Shift or Keep? - Perspective, Not Obligation
The honest reconciliation with Module 11. That module said the reported tense NEVER shifts - true as a rule you can always follow: retention is never wrong in Greek. What it left out for simplicity is that the shift is AVAILABLE. Both hold at once: Greek is NOT obliged to backshift (unlike English, which is), yet Greek MAY when a speaker wants to. The choice carries meaning. KEEP the tense to report the words plainly, as still current - the everyday, colloquial default (Είπε ότι δουλεύει). SHIFT the tense to pull the situation into the PAST - backgrounded, belonging to THEN, perhaps no longer true - common in careful/written narration (Είπε ότι δούλευε). Neither is “more correct”: a kept tense views the situation from NOW, a shifted tense from the moment of speaking in the past. When producing Greek, the Module-11 rule (keep the tense) is always safe; when reading Greek, expect EITHER and let the tense tell you the perspective.
The rule
The honest reconciliation with Module 11. That module said the reported tense never shifts - true as a rule you can always follow (retention is never wrong). What it left out for simplicity is that the shift is available. Both hold at once: Greek is not obliged to backshift (unlike English, which is), yet it may when a speaker wants to. The choice carries meaning. Keep the tense to report the words plainly, as still current - the everyday, colloquial default (Είπε ότι δουλεύει). Shift the tense to pull the situation into the past - backgrounded, belonging to then, perhaps no longer true - common in careful/written narration (Είπε ότι δούλευε). A kept tense views the situation from now; a shifted tense from the moment of speaking. When producing Greek, the Module-11 rule (keep the tense) is always safe; when reading Greek, expect either and let the tense tell you the perspective.