Level: B1-B2
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
Direct: “I am tired,” she said. Reported: She said she was tired. This guide covers the tense backshift, say vs tell, pronoun and time-word changes, reported questions and commands, when NOT to shift — and the mistakes learners make most, with click-to-hear audio.
What is reported speech?
There are two ways to repeat what somebody said. Direct speech quotes the exact words, inside quotation marks. Reported speech (also called indirect speech) reports the meaning — no quotation marks, and the words change to fit the new speaker and the new time.
- “I am tired,” she said. (direct)
- She said that she was tired. (reported)
Three things usually change: the tense (one step into the past), the pronouns (I → she), and the time words (tomorrow → the next day). The word that is optional: She said she was tired. is just as correct.
The tense backshift
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, asked), the reported verb usually moves one step back in time:
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| am / is | was | “I am busy.” → He said he was busy. |
| are | were | “We are ready.” → They said they were ready. |
| simple present | simple past | “I work here.” → She said she worked there. |
| present progressive | past progressive | “I am waiting.” → He said he was waiting. |
| simple past / present perfect | past perfect | “I lost my keys.” → She said she had lost her keys. |
| will | would | “I will call.” → He said he would call. |
| can | could | “I can swim.” → She said she could swim. |
| may | might | “I may be late.” → He said he might be late. |
| must (obligation) | had to | “I must go.” → She said she had to go. |
Modals that are already “past” — would, could, might, should — do not change: “I could help.” → He said he could help.
👉 Practice: Backshift Quiz — shift 35 quotes into reported speech.
Say vs tell
The two reporting verbs learners mix up most:
- tell needs a person right after it: She told me the truth.
- say does not take a person right after it: She said that she was busy.
- To name the listener after say, add to: She said to me that she was busy.
She said me the truth.
She told me the truth.
He told that he was tired.
He said that he was tired.
👉 Practice: Say vs Tell Quiz — 30 fill-in sentences.
Pronoun, time, and place changes
Pronouns change to fit the new speaker: “I like my job.” → She said she liked her job.
Time and place words move away from “now and here”:
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| now | then / at that moment |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday | the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| next week / year | the next week / year |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
- “I will see you tomorrow.” → He said he would see me the next day.
When you do NOT shift the tense
- The reporting verb is in the present: She says she is tired. (says, not said — no shift)
- The fact is still true (general truths): The teacher said that water boils at 100°C. (still true — the shift is optional)
- The situation has not changed yet: She said she lives in Chicago. (she still lives there; “lived” is also correct)
Reported questions
Reported questions use statement word order — no do / does / did, no question mark:
- “Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.
- “What time is it?” → She asked what time it was.
Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether:
- “Are you hungry?” → He asked if I was hungry.
- “Did you call her?” → She asked whether I had called her.
He asked where did I live.
He asked where I lived.
Reported commands and requests
Commands and requests are reported with tell / ask + person + to-infinitive. For negatives, use not to:
- “Close the door.” → She told me to close the door.
- “Please wait here.” → He asked us to wait there.
- “Don’t be late.” → She told him not to be late.
Common ESL mistakes
1. said me instead of told me
He said me that he was busy.
He told me that he was busy.
2. Question word order in reported questions
She asked what time was it.
She asked what time it was.
3. Forgetting the backshift after a past reporting verb
Yesterday he said that he will call me.
Yesterday he said that he would call me.
4. Keeping the question mark
He asked if I was ready?
He asked if I was ready.
👉 Practice: Say vs Tell Quiz · Backshift Quiz
Frequently asked questions
- What is reported speech?
- Reporting someone's words without quoting them exactly. Direct: "I am tired," she said. Reported: She said (that) she was tired — no quotation marks, and the tense usually moves one step into the past.
- How do tenses change in reported speech?
- They usually shift one step back: am/is becomes was, will becomes would, can becomes could, and the present perfect or simple past becomes the past perfect. No shift is needed when the fact is still true or the reporting verb is in the present.
- What is the difference between say and tell?
- Tell needs a person right after it: She told me the truth. Say does not: She said that she was busy. If you name the listener after say, use to: She said to me that she was busy.