Rule reminder
When the reporting verb is in the past, all tenses in the reported clause shift back: present → imperfect, passato prossimo → trapassato prossimo, future → conditional, imperfect → imperfect (no change). This creates a 'chain' of backshifts across complex sentences.
Direct: 'Studio italiano da tre anni e ho già superato il B1.' → Reported: Maria disse che ___