Didn't speak" does fit grammatically into the second sentence but it does not coincide with the contextual verb tense of the passage to which the second is referring. -- A. is close but incorrect. The other 2 options do not fit at all. -- B. and C. are grammatically incorrect. I think fluency in a language goes beyond demonstrating "technically" correct grammar and further encompasses a foundational understanding of contextual evidence. This is likely why so many non-native English speakers do not immediately comprehend sarcastic remarks. Grammatically speaking, sarcasm is as ordinary as any other sentence. The flavor of sarcasm is masked behind context.
D
b
This is a sequence of tenses question; in English, sequence of tenses is hardly a formal rule, but generally you’d say “She said she didn’t speak Spanish”, or better yet, an imperfect like “she said she was not able to speak Spanish” or “she said she was not speaking Spanish”
As someone who is not a native speaker, I can say that this exercise SCREAMS reported speech. Try googling reported speech rules, you may fins an explanation for it and which tenses change to which. In this case present simple would change to past simple, so the answer is a. Why? Well, we don’t know when she said that, so at that moment, when she was saying that she does not speak Spanish, she didn’t. But we don’t know if she haven’t learned it by now.
D
A and D are both correct, but as a native speaker I'd say A sounds more natural.
A
I am teaching this topic right now. The best answer is 'A' since we normally change the verb one step into the past (called backshifting). If the sentence is still true (she hasn't learrned Spanish since the conversation) 'D' could also be correct. 'B' and 'C' are completely wrong. 'B' isn't using the 3rd person 's'. 'C' is the positive and means that she speaks Spanish.
hates the
As someone who studied English and answered a lot of questions like this one, it's letter D. Simple as that. Basic A1 exercise. Although A is also right, usually if that was the intended correct answer, the question would specifically ask for that structure.
Spanish? Nah. I speak Spanish-Spanish.
A
I think D is the most correct. Saying "I don't speak Spanish" implies a continuity of not speaking the Spanish language. Answer A implies that the speaker did not speak Spanish at a single point in time. D reflects that the speaker does not speak Spanish at all.
I'm torn between A or D. Stupid tests, designed to stump you.
Im black, and I answer B
It's a grammar question which was most probably made to follow the 'backshift' rule in reported speech. Hence why I would say A is correct only for that reason. D is also correct but if I were taking this exam I would choose A.
A and D Those are the only possible answers
I’d go with D, but this sentence is terrible.
She "spoke Spanish Spanish" of course!
It's "doesn't" If he had said "I didn't speak Spanish," then yours would also change to "didn't" "I'm sorry, I'd love to help you; but I don't speak Spanish." "Don't/Doesn't" implies that I do not currently speak Spanish. It's talking about right now. "Didn't" "Didn't" leaves the door open to the possibility that I have learned Spanish since some previous time. This happened in the past. "I didn't speak Spanish the last time we went to Mexico; but all that's changed since I took that course."
Does C mean she repeats spanish twice?
D, although I’ve heard all of these except C
It should be A or D depending on context... A is past tense and D is present tense.
D, A is also correct but it uses past tense, the person saying the sentence in present tense so A is technically not correct and D is because D is present tense.
D. She still doesn't. You're still talking present tense but third person.
D
Interestingly, in practice I will use two forms, depending on context: - "I tried asking him in Spanish, but he said he doesn't speak it." ^ I say this in conversation talking about someone who does not have the ability to speak Spanish. - "Wait, he understood you?? He told me he didnt speak Spanish!! ^ I say this in conversation about someone who understands and speaks Spanish, but lied to me about, making me think he does not. - "She arrived in the capital city on a train from the quaint village where she grew up. She asked the train conductor for directions, but he said he didn't speak Spanish." ^ I write this in a narrative when I am reporting a story in past tense about someone who is unable to speak it.
Um I think its doesn’t speak
A and D could both work
It’s D, A implies that she used to not speak Spanish, but does now speak Spanish. D implies that she currently cannot speak Spanish, which is what the quote says. It’s a complicated question though.
As a native English speaker who taught English in a foreign country, the answer is D. A implies that she didn’t in the past but does now. It’s more probable that she still doesn’t speak Spanish, we can’t assume she has learned Spanish and now speaks it but didn’t in the past.
D. She: "I don't speak Spanish." He: "She said that she doesn't speak Spanish." I suspect a fine point of grammar might make either A or D correct, but as a native speaker of US English, I would say D. It may very well be that the English you are being taught is not the same as the English that is spoken.
D
Both A and D are correct. The correct answer is whatever the exam writer wanted it to be.
A
D is the right answer. It's a rule to use 'does' with he she, so doesn't should be th most appropriate answer here.
doesn't=present tense didn't=past tense D is the right ans
I mean it depends. Does she speak Spanish?
A
The answer is definitely D.
D. She does not speak Spanish. a. Implies that she did not speak Spanish in the past yet she now does speak Spanish. b. she “do not speak” Spanish is incorrect grammar (actually incorrect verb conjugation which I guess is also called “grammar”) c. Implies that she, at one specific time in the past (yet not now and no longer does) spoke (speak) Spanish. In other words a, b, c are “weird” and d is not “weird” Thus the answer must be D.
Clearly it isn't C since that would mean Spanish Spanish which is nonsensical.
A would be the correct answer
A is the answer here. I get that D is acceptable to everyone's ears but according to grammar that is taught, in reported speech tense goes one level to the past from what was used in the original sentence if the verb that introduced the report is in the past tense like "said" here. Present tense - > Past tense is the rule here. So "I don't speak..." becomes I said "she says she didn't speak...", but in everyday English this is negligible
Without additional context, “doesn’t” is the most “correct” in this case. If there were more context, it could be possible for it to be “didn’t” instead.
The amount of people arguing for answer A is embarrassing.
d
D Is correct. I "don't speak Spanish" does not imply that they now can. A suggests that she couldn't in the past, but now can. But she said she doesn't speak Spanish B is grammatically incorrect. C is contextually wrong
They want you to say 'didn't '. Doesn't is less testy.
d. Because the first sentence is in present tense, the second one needs to as well.
D. If you expand the contractions… ‘I do not speak Spanish.’ She said that she does not speak Spanish. Does is the 3rd person present tense of Do
If you remove the contractions, the quote says, "I do not speak Spanish." Therefore, the correct response in the second half is, "She said that she doesn't [does not] speak Spanish."
Doesn't if she doesn't. Didn't if she does 🤣
D
I don’t You don’t They don’t We don’t She doesn’t He doesn’t