Reported Speech: Direct and Indirect

Introduction

When we want to tell someone what another person said, we can use direct speech (quoting exact words) or reported/indirect speech (paraphrasing).

Direct Speech

Direct speech uses quotation marks to show the exact words spoken.

She said, "I am tired."
He asked, "Where do you live?"
They shouted, "We won the game!"

Reported (Indirect) Speech

Reported speech tells what someone said without using their exact words. No quotation marks are used.

She said that she was tired.
He asked where I lived.
They shouted that they had won the game.

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

When the reporting verb is in the past tense (said, told, asked), the verb in the reported clause usually shifts back one tense.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple →	Past Simple
Present Continuous →	Past Continuous
Past Simple →	Past Perfect
Present Perfect →	Past Perfect
Will →	Would
Can →	Could
May →	Might
Must/Have to →	Had to

Examples

"I like coffee." → She said she liked coffee.
"I am working." → He said he was working.
"I went to Paris." → She said she had gone to Paris.
"I will call you." → He said he would call me.
"I can help." → She said she could help.

Pronoun and Time Changes

Pronouns and time expressions also change:

Direct	Reported
I, me, my	he/she, him/her, his/her
we, us, our	they, them, their
today	that day
yesterday	the day before
tomorrow	the next/following day
now	then/at that time
here	there
this	that
ago	before/earlier

Example

"I saw him here yesterday." → She said she had seen him there the day before.

Reporting Questions

Yes/No Questions

Use if or whether:

"Do you like tea?" → He asked if I liked tea.
"Have you finished?" → She asked whether I had finished.

Wh-Questions

Keep the question word, but change the word order (no inversion):

"Where do you live?" → He asked where I lived. (NOT: where did I live)
"What time is it?" → She asked what time it was.

Reporting Commands and Requests

Commands: told + object + to + verb

- "Sit down!" → He told me to sit down.

Negative commands: told + object + not to + verb

- "Don't touch that!" → She told me not to touch that.

Requests: asked + object + to + verb

- "Please help me." → She asked me to help her.

When Tenses Don't Change

Tenses stay the same when:

The reporting verb is in the present: She says she is tired.
The statement is a general truth: He said the Earth orbits the Sun.
The situation is still true: She said she lives in London. (she still does)

Summary

Reported speech requires shifting tenses back, changing pronouns and time expressions, and adjusting word order for questions. With practice, these changes become natural and automatic.