What is Reported Speech?
Reported speech is when you tell somebody else what you or a person said before.
Distinction must be made between direct speech and reported speech. If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
Direct speech vs Reported speech:
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
| He says: “I like Croaker fish.” | He says that he likes Croaker fish. |
| She said: “I’m visiting England next weekend” | She said that she was visiting England the following weekend. |
Present simple and present continuous tenses
- Direct speech: “I travel a lot in my job” Reported speech: He said that he traveled a lot in his job.
The present simple tense (I travel) usually changes to the past simple (he traveled) in reported speech.
- Direct speech: “Be quiet. The baby’s sleeping.” Reported speech: She told me to be quiet because the baby was sleeping.
The present continuous usually changes to the past continuous.
NB:
- “I work in Italy” Reported speech: He told me that he works in Italy.
It isn’t always necessary to change the tense. If something is still true now – he still works in Italy – we can use the present simple in the reported sentence.
Past simple and past continuous tenses
- Direct speech: “We lived in China for 5 years.” Reported speech: She told me they had lived in China for 5 years.
The past simple tense (we lived) usually changes to the past perfect (they had lived) in reported speech.
- Direct speech: “I was walking down the road when I saw the accident.” Reported speech: He told me he’d been walking down the road when he’d seen the accident.
The past continuous usually changes to the past perfect continuous.
Perfect tenses
- Direct speech: “They’ve always been very kind to me”. Reported speech: She said they’d always been very kind to her.
The present perfect tense (have always been) usually changes to the past perfect tense (had always been).
- Direct speech: “They had already eaten when I arrived” Reported speech: He said they’d already eaten when he’d arrived.
The past perfect tense does not change in reported speech.
Different types of Sentences
When you use reported speech, you either report:
- statements
- questions
- requests / commands
- other types
1. Reporting Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- present tense verbs
- Tenses (back shift)
- place and time expression
2. Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example:
She says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” – She says that her dad likes roast chicken.
3. Tenses
- If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of tenses in reported speech.
- If the sentence starts in the past, there is often backshift of tenses in reported speech.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | |
| (no backshift) | “I write poems.” | He says that he writes poems. |
| (backshift) | “I write poems.” | He said that he wrote poems. |
No backshift
Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in a present tense (e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example:
He says, “I write poems.” – He says that he writes English.
Backshift
You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in a past tense (e. g. He said).
Example:
He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
Examples of the main changes in tense:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| Simple Present He said: “I am happy” |
Simple Past He said that he was happy |
| Present Progressive He said: “I‘m looking for my apple” |
Past Progressive He said that he was looking for his apple |
| Simple Past He said: “I worked as UAC last year” |
Past Perfect Simple He said that he had worked at UAC the previous year. |
| Present Perfect He said: ” I‘ve lived here for a long time “ |
Past Perfect He said that he had lived there for a long time |
| Past Perfect He said: “They had finished the work when I arrived“ |
Past Perfect He said that they had finished the work when he had arrived“ |
| Past Progressive He said: “I was playing chess when the accident occurred“ |
Past Perfect Progressive He said that he had been playing chess when the accident had occurred |
| Present Perfect Progressive He said:”I have been watching movie for two hours.” |
Past Perfect Progressive He said that he had been watching movie for two hours |
| Past Perfect Progressive He said: “I had been reading a newspaper when the light went off“ |
Past Perfect Progressive He said that he had been reading a newspaper when the light had gone off |
| Future Simple (will+verb) He said: “I will open the door.” |
Conditional (would+verb) He said that he would open the door. |
| Conditional (would+verb) He said: “I would buy Camry Muscle if I were rich” |
Conditional (would+verb) He said that he would buy Camry Muscle if he had been rich” |
The modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn’t, ought to, used to do not normally change.
Example:
He said, “She might be right.” – He said that she might be right.
Other modal verbs may change:
| Modal | Direct speech | Reported speech |
| can | “I can do it.” | He said he could do it. |
| may | “May I go out?” | He wanted to know if he might go out. |
| must | “She must apply for the job.” | He said that she must/had to apply for the job. |
| will | “They will call you.” | He told her that they would call her. |
4. Place, demonstratives and time expressions
Place, demonstratives and time expressions change if the context of the reported statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that of the direct speech.
In the following table, you will find the different changes of place; demonstratives and time expressions.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
| Time Expressions | |
| today | that day |
| now | then |
| yesterday | the day before |
| … days ago | … days before |
| last week | the week before |
| next year | the following year |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| Place | |
| here | there |
| Demonstratives | |
| this | that |
| these | those |
5. Reporting Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- place and time expressions
- tenses (back shift)
Also note that you have to:
- transform the question into an indirect question
- use the question word (where, when, what, how) or if / whether
| Types of questions | Direct speech | Reported speech |
| With question word (what, why, where, how…) | “Why” don’t you speak Hausa?” | He asked me why I didn’t speak Hausa. |
| Without question word (yes or no questions) | “Do you speak French?” | He asked me whether / if I spoke French. |
6. Reporting requests / commands
When transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to change:
- pronouns
- place and time expressions
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
| “Nancy, do the exercise.“ | He told Nancy to do the exercise. |
| “Nancy, give me your pen, please.” | He asked Nancy to give him her pen. |
| Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use to / not to + verb (infinitive without “to”) |
Example:
She said, “Sit down.” – She asked me to sit down.
She said, “don’t be lazy” – She asked me not to be lazy
| For affirmative use to + infinitive (without to)
For negative requests, use not to + infinitive (without to). |
7. Other transformations
- Expressions of advice with must, should and ought are usually reported using advise/ urge.
Example:
“You must read this book.”
He advised / urged me to read that book. - The expression let’s is usually reported using suggest. In this case, there are two possibilities for reported speech: gerund or statement with should.
Example:
“Let’s go to the cinema.”
He suggested going to the cinema.
2. He suggested that we should go to the cinema.
Main clauses connected with and/but
If two complete main clauses are connected with ‚and or ‚but, put ‚that after the conjunction.
Example:
He said,“I saw her but she didn’t see me.“ – He said that he had seen her but that she hadn’t seen him.“
If the subject is dropped in the second main clause (the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use ‚that‘.
Example:
She said,“I am a nurse and work in a hospital.“ – He said that she was a nurse and worked in a hospital.“