indiretta

Indiretta is the feminine singular form of the Italian adjective indiretto, meaning indirect or not direct. It is used to describe something conveyed without a verbatim quotation or explicit wording, and it commonly appears before feminine nouns (for example, una risposta indiretta, una domanda indiretta). In grammar, indiretta is central to the concept of discourse indiretto (indirect speech) and to indirect questions (domande indirette).

In the realm of indirect speech, indiretta signals that content is reported rather than quoted word-for-word. For example, direct speech: Lui ha detto: "Vengo domani." Indirect speech: Lui ha detto che verrebbe domani. In indirect questions, direct questions such as "Che ora è?" become "Mi chiede che ora sia" or, depending on tense and context, "Mi chiede che ora fosse." The changes typically involve tense backshifting, pronouns, and time expressions according to the sequence of tenses rules in Italian.

Beyond discourse, indiretta also functions as an adjective modifying feminine nouns to express indirectness in other contexts, such as una domanda indiretta or una risposta indiretta. The adverbial form is indirettamente, used to describe an action performed in an indirect manner.

Etymology traces indiretta to the Latin indirectus, via the Italian form indirettto. Related linguistic terms include discorso indiretto (indirect speech) and frasi indirette (indirect sentences). See also direct speech and reported speech concepts in Italian grammar.