B1daily

Reported Speech - Daily English

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Reported (or indirect) speech is how you tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. The main change is the tense, which usually shifts one step back into the past when the reporting verb (say, tell, ask, explain) is itself in the past. So present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and "will" becomes "would". You also adjust pronouns and references to time and place. For example, direct speech "I am preparing the report" becomes "She said she was preparing the report." Direct "We will send the figures tomorrow" becomes "They said they would send the figures the next day." In a meeting you might report: "He explained that the deadline had already passed." Note two things. First, use "tell" with a person object (tell me, tell the client) but "say" without one (he said that...); a very common error is "he said me". Second, when you report a question, the word order goes back to statement order and you drop the question mark: not "She asked when does the meeting start" but "She asked when the meeting started." If the original words are still true or are a general fact, the backshift is optional: "She said the office is/was closed on Fridays."

Let's practise. Type each answer and press Enter, I'll check it with you.

  1. He said that he (be) very tired after the long flight.
  2. She told me that she (visit) her grandmother next weekend.
  3. They mentioned that they (finish) the project the day before.
  4. My mom said that she (cook) pasta for dinner that night.
  5. Mark told us that he (not/see) that movie yet.
  6. The waiter said that the soup (be) very hot.
  7. Sarah mentioned that she (buy) a new car last month.
  8. My brother told me that he (help) me with my homework later.
  9. The travel agent said that the flight (be) delayed.
  10. We learned that the weather (be) much colder in winter.
  11. David said that he (go) to the gym every morning.
  12. She told her friend that she (lose) her keys.
  13. The teacher said that the exam (be) quite difficult.
  14. They told us that they (live) in London for five years.
  15. My friend said that he (call) me as soon as he arrived.
  16. Emma mentioned that she (not/like) spicy food.
  17. He told me that he (study) English for three years.
  18. The shop assistant said that the sale (start) the following week.
  19. Paul said that he (already/eat) breakfast.
  20. She told him that she (be) busy at the moment.
  21. My father said that he (work) in that office for a decade.
  22. They told me that they (meet) at the cafe at 5 PM.
  23. The doctor said that I (need) more sleep.
  24. Lucy mentioned that she (never/be) to Japan.
  25. He said that his friends (arrive) late that night.

Common questions

How do tenses change (backshift) when you turn direct speech into reported speech?

When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense usually moves one step back: present simple to past simple ("I work" becomes she said she worked), present continuous to past continuous, present perfect and past simple both to past perfect, and "will" to "would". Modals also shift: can to could, may to might. For example, "I can finish it today" becomes "He said he could finish it that day."

What is the difference between 'say' and 'tell' in reported speech?

Use "tell" when you name the listener: tell me, tell the team, tell your manager. Use "say" when you do not name the listener: he said (that) the meeting was cancelled. So "She told the client the order had shipped" is correct, but "She said the client..." is wrong here. A frequent mistake is "he said me"; the correct form is "he told me" or "he said to me."

How do you report questions and how do time and place words change?

For yes/no questions use "if" or "whether"; for wh-questions keep the wh-word, then use statement word order and no question mark: "Are you free?" becomes "She asked if I was free," and "Where is the file?" becomes "He asked where the file was." Time and place references also shift: now becomes then, today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, and here becomes there.