Reported Speech

Reported (indirect) speech tells someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Direct speech: Sam said, 'I'm tired.' Reported speech: Sam said (that) he was tired. 'That' is optional and is often left out in conversation.

When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, explained), the verb in the reported clause usually moves one step back in time. This is called backshift.

Present simple → past simple: 'I live in Rome.' → He said he lived in Rome. Present continuous → past continuous: 'I'm working.' → She said she was working. Present perfect → past perfect (had + past participle): 'I've finished.' → She said she had finished. Past simple → past perfect: 'I saw the film.' → He said he had seen the film (in informal speech the past simple often stays: he said he saw it).

Modal verbs: will → would, can → could, must → had to (must is also possible), may → might. Would, could, should, might and ought to don't change.

Pronouns and possessives change to fit the new speaker: 'I love my job,' said Kate → Kate said she loved her job.

Both verbs report what someone said, but they follow different patterns.

'Tell' needs a person (an object) directly after it: tell someone (that)…: 'She told me (that) she was leaving.' 'He told us the news.'

'Say' is not followed by a person. Use 'say (that)…' or 'say something to someone': 'She said (that) she was leaving.' 'She said goodbye to everyone.' (not 'She said me…').

Some fixed expressions use 'tell' without a person: tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell a joke, tell the time. Others use 'say': say hello/goodbye, say sorry, say yes/no, say something.

Explain, reply and add follow the pattern of 'say', with no person directly after them: 'He explained (to us) that the train was late.' 'Promise' can take either pattern: 'He promised (that) he would call' or 'He promised me (that) he would call.' Note: 'explain something to someone', not 'explain someone something': 'Can you explain the rules to me?'

When we report words later or in a different place, words that point to the time and place of speaking often need to change, because the original 'now' and 'here' are no longer true.

Common changes: today → that day; tonight → that night; now → then; yesterday → the day before / the previous day; tomorrow → the next day / the following day; last week → the week before / the previous week; next week → the following week; ago → before; here → there; this → that.

Only change them when the time or place has really changed. Think about the situation, not a table: if your friend said 'I'll see you tomorrow' on Monday morning and you report it on Monday evening, 'tomorrow' is still correct: 'She said she would see me tomorrow.'

Reported questions use normal statement word order (subject + verb), not question order, and they end with a full stop, not a question mark. Common reporting verbs are ask, want to know and wonder.

Wh- questions keep the question word and backshift the tense: 'Where do you live?' → She asked me where I lived. 'What time is it?' → He wanted to know what time it was. Don't use do/does/did: 'Why did you leave?' → They asked why I had left (not 'why did I leave').

Yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether': 'Are you hungry?' → He asked if I was hungry. 'Can you help me?' → She asked whether I could help her.

The same statement word order is used in polite indirect questions in the present: 'Could you tell me where the station is?' (not 'where is the station?').

To report an order, use 'tell' + person + to-infinitive: 'Be quiet!' → The teacher told us to be quiet.

To report a request, use 'ask' + person + to-infinitive: 'Could you open the window, please?' → She asked me to open the window.

For negative commands and requests, put 'not' before 'to': 'Don't be late.' → He told us not to be late. 'Please don't park here.' → They asked us not to park there.

Other verbs use the same pattern: advise, remind, warn, invite: 'You should see a doctor.' → She advised me to see a doctor. 'Don't swim here — it's dangerous.' → They warned us not to swim there.

Don't use 'say' or a that-clause in this pattern: not 'He said me to wait' or 'He told that I wait'.

Backshift is not always necessary. You can keep the original tense in these situations.

When the reporting verb is in the present (says, has said, tells), the tense doesn't change: 'I'm hungry.' → Ben says he's hungry. This is common when you pass on a message or report something that was just said.

When the information is still true now, you can choose: 'I live in Paris.' → She said she lives in Paris (she still does) or She said she lived in Paris. Both are correct; the present shows that you believe it is still true. This also applies to general facts: 'The museum closes at six.' → The guide said the museum closes at six.

Would, could, should, might and ought to never change: 'I might come.' → He said he might come. The past perfect doesn't change either.