Spanish · C1 · Family moment
Messages from Your Favourite People in Spanish
Sharing messages from loved ones with your baby is a wonderful way to foster connection. This guide focuses on C1-level indirect speech in Spanish, mirroring the nuance of reported speech found in the prompt's focus on replacement forms.
What you'll learn
- Master reported speech (estilo indirecto) in Spanish.
- Correctly use tense backshifting after reporting verbs like 'decir'.
- Integrate family-specific vocabulary in natural baby-talk contexts.
Spanish phrases for messages from your favourite people
La abuela y el abuelo dicen que tienen un babero limpio para ti.
Grandma and Grandpa say they have a clean bib for you.
Uses 'dicen que' + indicative for reporting a present reality.
Tus abuelos dicen que están listos para nuestro paseíto.
Your grandparents say they are ready for our little walk.
'Paseíto' is the diminutive of 'paseo', adding a child-friendly tone.
La abuela y el abuelo dicen que pueden cantar tu canción favorita.
Grandma and Grandpa say they can sing your favorite song.
Maintains the present tense in reported speech when the ability is current.
Tus abuelos me dijeron que traerían tu cochecito esta tarde.
Your grandparents told me they would bring your stroller back this afternoon.
Uses the conditional ('traerían') to report a future action from a past perspective.
La abuela y el abuelo dicen que ya han calentado el cuarto para tu baño.
Grandma and Grandpa say they have already warmed the room for your bath.
Uses the present perfect to report an action recently completed.
Tus abuelos dicen que están muy orgullosos de tus pinitos con las palabras.
Your grandparents say they are very proud of your little attempts at words.
'Hacer pinitos' is a common idiom for a child's first steps or attempts at something.
La abuela y el abuelo dicen que pueden quedarse a tu lado mientras busco un pañal limpio.
Grandma and Grandpa say they can stay beside you while I fetch a fresh nappy.
'Quedarse' is the reflexive verb 'to stay'.
Tus abuelos dijeron que saludarían desde la puerta cuando llegáramos.
Your grandparents said they would wave from the gate when we arrived.
Requires the imperfect subjunctive ('llegáramos') due to the temporal clause within reported speech.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Abuelos
Grandparents
In Spanish, the masculine plural 'abuelos' covers both grandmothers and grandfathers.
Babero
Bib
Derived from 'baba' (drool).
Cochecito
Stroller / Pram
Literally 'little car'; the standard term for a baby carriage.
Pinitos
First steps / early attempts
Commonly used when babies start to walk or talk.
Indirect Speech and Tense Shifting
In C1 Spanish, reported speech requires precision with tenses. When the reporting verb is in the past (e.g., 'dijeron'), the reported action often shifts to the conditional for future intents or the imperfect for ongoing states.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Reporting | Dice(n) que + Indicative | Dicen que tienen hambre. |
| Past Reporting (Future Intent) | Dijeron que + Conditional | Dijeron que vendrían pronto. |
| Past Reporting (Past Action) | Dijeron que + Past Perfect | Dijeron que ya habían comido. |
More examples
El abuelo dijo que te compraría un juguete nuevo.
Grandpa said he would buy you a new toy.
Reporting a promise/future intent from the past.
La abuela dice que ella podría leerte un cuento ahora.
Grandma says she could read you a story now.
Using 'podría' to express a possibility or offer within the report.