Tense changes in indirect speech
With a past reporting verb such as said or told, move the verb back one step. If the reporting verb is in the present ("She says"), the tense doesn't change.
| Direct speech | Indirect speech |
|---|---|
| Present simple: "I work here." | Past simple: He said he worked there. |
| Present continuous: "I am working." | Past continuous: He said he was working. |
| Present perfect: "I have finished." | Past perfect: He said he had finished. |
| Past simple: "I finished." | Past perfect: He said he had finished. |
| will: "I will go." | would: He said he would go. |
| can: "I can swim." | could: He said he could swim. |
| may: "I may leave." | might: He said he might leave. |
| must: "I must leave." | had to: He said he had to leave. |
Pronouns and time words
Pronouns change to fit who is now speaking, and words about time and place often change because the moment has passed.
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| now | then |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| next week | the following week |
| last week | the week before |
Questions, commands and requests
Yes or no questions use if or whether, with normal statement word order: "Are you ready?" becomes She asked if I was ready.
Wh- questions keep the question word, also in statement order: "Where do you live?" becomes He asked where I lived.
Commands and requests use told or asked plus to: "Close the door" becomes She told me to close the door. "Please wait" becomes He asked me to wait.
A general truth or something still true can keep its tense: "Water boils at 100 degrees" becomes The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees.
Common mistakes
Wrong: She asked where did I live.
Right: She asked where I lived.
Reported questions use statement order, with no do or did.
Wrong: He said me that he was busy.
Right: He told me that he was busy.
Tell takes a person directly. Say doesn't: "He said to me" or "He said that".
Wrong: She said that she will come tomorrow.
Right: She said that she would come the next day.
After a past reporting verb, will becomes would and the time word changes.
Using this in IELTS and PTE
Reporting verbs such as claim, argue and suggest are useful in IELTS Writing Task 2 and PTE Write Essay when you describe other people's views: "Some argue that fees should be abolished." In PTE Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion, you report what speakers said, so these patterns are worth practising aloud.
5 questions
Exercise
Try each one, then open it to check your answer.
1. Report this: She said, "I am reading a book."
She said that she was reading a book.
Present continuous moves back to past continuous.
2. Report this: He said, "I saw her yesterday."
He said that he had seen her the day before.
Past simple becomes past perfect, and yesterday becomes the day before.
3. Report this: "Do you like tea?" she asked.
She asked if I liked tea.
A yes or no question takes if, with statement order.
4. Report this: The teacher said, "Open your books."
The teacher told us to open our books.
A command uses told plus to.
5. Report this: He says, "I am hungry."
He says that he is hungry.
The reporting verb is in the present, so the tense stays.
Frequently asked questions
Is indirect speech the same as reported speech?+
Yes. Both terms describe giving the meaning of what someone said without quoting the exact words.
Do I always need that?+
No. "She said she was tired" and "She said that she was tired" are both correct. That is more common in formal writing.
What is the difference between say and tell?+
Tell needs a person after it: "He told me." Say doesn't: "He said that" or "He said to me."
Keep going
More grammar lessons
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