What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is when we tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words.

Direct Speech: "I am tired," she said. (exact words in quotation marks) Reported Speech: She said (that) she was tired. (reporting what she said)

We use reported speech constantly in everyday conversation:

• "John said he's coming to the party."
• "She told me she likes pizza."
• "They said they would be late."

Why Do We Use Reported Speech?

1. To tell someone what another person said
2. To report conversations, news, instructions
3. To avoid directly quoting someone
4. Very common in storytelling and news

Basic Changes from Direct to Reported Speech

When we change from direct to reported speech, several things change:

1. Remove Quotation Marks

Direct: "I am happy," she said. Reported: She said she was happy.

2. Change Pronouns

Pronouns change to match the perspective:

Direct: "I am tired," she said. Reported: She said she was tired.

Direct: "We like pizza," they said. Reported: They said they liked pizza.

Direct: "You are right," he told me. Reported: He told me I was right.

3. Backshift Tenses (Usually)

When the reporting verb (said, told) is in the past, we usually move the tenses back:

Direct: "I am happy." Reported: She said she was happy. (am → was)

Direct: "I like pizza." Reported: He said he liked pizza. (like → liked)

Direct: "I will come." Reported: She said she would come. (will → would)

4. Change Time and Place Words

Time and place words often change:

• today → that day
• tomorrow → the next day / the following day
• yesterday → the day before / the previous day
• now → then / at that moment
• this → that
• here → there
• ago → before

Reported Statements

Say vs. Tell

SAY: We don't usually mention who we're talking to

• She said (that) she was tired.
• He said (that) he liked pizza.

TELL: We must mention who we're talking to

• She told me (that) she was tired.
• He told us (that) he liked pizza.

Pattern:

• say (that)... OR say to someone (that)...
• tell someone (that)...

Note: "that" is optional and often omitted in spoken English.

Tense Changes (Backshift)

When the reporting verb is past (said, told), tenses move back:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple: "I like pizza."	Past Simple: He said he liked pizza.
Present Continuous: "I am working."	Past Continuous: She said she was working.
Past Simple: "I went home."	Past Perfect: He said he had gone home.
Present Perfect: "I have finished."	Past Perfect: She said she had finished.
will: "I will come."	would: He said he would come.
can: "I can help."	could: She said she could help.
may: "I may go."	might: He said he might go.
must: "I must leave."	had to: She said she had to leave.

Examples of Tense Changes

Present Simple → Past Simple:

• Direct: "I work in Berlin."
• Reported: He said he worked in Berlin.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous:

• Direct: "I am studying English."
• Reported: She said she was studying English.

Past Simple → Past Perfect:

• Direct: "I went to the cinema."
• Reported: He said he had gone to the cinema.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect:

• Direct: "I have finished my work."
• Reported: She said she had finished her work.

will → would:

• Direct: "I will call you tomorrow."
• Reported: He said he would call me the next day.

can → could:

• Direct: "I can speak Spanish."
• Reported: She said she could speak Spanish.

When NOT to Backshift

If the reporting verb is present, don't change the tense:

• Direct: "I am tired."
• Reported: She says she is tired. (both present - no change)

If what was said is still true, you can keep the same tense:

• Direct: "The Earth is round."
• Reported: He said the Earth is round. (still true - can stay present)

General truths and facts:

• "Paris is in France." → He said Paris is in France.

Reported Questions

Questions in reported speech lose the question form - they become statements.

Yes/No Questions

Use if or whether to introduce the question:

Direct: "Are you tired?" Reported: He asked (me) if I was tired.

Direct: "Do you like pizza?" Reported: She asked (me) if I liked pizza.

Direct: "Will you come?" Reported: He asked whether I would come.

Important changes:

1. No question mark
2. Use normal word order (not question order)
3. Use "if" or "whether"
4. Backshift the tense

Wh- Questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How)

The question word stays, but word order becomes normal (not question order):

Direct: "Where do you live?" Reported: He asked (me) where I lived.

Direct: "What are you doing?" Reported: She asked (me) what I was doing.

Direct: "When will you arrive?" Reported: He asked (me) when I would arrive.

Direct: "Why did you leave?" Reported: She asked (me) why I had left.

Direct: "How do you feel?" Reported: He asked (me) how I felt.

Important: Word order changes from question order to statement order:

• Direct: "Where do you live?" (question order)
• Reported: where I lived (statement order)

Ask vs. Want to Know

Both can be used for reported questions:

• He asked (me) where I lived.
• She wanted to know if I was tired.
• They asked (me) when I would arrive.

Reported Commands and Requests

Use tell/ask + person + (not) to + base verb

Commands

Direct: "Close the door!" Reported: He told me to close the door.

Direct: "Don't be late!" Reported: She told me not to be late.

Direct: "Help me!" Reported: He told me to help him.

Pattern: told someone (not) to + base verb

Requests

Direct: "Please help me." Reported: She asked me to help her.

Direct: "Can you close the window?" Reported: He asked me to close the window.

Direct: "Could you wait for me?" Reported: She asked me to wait for her.

Pattern: asked someone (not) to + base verb

Advice and Suggestions

Direct: "You should study more." Reported: He advised me to study more.

Direct: "Let's go to the cinema." Reported: She suggested going to the cinema.

Pattern:

• advised someone to + base verb
• suggested + -ing

Time and Place Changes

When the time or place is different from when/where something was said, words change:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
yesterday	the day before / the previous day
tonight	that night
next week	the following week
last week	the week before / the previous week
now	then / at that time
here	there
this	that
these	those
ago	before

Examples

Direct: "I'll see you tomorrow," he said on Monday. Reported (on Tuesday): He said he would see me that day.

Direct: "I saw her yesterday," she said on Friday. Reported (on Saturday): She said she had seen her the day before.

Direct: "I live here," he said in London. Reported (in Berlin): He said he lived there.

Note: Only change these if the time/place context has changed!

Reporting Verbs

Instead of just "said" and "told," we can use more specific reporting verbs:

Statements:

• explain: He explained (that) the meeting was canceled.
• mention: She mentioned (that) she was moving.
• complain: He complained (that) the food was cold.
• promise: She promised (that) she would come.
• admit: He admitted (that) he had made a mistake.
• deny: She denied (that) she had taken the money.
• agree: He agreed (that) it was a good idea.

Questions:

• ask: He asked (me) if I was ready.
• want to know: She wanted to know where I lived.
• inquire: He inquired whether I needed help. (formal)
• wonder: She wondered if it would rain.

Commands/Requests:

• tell: He told me to wait.
• ask: She asked me to help.
• order: He ordered me to leave. (strong command)
• warn: She warned me not to be late.
• advise: He advised me to see a doctor.
• invite: She invited me to come to the party.
• remind: He reminded me to bring my passport.
• encourage: She encouraged me to try again.
• beg: He begged me to help him.
• persuade: She persuaded me to go.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Forgetting to change pronouns

• ❌ He said, "I am tired." → He said I was tired.
• ✅ He said, "I am tired." → He said he was tired.

Mistake 2: Using question word order in reported questions

• ❌ She asked me where do I live.
• ✅ She asked me where I lived. (statement order)

Mistake 3: Not backshifting when needed

• ❌ He said he is tired. (if "said" is past)
• ✅ He said he was tired.

Mistake 4: Forgetting "to" with commands

• ❌ He told me close the door.
• ✅ He told me to close the door.

Mistake 5: Using "say" instead of "tell" (or vice versa)

• ❌ He said me he was tired.
• ✅ He told me he was tired.
• ✅ He said (that) he was tired.

Mistake 6: Keeping question mark in reported questions

• ❌ He asked if I was ready?
• ✅ He asked if I was ready. (no question mark)

Practice Examples

Change to reported speech (answers at bottom):

1. "I am happy," she said. → She said _______.
2. "I work in Berlin," he said. → He said _______.
3. "I will call you tomorrow," she said. → She said _______.
4. "I have finished my work," he said. → He said _______.
5. "I went to the cinema yesterday," she said. → She said _______.

Change these questions to reported speech:

6. "Are you tired?" he asked me. → He asked me _______.
7. "Where do you live?" she asked me. → She asked me _______.
8. "What are you doing?" he asked me. → He asked me _______.
9. "Will you come to the party?" she asked me. → She asked me _______.

Change these commands to reported speech:

10. "Close the door!" he said to me. → He told me _______.
11. "Please help me," she said to me. → She asked me _______.
12. "Don't be late!" he said to me. → He told me _______.

Correct the mistakes:

13. He said me he was tired.
14. She asked me where do I live.
15. He told me close the door.
16. She said she will come tomorrow.

Choose say or tell:

17. He _______ (said / told) that he was tired.
18. She _______ (said / told) me that she liked pizza.
19. They _______ (said / told) they would be late.
20. He _______ (said / told) us to wait.

Complete with the correct reported form:

21. "I can swim," he said. → He said he _______ swim.
22. "I must go," she said. → She said she _______ go.
23. "I may be late," he said. → He said he _______ be late.
24. "I am reading," she said. → She said she _______ reading.
25. "I have seen this movie," he said. → He said he _______ that movie.

Answers: 1. she was happy, 2. he worked in Berlin, 3. she would call me the next day (or tomorrow if still relevant), 4. he had finished his work, 5. she had gone to the cinema the day before (or yesterday if still relevant), 6. if I was tired, 7. where I lived, 8. what I was doing, 9. if I would come to the party (or whether), 10. to close the door, 11. to help her, 12. not to be late, 13. He told me he was tired., 14. She asked me where I lived., 15. He told me to close the door., 16. She said she would come the next day. (or tomorrow - if reporting immediately), 17. said, 18. told, 19. said, 20. told, 21. could, 22. had to, 23. might, 24. was, 25. had seen

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Quick Reference

Tense Backshift (when reporting verb is past)

Direct	Reported
am/is/are	was/were
do/does	did
am/is/are + -ing	was/were + -ing
did / past simple	had + past participle
have/has + past participle	had + past participle
will	would
can	could
may	might
must	had to

Patterns

Statements:

• say (that)...
• tell someone (that)...

Questions:

• ask (someone) if/whether... (yes/no questions)
• ask (someone) + question word... (wh- questions)

Commands/Requests:

• tell someone (not) to + base verb
• ask someone (not) to + base verb

Time Changes

• today → that day
• tomorrow → the next day
• yesterday → the day before
• now → then
• here → there

Remember

• Remove quotation marks
• Change pronouns to match perspective
• Backshift tenses (when reporting verb is past)
• Questions become statements (normal word order)
• Use "if/whether" for yes/no questions
• Commands use "to + base verb"

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Part of the LearnFast.life Grammar Series

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