Reported Speech

Master reported speech in English. Learn how to report what others said, shift verb tenses, and use reporting verbs correctly.

Level B1-B2-C1-C2⏱️ 85 min📋 Requires: All verb tenses, Question forms, Modal verbs

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Reported speech (indirect speech) is used to report or repeat what someone else said without using their exact words. It involves changes to verb tenses, pronouns, time and place adverbs, and sentence structure.

📋 Quick Reference

1Report what other people said

2Change verb tenses

3Change pronouns and adverbs

4Use reporting verbs

5Do not use quotation marks

Verb tenses shift back when we report something that was said in the past.

Verb Tense Changes

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Example
Present Simple	Past Simple	I work → He said he worked
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	I am working → He said he was working
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	I have worked → He said he had worked
Past Simple	Past Perfect	I worked → He said he had worked
Will	Would	I will work → He said he would work
Can	Could	I can work → He said he could work
May	Might	I may work → He said he might work
Must	Had to	I must work → He said he had to work

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Trabajo en una oficina' → Dijo que trabajaba en una oficina

🇬🇧 English:

'I work in an office' → He said he worked in an office

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I work in an office' → He said he worked in an office

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Estoy estudiando' → Dijo que estaba estudiando

🇬🇧 English:

'I am studying' → He said he was studying

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I'm studying' → He said he was studying

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'He terminado' → Dijo que había terminado

🇬🇧 English:

'I have finished' → He said he had finished

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I've finished' → He said he had finished

The 'Backshift' Rule

Verb tenses move further into the past:

Examples:

Present → Past
Past → Past Perfect
Future → Conditional
Modals → Past forms

💡

Tip: If the reporting verb is in the present (says, tells), do not change the verb tenses.

Pronouns change to reflect the perspective of the person reporting.

Pronoun Changes

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Explanation
I	he/she	Changes depending on who spoke
you	I/he/she/they	Changes depending on context
my	his/her	Possessive changes with the pronoun
your	my/his/her	Possessive changes with context
we	they	The group that spoke
our	their	Group possessive

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Mi coche está roto' → Dijo que su coche estaba roto

🇬🇧 English:

'My car is broken' → He said his car was broken

📝 Translation:

He said: 'My car is broken' → He said his car was broken

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: '¿Puedes ayudarme?' → Preguntó si podía ayudarle

🇬🇧 English:

'Can you help me?' → He asked if I could help him

📝 Translation:

He said: 'Can you help me?' → He asked if I could help him

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Nuestro proyecto está listo' → Dijo que su proyecto estaba listo

🇬🇧 English:

'Our project is ready' → He said their project was ready

📝 Translation:

He said: 'Our project is ready' → He said their project was ready

Rules for Pronouns

Keep these rules in mind:

Examples:

Change pronouns based on who originally spoke
Consider the context of the conversation
Stay consistent throughout the report
If unclear, keep the original pronoun

⚠️

Watch out! Pronouns can be tricky. Always think about who said what to whom.

Time and place adverbs change to reflect the new time perspective.

Time Adverb Changes

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Explanation
now	then	Current moment → Past moment
today	that day	Current day → Specific day
yesterday	the day before	Yesterday → The previous day
tomorrow	the next day	Tomorrow → The following day
last week	the week before	Last week → The week before
next month	the following month	Next month → The following month
here	there	Here → There
this	that	This → That
these	those	These → Those

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Voy ahora' → Dijo que iba entonces

🇬🇧 English:

'I'm going now' → He said he was going then

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I'm going now' → He said he was going then

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Vine ayer' → Dijo que había venido el día anterior

🇬🇧 English:

'I came yesterday' → He said he had come the day before

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I came yesterday' → He said he had come the day before

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo: 'Estoy aquí' → Dijo que estaba allí

🇬🇧 English:

'I'm here' → He said he was there

📝 Translation:

He said: 'I'm here' → He said he was there

Rules for Adverbs

Keep these rules in mind:

Examples:

Shift time adverbs toward the past
Change place adverbs to match perspective
Some adverbs do not change (always, never)
Context decides whether a change is needed

✅

Tip: If you report what was said immediately afterward, some changes may not be necessary.

Different verbs are used to report speech depending on the type of statement.

Common Reporting Verbs

Type	Verbs	Structure	Example
Statements	say, tell, mention	say/tell + that	He said that he was tired
Questions	ask, wonder, inquire	ask + if/whether	He asked if I was coming
Orders	tell, order, command	tell + to + infinitive	He told me to come
Advice	advise, recommend	advise + to + infinitive	He advised me to study
Promises	promise, agree	promise + to + infinitive	He promised to help
Refusals	refuse, deny	refuse + to + infinitive	He refused to go

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Dijo que estaba cansado

🇬🇧 English:

He said he was tired

📝 Translation:

He said he was tired

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Preguntó si venía

🇬🇧 English:

He asked if I was coming

📝 Translation:

He asked if I was coming

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Me dijo que viniera

🇬🇧 English:

He told me to come

📝 Translation:

He told me to come

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Me aconsejó estudiar

🇬🇧 English:

He advised me to study

📝 Translation:

He advised me to study

Structures with Reporting Verbs

Different structures depending on the verb:

Examples:

say + that + clause
tell + person + that + clause
ask + if/whether + clause
tell/ask + person + to + infinitive

💡

Tip: 'Tell' always needs an indirect object (tell me, tell him), but 'say' does not.

Reported questions change the structure and use 'if' or 'whether' for yes/no questions.

Types of Reported Questions

Type	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Yes/No	'Are you coming?'	He asked if I was coming
Yes/No	'Do you like coffee?'	He asked whether I liked coffee
Wh-	'Where do you live?'	He asked where I lived
Wh-	'What time is it?'	He asked what time it was
Wh-	'How are you?'	He asked how I was

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Preguntó: '¿Vienes?' → Preguntó si venía

🇬🇧 English:

'Are you coming?' → He asked if I was coming

📝 Translation:

He asked: 'Are you coming?' → He asked if I was coming

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Preguntó: '¿Dónde vives?' → Preguntó dónde vivía

🇬🇧 English:

'Where do you live?' → He asked where I lived

📝 Translation:

He asked: 'Where do you live?' → He asked where I lived

🇪🇸 Spanish:

Preguntó: '¿Cómo estás?' → Preguntó cómo estaba

🇬🇧 English:

'How are you?' → He asked how I was

📝 Translation:

He asked: 'How are you?' → He asked how I was

Rules for Reported Questions

Important changes:

Examples:

Do not use question marks
Use 'if' or 'whether' for yes/no questions
Keep question words (where, what, how)
Switch to affirmative word order

⚠️

Watch out! Reported questions do not use question marks or do/does/did auxiliaries.

❌

Mistake: Not changing verb tenses ❌
Correct: Apply backshift ✅
He said he is tired. → He said he was tired.

❌

Mistake: Using quotation marks in reported speech ❌
Correct: Do not use quotation marks ✅
He said "I am tired". → He said he was tired.

❌

Mistake: Confusing say and tell ❌
Correct: Tell needs an indirect object ✅
He told he was tired. → He said he was tired. / He told me he was tired.

❌

Mistake: Keeping question marks ❌
Correct: Remove question marks ✅
He asked if I was coming? → He asked if I was coming.

❌

Mistake: Not changing pronouns ❌
Correct: Change them to match perspective ✅
He said I am tired. → He said he was tired.

1. Tense backshift

Verb tenses move further into the past:

Examples:

Present → Past
Past → Past Perfect
Future → Conditional
Exception: if the reporting verb is in the present

2. Perspective changes

Change pronouns and adverbs:

Examples:

Pronouns based on who spoke
Time adverbs shift toward the past
Place adverbs match perspective
Consider context

3. Question structure

Reported questions change structure:

Examples:

Use 'if' or 'whether' for yes/no
Keep question words
Affirmative word order
No question marks

← Back to Theory

Reported Speech

What Is Reported Speech?

📋 Quick Reference

Verb Tense Changes

The 'Backshift' Rule

Pronoun Changes

Rules for Pronouns

Adverb Changes

Rules for Adverbs

Reporting Verbs

Structures with Reporting Verbs

Reported Questions

Rules for Reported Questions

Common Mistakes

Key Rules

1. Tense backshift

2. Perspective changes

3. Question structure