Reported Speech: Rules, Changes & Exercises

Direct speech and reported speech

Direct speech

Repeats the speaker’s exact words, normally inside quotation marks.

Nina said, “I am tired.”

Reported speech

Retells the meaning from the reporter’s viewpoint.

Nina said that she was tired.

Three viewpoints may change: person (I → she), time (am → was) and place/time reference (here/today → there/that day). The context—not a blind conversion table—decides what is necessary.

First identify: Who originally spoke? Who is reporting? Is the situation still true? Are the speaker and reporter in the same place and time?

Reported speech rules for statements

Say

say + (that) + clause

Marta said that she needed help.

Do not put a person directly after said: said me.

Tell

tell + person + (that) + clause

Marta told me that she needed help.

Tell normally needs an object: told that.

Direct message	Natural report	What changed?
“I work from home.”	He said (that) he worked from home.	Pronoun and tense
“We will call you.”	They told me (that) they would call me.	Pronouns and modal
“The door is locked.”	She said the door was locked.	Tense only

That is often optional after say and tell in everyday reporting. Keep it when it makes a long sentence easier to follow.

Reported speech tense changes

After a past reporting verb such as said, English often moves the original verb one step back. This is called backshift.

Direct form	Common reported form	Example
present simple	past simple	“I need help.” → She said she needed help.
present continuous	past continuous	“I am waiting.” → He said he was waiting.
past simple	past perfect	“I lost it.” → She said she had lost it.
present perfect	past perfect	“We have finished.” → They said they had finished.
will	would	“I will return.” → He said he would return.
can	could	“I can swim.” → She said she could swim.
may	might	“It may rain.” → He said it might rain.

No backshift: current fact

If the information is still true and the reporter presents it as current, the original tense can remain.

The guide said the museum opens at ten.

No further change

Past perfect, would, could, should, might and must often stay unchanged.

“I had left.” → She said she had left.

Backshift changes viewpoint, not the event itself. Avoid changing a scientific fact into something that sounds untrue: “Water boils at 100°C” can be reported as The teacher said water boils at 100°C.

Pronouns and reported speech time expressions

Change a word only when the new speaker, time or place makes the old reference unclear or false.

Original viewpoint	Possible reported viewpoint	Example
I / my	he, she / his, her	“I lost my key.” → Jo said she had lost her key.
today	that day	“I’m busy today.” → He said he was busy that day.
tomorrow	the next/following day	“I’ll call tomorrow.” → She said she would call the next day.
yesterday	the day before	“I arrived yesterday.” → He said he had arrived the day before.
this / these	that / those	“These shoes hurt.” → She said those shoes hurt.
here	there	“Wait here.” → He told us to wait there.
now	then / at that moment	“I need it now.” → She said she needed it then.

Same-day reporting may keep the original expression: At 9 a.m., “I’ll finish today.” At noon, you can say She said she would finish today because today still means the same day.

Report questions and commands

Yes/no questions

ask + if/whether + statement order

“Are you ready?” → She asked if I was ready.

No question inversion and no question mark inside the report.

Wh-questions

ask + wh-word + statement order

“Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.

Remove do/does/did as a question auxiliary.

Commands and requests

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

“Please sit down.” → She asked us to sit down.
“Don’t touch it.” → He told me not to touch it.

Reporting verbs add meaning

advise, promise, warn, remind, admit, suggest express the speaker’s purpose.

“Be careful.” → She warned me to be careful.

Common error: She asked where did I live. → She asked where I lived. A reported question uses statement word order.

Guided reported speech exercises

Retell the meaning, then open the explanation.

1. Ana: “I am preparing the report.”

Ana said (that) she was preparing the report. Change the pronoun and backshift the present continuous.

2. Ben to me: “I will send you the link tomorrow.”

Ben told me (that) he would send me the link the next day. Will → would; pronouns and time viewpoint change.

3. The interviewer: “Why did you leave your last job?”

The interviewer asked why I had left my last job. Keep the wh-word, use statement order, and backshift the past simple.

4. The guard to us: “Do not enter this room.”

The guard told us not to enter that room. A negative command uses told + object + not to.

5. Correct: “She asked me where was the station.”

She asked me where the station was. Reported questions use statement order.

Production: Write a four-line conversation. Report it the next day using one statement, one yes/no question, one wh-question and one command.

Final check

Reported speech quiz

Choose the report that preserves the original meaning and uses the new viewpoint accurately.

Target: 9/12

1. “I am tired,” Leo said. Leo said that he ___.

is tired was tired tired had tired

Why: After said, present be commonly backshifts to past be.

2. “We have finished,” they said. They said they ___.

finished now had finished have finish were finish

Why: Present perfect commonly backshifts to past perfect.

3. Choose the correct structure with tell.

She told that she was busy. She told me she was busy. She said me she was busy. She told to me was busy.

Why: Tell normally takes a person before the clause.

4. “Are you ready?” He asked me ___.

if I was ready was I ready if was I ready that I ready

Why: A reported yes/no question uses if or whether plus statement order.

5. “Where do you work?” She asked where ___.

did I work I worked do I work worked I

Why: Remove do and use statement word order.

6. “Don’t open it.” He told me ___.

don’t open it not to open it to not opened it that not open it

Why: A negative reported command uses not to plus base verb.

7. “I will call tomorrow.” She said she would call ___.

yesterday the next day last day before day

Why: Tomorrow often changes to the next or following day.

8. Which fact can naturally remain present?

He said water boils at 100°C. He said water boiled forever only then. He said water is boil. He told water boils.

Why: A fact that remains true does not require backshift.

9. “I lost my phone yesterday,” Kim said. Kim said she had lost ___ phone ___.

my / tomorrow her / the day before his / today our / next day

Why: Both the possessive and time reference change with the viewpoint.

10. “Please wait here.” She ___ us to wait there.

said asked asked that said us

Why: A polite request can use asked plus person plus to-infinitive.

11. Which report has correct word order?

He asked what was I doing. He asked what I was doing. He asked what did I do. He asked what I doing was.

Why: Reported questions use subject before verb.

12. “I can help,” Amir said. Amir said he ___.

can helped could help could helped was can help

Why: Can commonly backshifts to could, followed by the base verb.