If you compare these present tense sentences with the past tense sentences below, you notice that the main verb in the past requires the verb in the noun clause to be shifted to the past:

Lui disse che: (He said (that):

l'autobus arrivava sempre in ritardo. (the bus always arrived late.)

l'autobus stava per arrivare. (the bus was arriving.)

l'autobus era arrivato in ritardo. (the bus had arrived late.)

l'autobus arrivò in ritardo. (the bus arrived late.)

l'autobus sarebbe arrivato presto. (the bus would arrive soon.)

l'autobus avrebbe potuto arrivare presto. (the bus might be arriving soon.)

Direct and Indirect Address

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There are two ways of describing what one or more persons have said.

To refer to the exact words said by a person, direct address (discorso diretto) is used:

Gianni disse: "Ho comprato questa macchina." (Gianni said: "I bought this car.")

Disse is the verb of the first sentence, ho comprato is the verb of the second sentence. The two verbs are independent.

To refer to something that was said, without using the exact words said by that person, indirect or reported speech (discorso indiretto) is used:

Gianni disse che aveva comprato quella macchina. (Gianni said that he had bought that car.)

Disse is the principal verb on which the tense of the secondary verb depends (aveva comprato)

Indirect address is the union of two or more actions, two or more verbs -- one that is principal and the others are secondary or dependent. The principal verb determines the tenses and moods of the dependent verbs.Some examples:

DISCORSO DIRETTo DISCORSO INDIRETTO

Disse: "Conosco questa donna."

(He said: "I know this woman.") Disse che conosceva quella donna.

(He said (that) he knew that woman.)

Gli rispose: "E' strano che tuconosca questa donna."

(She responded to him: "It's strange that you know this woman.") Gli ripose che era strano che lui conoscesse quella donna.

(he responded to him that it was strange that he knew that woman.)

Disse: "Andrò al mare.

(He said: "I will go to the beach.") Disse che sarebbe andato al mare.

(He said (that) he would go to the beach.)

Disse: "Sono arrivata alle sette."

(She said: "I arrived at seven.") Disse che era arrivata alle sette.

(She said that she had arrived at seven.)

Disse: "Vorrei mangiare."

(She said: "I would like to eat.") Disse che avrebbe voluto mangiare

(She said that she would like to eat.)

Adverbial Clauses

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Like an adverb, the adverbial clause modifies the predicate of the main clause.

The following conjunctions introduce an adverbial clause:

quando (when)

mentre (while)

dal momento che (since)

prima che (before)

dopo che (after)

fino a che (until)

appena che (as soon as)

Quando piove, non mi piace guidare. (When it rains, I don't like to drive.)

Mentre camminavo nel parco, vidi dei bambini litigare. (While I was walking in the park, I saw children fighting.)

Dal moment che non vuole ascoltarmi, non gli parlerò più. (Since he doesn't want to listen to me, I will not talk to him any more.

Lavatevi le mani, prima che vi mettiate a tavola. (Wash your hands before you sit down for dinner.)

Dopo che ebbe finito i compiti, andò a letto. (After she finished her homework she went to bed.)

Fino a che non avrai finito i compiti, non potrai andare a giocare. (Until you haven't completed your homework, you won't be going to play.)

Adverb clauses of time:

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This type of clause, also called a temporal clause, establishes a relation of time with the main clause.

CONTEMPORANEITY. If the action expressed in the adverbial clause is occurring at the same time as the one expressed in the main clause, the adverbial clause is introduced by one of the following conjunctions:

quando, allorchè, allorquando (when)

nel momento che, al tempo in cui (at the time that)

mentre (while)

finchè, fintantochè (as long as)

The verb in the temporal clause will be in the indicative mood.

Quando non ci sei, mi sento triste. (When you are not here, I feel sad.)

Mentre dormivamo, ha piovuto a dirotto. (While we were asleep, it rained heavily.)

Tutto questo succedeva al tempo in cui abitavamo in campagna. (All of this happened at the time that we were living in the country.)

Puoi restare qui fintanto che te ne stai tranquillo. (You can stay here as long as you are quiet.)

Mentre guardavo la televisione, il telefono squillò. (While I was watching TV, the phone rang.)

This type of adverbial clause can also be expressed by the present gerund if its subject coincides with that one of the main clause:

Elena leggeva, ascoltando la radio. (Elena was reading, (while she was) listening to the radio.)

The clause of cause and effect indicates the cause or the reason for which a situation expressed in the main clause is verified. The following conjunctions are used with this type of clause:

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perchè, perciò, onde per cui, ragion per cui (because)

come (as)

fintanto che (as long as)