Spanish · C1 · Family moment
What Your Grownups Say Comes Next in Spanish
This guide focuses on relaying future commitments and predictions made by other caregivers to a child. At a C1 level, we transition from simple reported speech to using more precise reporting structures that indicate the speaker is passing on information from another source.
What you'll learn
- Use indirect speech to report future actions promised by others.
- Master the use of 'dice que' followed by future tense or 'ir a + infinitive' for natural reported promises.
- Learn vocabulary for family members and daily care routines.
Spanish phrases for what your grownups say comes next
Papá dice que calentará tu toalla antes del baño.
Daddy says he will warm your towel before your bath.
Uses the synthetic future 'calentará' to report a promise.
La abuela dice que cantará tu canción favorita después.
Grandma says she will sing your favourite song later.
'Después' is used here for 'later' in a sequence of events.
Mamá dice que te llevará a pasear en el carrito tras la siesta.
Mummy says she will take you for a stroller walk after your nap.
'Tras' is a more formal C1 alternative to 'después de'.
El abuelo dice que traerá el libro de imágenes mañana.
Grandpa says he will bring the picture book tomorrow.
'Traerá' is the future form of the irregular verb 'traer'.
Tu cuidadora dice que mantendrá tu rutina habitual de siesta.
Your childminder says she will keep your usual nap routine.
'Mantendrá' (from mantener) follows the irregular future stem 'mantendr-'.
Papá dice que tendrá listo tu pañal limpio en un momento.
Daddy says he will have your clean nappy ready in a moment.
'Tendrá' indicates a future state/result that is being reported.
La abuela dice que probablemente estarás cansado tras tanto aire fresco.
Grandma says you will probably be sleepy after all that fresh air.
'Estarás' expresses a prediction about the child's future state.
Mamá dice que volverá antes de la hora del baño.
Mummy says she will come back before bath time.
'Volverá' is the standard way to report a return.
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
cuidadora
childminder / caregiver
A general term for someone who looks after children professionally.
siesta
nap
Commonly used for the midday sleep for children.
carrito
stroller / pram
Diminutive of 'carro', used commonly for baby transport.
pañal
nappy / diaper
Essential vocabulary for early childhood care.
Indirect Speech for Future Commitments
In Spanish, to report what someone else says will happen, we use the structure [Source] + 'dice que' + [Future Tense]. While English uses 'will', Spanish uses the synthetic future (ending in -á, -ás, -á, etc.). At C1, you should also be comfortable with 'ir a + infinitive' for more informal reporting, but the synthetic future adds a level of certainty and commitment to the reporting.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Speech | Cantaré una canción. | I will sing a song. |
| Reported Speech | Dice que cantará... | She says she will sing... |
| Irregular Future Stem | Tener -> Tendr- | Dice que tendrá... |
More examples
Papá dice que vendrá pronto.
Daddy says he will come soon.
Uses the irregular future 'vendrá' (from venir).
Dice la abuela que comerás mejor después.
Grandma says you will eat better later.
Predictive use of the future tense in reported speech.