If we want to say what another person has said, we usually do not use the
speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. To do that we need to make some changes.
Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
- place and time expressions
- tenses (backshift)
| Type |
Example |
| direct speech |
“I speak English.” |
reported speech
(no backshift) |
He says that he speaks English. (the introductory verb "says" is in the Simple Present) |
reported speech
(backshift) |
He said that he spoke English. (the introductory verb "said" is in the Simple Past) |
Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
- place and time expressions
- tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:
- transform the question into an indirect question
- use the interrogative or if / whether
| Type | Example |
| with interrogative |
direct speech |
“Why don’t you speak English?” |
| reported speech |
He asked me why I didn’t speak English. |
| without interrogative |
direct speech |
“Do you speak English?” |
| reported speech |
He asked me whether / if I spoke English. |
Requests
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- place and time expressions
| Type |
Example |
| direct speech |
“Carol, speak English.“ |
| reported speech |
He told Carol to speak English. |
You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Past (e. g.
He said). This is called
backshift.
- Example
- He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
| Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
| Simple Present |
Simple Past |
| Present Progressive |
Past Progressive |
| Simple Past |
Past Perfect Simple |
| Present Perfect Simple |
| Past Perfect Simple |
| Past Progressive |
Past Perfect Progressive |
| Present Perfect Progressive |
| Past Perfect Progressive |
| Future I (going to) |
was / were going to |
| Future I (will) |
Conditional I (would) |
| Conditional I (would) |
The verbs
could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to do not normally change.
- Example:
- He said, “She might be right.” – He said that she might be right.
Place and Time expressions
You usually have to change the place and time expressions when transforming a sentence from the direct to the reported speech. These are the words that usually have to be changed.
| Direct Speech |
Reported Speech |
| today |
that day |
| now |
then |
| yesterday |
the day before |
| … days ago |
… days before |
| last week |
the week before |
| next year |
the following year |
| tomorrow |
the next day / the following day |
| here |
there |
| this |
that |
| these |
those |
Now play the game: