Reported Speech Basics

Quick Answer: Reported speech tells someone what another person said, without quoting them. Usually the tense moves one step back: "I am tired" becomes "She said (that) she was tired." Pronouns and time words change too, questions use normal word order ("He asked where I lived"), and commands use tell + object + to: "She told me to sit down."

Key takeaways

• After a past reporting verb, move the tense one step back: am to was, will to would, can to could, saw to had seen.
• Backshift is optional when the fact is still true or the reporting verb is present: "He says he's tired."
• Say takes no person ("She said that ..."); tell needs one ("She told me that ...").
• Reported questions use statement word order and no do: "He asked where I lived", not "where did I live".
• Yes or no questions use if or whether; commands use tell or ask + object + to: "She told me to sit down."
• Change pronouns and time words when the context changes: tomorrow becomes the next day.

What is the difference between direct and reported speech?

Direct speech	Reported speech
Ali said, "I'm hungry."	Ali said (that) he was hungry.
She said, "I live in Bursa."	She said (that) she lived in Bursa.
They said, "We will help."	They said (that) they would help.

Direct speech uses quotation marks and the exact words. Reported speech has no quotation marks. The word that is optional, and in conversation people often leave it out.

Step 1: Should you use say or tell?

Verb	Pattern	Example
say	say (that) ...	He said that he was busy.
say	say something to someone	He said hello to me.
tell	tell + person + (that) ...	He told me that he was busy.

• Wrong: He said me that he was busy.
• Right: He told me that he was busy. Or: He said that he was busy.

Tell always needs a person after it. For more, read say vs tell.

Step 2: Move the Tense Back

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

Direct	Reported
present simple: "I work here."	past simple: She said she worked there.
present continuous: "I'm waiting."	past continuous: He said he was waiting.
past simple: "I saw it."	past perfect: She said she had seen it.
present perfect: "I've finished."	past perfect: He said he had finished.
will: "I'll call."	would: She said she would call.
can: "I can swim."	could: He said he could swim.
must: "I must go."	had to: She said she had to go.
am going to: "I'm going to leave."	was going to: He said he was going to leave.

Would, could, should, might, ought to and the past perfect do not change. Must can also stay the same: "She said she must go" is correct, especially for a rule or strong obligation.

When you don't need to backshift

• When the reporting verb is present: "He says he's tired." (He is saying it now.)
• When the fact is still true: "She said she lives in Izmir." (She still lives there.)
• General truths: "The teacher said the Earth goes around the sun."

In everyday conversation, keeping the original tense is common when the information is still current. In exams, backshift is usually expected. See all English tenses for a refresher on each tense.

Step 3: Change Pronouns and Possessives

Change pronouns to match the new speaker's point of view.

• Mert said, "I love my job." becomes Mert said he loved his job.
• They said to me, "We will visit you." becomes They told me they would visit me.

Step 4: Change Time and Place Words

If you report later or in a different place, time and place words often change.

Direct	Reported
now	then
today	that day
tonight	that night
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 week after, the following week
ago	before
here	there
this	that

• She said, "I'll see you tomorrow." becomes She said she would see me the next day.

If you report on the same day, keep "tomorrow": "She said she'd see me tomorrow."

How do you report a question?

Reported questions are not real questions anymore. Use these rules:

1. Use ask (or wanted to know, wondered).
2. Use normal word order: subject then verb.
3. Do not use do, does or did.
4. No question mark.

Wh- questions

• "Where do you live?" becomes He asked me where I lived.
• "What time is it?" becomes She asked what time it was.
• "Why did you leave?" becomes They asked why I had left.

Yes or no questions: if or whether

• "Are you hungry?" becomes She asked if I was hungry.

• "Do you like jazz?" becomes He asked whether I liked jazz.

• Wrong: She asked where did I live.

• Right: She asked where I lived.

Our guide to asking questions in English covers direct question word order in detail.

How do you report commands and requests?

Use tell or ask + object + to + base verb.

Direct	Reported
"Sit down."	She told me to sit down.
"Don't be late."	He told us not to be late.
"Please help me."	She asked me to help her.
"Could you open the window?"	He asked me to open the window.

Use tell for orders and ask for polite requests. For negatives, put not before to.

Other Reporting Verbs

Say and tell are the most common, but other verbs add meaning:

• explain: He explained that the train was delayed.
• promise: She promised to call.
• suggest: He suggested going to the cinema.
• agree: They agreed to help.
• refuse: She refused to answer.
• admit: He admitted that he had made a mistake.

What are the most common reported speech mistakes?

Mistake	Wrong	Right
Said me	She said me she was tired.	She told me she was tired.
Question word order	He asked what was my name.	He asked what my name was.
Keeping the question mark	She asked if I was OK?	She asked if I was OK.
Forgetting to change pronouns	Ali said I was tired. (Ali meant himself)	Ali said he was tired.
Wrong command form	She told me that sit down.	She told me to sit down.

Practice Quiz

Change into reported speech. Use said, told or asked.

1. Elif: "I am learning French."
2. My boss: "You can leave early today."
3. Can: "I visited my parents last weekend."
4. The teacher to us: "Open your books."
5. Tom: "Where do you work?"
6. Zeynep: "Are you coming to the party?"

Answers: 1. Elif said she was learning French. 2. My boss said I could leave early that day. 3. Can said he had visited his parents the weekend before. 4. The teacher told us to open our books. 5. Tom asked where I worked. 6. Zeynep asked if I was coming to the party.

Reported speech is a core B1 skill for work, exams and storytelling. Practice it step by step in the LearnLingo B1 course with Sage the Turtle.

People Also Ask

What is reported speech?

Reported speech, also called indirect speech, is how we tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. For example, She said, I am tired becomes She said that she was tired.

Do I always need to change the tense in reported speech?

Not always. If the reporting verb is in the present, or if the information is still true now, you can keep the original tense. For example: He said he lives in Izmir is fine if he still lives there.

How do you report a question?

Use ask, use normal word order instead of question order, and drop the question mark. For yes or no questions, add if or whether: She asked if I was hungry.

Related Reading

• Say vs Tell: The Difference
• All English Tenses: An Overview
• How to Ask Questions in English
• English Punctuation Basics