Reported speech / Indirect speech
Learn how to tell others what someone else said by shifting tenses back.
- check_circleI can report what someone said in the present tense.
- check_circleI can report what someone said in the past tense.
- check_circleI can change pronouns correctly 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.
Emma: Hey, John. Did you talk to Sarah yesterday?
John: Yes, I did. She told me that she was looking for a new job.
Emma: Really? Why?
John: She said that she didn’t like her current boss. She also said that she had applied for a position at a marketing agency last week.
Emma: That’s great! What else did she say?
John: She told me that she had an interview on Friday and that she was feeling a bit nervous.
Emma: I’m sure she’ll do well. I’ll call her to wish her luck!
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 use reported speech (also called indirect speech). To do this correctly, we usually need to change the verb tense (move it “back” in time) and the pronouns.
1. Backshifting Tenses
If the reporting verb (like said or told) is in the past, the verb in the reported sentence shifts back one step in the past.
Present to Past
- Direct: “I need help.”
- Reported: He said (that) he needed help.
Past to Past Perfect
- Direct: “I finished the report.”
- Reported: She said (that) she had finished the report.
Direct: “We are happy.”
Reported: They told me (that) they were happy.
2. Changing Pronouns
Pronouns change to match the person who is speaking and the person who is being spoken about.
Direct: “I like your new car.” (Tom said this to me)
Reported: Tom said (that) he liked my new car.
You can use that to connect the two parts of the sentence, but it is optional in spoken English. She said she was tired. = She said that she was tired.
3. ‘Said’ vs ‘Told’
- Use said if you don’t mention who was spoken to: He said (that) he was hungry.
- Use told if you mention the person spoken to: He told me (that) he was hungry.
Common mistake: Do not use ‘to’ after told.
She told to me ➔ She told me
- Present ➔ Past: “I eat” ➔ He said he ate.
- Past ➔ Past Perfect: “I ate” ➔ He said he had eaten.
- Pronouns: Change “I” to “he/she”, “my” to “his/her” depending on who is talking.
- said vs told: Use said without an object (He said…), and told with an object (He told me…).
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?