Indirect / Reported Speech
Learn how to report what someone else said by backshifting tenses.
- check_circleI can report what someone else said using the correct tense.
- check_circleI can adjust time and place expressions in reported speech.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Sarah: Did you talk to Mark yesterday?
John: Yes, I did! He said he had started a new job.
Sarah: Really? What is it?
John: He told me he was working as a manager at the new hotel.
Sarah: Wow, that’s great news. Did he say if he liked it?
John: Yes, he said he loved the team, but he added that he would have to work on weekends. He also mentioned that they were looking for more staff.
Sarah: Maybe I should apply! I quit my job the day before yesterday.
John: You should! He told me to tell you to give him a call if you were interested. He said the salary was exceptional.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When we want to tell someone what another person said, we can use direct speech or reported speech (indirect speech).
If we use reported speech, we usually change the tense of the verbs. This is called backshifting. We move the tense one step back into the past.
Direct: “I travel a lot,” she said. Reported: She said (that) she traveled a lot.
Tense Changes (Backshifting)
Here is how the tenses change when we report speech:
- Present Simple → Past Simple: “I like it” → He said he liked it.
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “I am working” → She said she was working.
- Past Simple → Past Perfect: “I arrived late” → He said he had arrived late.
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect: “I have finished” → She said she had finished.
- Will → Would: “I will go” → He said he would go.
- Can → Could: “I can help” → She said she could help.
The word that is optional in reported speech. You can say “He said that he was tired” or “He said he was tired.” Both are correct!
Reporting Verbs: Say vs. Tell
The most common reporting verbs are say and tell.
- Use tell when you mention the person who is being spoken to (the listener). It needs an object.
- Use say when you do not mention the listener.
She told me (that) she was hungry. (NOT: She told that…) She said (that) she was hungry. (NOT: She said me…)
A very common mistake for Spanish speakers is using “say to me” instead of “tell me” or just saying “he said me”.
He said me he was happy.- He told me he was happy.
Time and Place Expressions
When we report speech, we often have to change words that refer to time and place, because the time and place of reporting are different from when the words were originally spoken.
- now → then, at that time
- today → that day
- tomorrow → the next day, the following day
- yesterday → the day before, the previous day
- here → there
- this → that
Direct: “I will finish the project tomorrow,” he said. Reported: He said he would finish the project the next day.
- Backshifting: Move the tense one step back (Present → Past, Past → Past Perfect, Will → Would).
- Say vs Tell: Use tell + person (She told me). Use say without a person (She said that).
- Time & Place: Change words like tomorrow → the next day, here → there.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?