Sometimes you need to tell people about your conversations and change direct speech into indirect speech. When you do this, you need to make sure that the tenses are correct.
For example, Karen says to Peter: "My job is very interesting." Peter then wants to report this conversation to Sarah a week later. He says: "Karen said that her job was interesting."
When you report a conversation, the tense changes:
"My job is very interesting" becomes: She said that her job was very interesting.
Tense changes
"I'm going swimming" – She said she was going swimming.
"I haven't seen the film" – She said she hadn't seen the film.
"I have been working all morning" – She said she had been working all morning.
"I was working all week" – She said she had been working all week.
"He went on holiday to Greece" – She said he had gone on holiday to Greece.
Sentences that are already in the "had done" form remain the same:
"I hadn't seen him before" – She said she hadn't seen him before.
Reporting modal verbs
Modal verbs also go back one tense.
Will becomes would.
For example: "I will see him later" – She said she would see him later.
Can becomes could.
For example: "I can swim" – She said she could swim.
May becomes might.
For example: "It may become colder over night" – He said it might become colder over night.
Direct speech using would, could, might and should all stay the same in reported speech.
"You should speak more" – He said I should speak more.
Reporting questions
When you report questions, the word order changes to look like a normal statement.
For example: "Can you help me?" – She asked me if I could help her.
"What's the time?" – He asked her what the time was.
Other changes
Time expressions also change in reported speech.
today – that day
tomorrow – the day after / the next day
yesterday – the day before / the previous day
now – then
next week – the week after
last week – the week before / the previous week
Other expressions that change:
here – there
this – that
68 comments on “Reported Speech”
I want to support some other changes in this part:
- Tonight – that night
- These – Those
- Ago – Before or earlier.
- Tomorrow – the day after / the next day / the following day.
- Next week / month / year -> the next week / month / year or the following week / month / year.
- Last week / month / year -> the week / month / year. before or the previous week / month / year.
I do not know how to change "Come in!" into indirect speech.
He asked her to come in.
He invited her in.
"What did you see in the distance?" she asked me.
How it is indirect speech ?
Thanks a lot: Éva
She asked me what I could see in the distance.
She asked me what I saw in the distance.
Mother: " i'm going to the mall to buy you new shoes."
( a minute later …)
My sister: where's mom.
what should i answer to my sister?
Should i say, " she said she was going to the mall to buy me new shoes." ?
Yes, this is correct.
simple present——–simple past
present countinous—past countinous
simple past————past perfect
present perfect——–past perfect
were you working last week?
indirect:
she asked me if I had been working the previous week
is it correct? do I have to put "if"?
Yes, to both questions.
I would like to add that, in instances where the reporting clause verb is present, the reporting statement tense is also in the present tense. Example 1., Kofi says:I am a man. I will report indirectly as, Kofi says that he is a man. 2.,Elom tells me:I go to school often. I will report indirectly as, Elom tells me that she goes to school often.
NB: i could put the direct speeches examples in cotation marks because i cannot find the on my new key board–please bear with me.
she wondered if i could help her
she said that she would marry me
she asked me to lend her some money
for commannds:
the teacher to the boys" try to do it yourselves"
the teacher told the boys to try to do it themeselves
"take the medicine regularly"
the doctor advised me to take the medicine regularly
He said,'what do you do?'
He asked what i did.
He said,'Do you like him ?'
he asked if i liked him.
He said,'Do not tell a lie.'
he said not to tell a lie.
He told me not to tell a lie.
He said,' Don't you like him?'
He asked if i liked him.
How should I change "let's" in reported speech?
Is the example correct?
Example: Let's go swimming.
Tom said we should go swimming, or
Tom told me that we should go swimming.
Yes, or:
Tom suggested that we go swimming.
thanks
how do you translate to the reported speech:"sorry,i couldn't help you"?..Thanks
a.t. » He said that he was sorry he couldn't help.
can you change is pharse into reported speech:
When will you come?
This man will come tomorrow.
I have worked her for a long time.
Thank you
Xando » He asked me when I would come.
He said that the man would come the next day.
He said that he had worked for her for a long time.
Most times when people report the direct words of another speaker, instead of using "He said" for instance, most times I have heard people saying "He says". Is this right? Please I would like you to clarify this point because am really not comfortable.
Abdul Rahman » In informal English, or when you are telling a story, you can use "he says" instead of "he said":
So I say …. and then he says….
You might also hear "go" instead of "say".
Abdul Rahman » In informal English, or when people tell stories, they use "says" rather than "said".
How can I change the following question into reported speech?
"Don't try to make any excuse to shirk your duties." My boss told to him.
Is it "My boss told to him not to try to make any excuse to shirk your duties"?
But it seems to be very strange. Does anyone help me to get the most appropriate answer?
meis » My boss told him not to try to make any excuse to shirk his duties.
This website is great, congratulations!!
this is a absalutely a great websites which improve your english so well.
Hi there !!
How do we change "What did he steal Mum?"he asked to reported speech.
Is it ……He asked his mother what he had stolen or He asked his mother what did he steal ?
He asked his mother what he had stolen.
i think that in the reported speech of an affirmative sentnecx we add "that"
" Reported Speech " In this topic the change into reported speech of imperative sentences and exclaimatory sentences has not been dealt with.
If required, I may furnish a few examples of conversions of these type of sentences
hello my teacher had given us an exercise I wanted to know the truth if the statement ( she told me (you are very kind ) can accept both(she told me that I was very kind ) and (she told me that Iam very kind ) or not
so please help me
Yes, your teacher is right! All three are fine:
She told me you are very kind
She told me that I was very kind
She told me that I am very kind
Firstly, after "told someone" you can either have "that" or not have "that".
Secondly, if the person is still kind, you can keep the verb in the present tense. Alternatively, you can put the verb back one tense and make it (in this example) the past simple.
hello mr clare
thank you very much for answering me but I still wonder . I think that (here) in direct speech would change to (there) in reported speech but when the reporting verb is in the present simple is it remained unchanged ? as in the statment
he prohibits them"don't play here" is it false that here changed to there
thank you
He prohibited them from playing there. (Normally we change here to there in reported speech.)
I didn't mean when the reporting verb is in the past .I meant when the reporting verb is in the present like in ( he prohibits them " don't play here " is it fine to change "here" into "there" or we change it only when the reporting verb is in the past or it can accept both of this statements
he prohibits them not to play here .
and;
he prohibits them not to play there.
"He prohibits them from playing here." But this is not reported speech in my opinion, but just a statement.
Situation: English isn't her native tongue
She speaks English as if English (is/was) her native tongue. Do we use "is" or "was" here?
It's a hypothetical statement, rather than reported speech, and to be grammatically accurate you need the subjunctive. Some people would say "was", but it is more correct to say "were".
Where does James live?
I have no idea where does james live.
Do you want to go out tonight?
I’m not sure if I want to go out tonight.
Have I passed the exam?
I’m sorry. I can’t tell you if you have passed you’re exam.
How many languages are there in the word?
I haven’t got a clue how many languages where there in the world.
Who’s that woman over there?
I can’t remember who was that woman.
Did Ben buy some more sugar?
I don’t know if Ben has bought more sugar.
‘Don’t forget to take all your belongings with you, said the driver to the passengers as they left the coach.
As the passengers left the coach, the driver reminded them not to forget their belongings.
If I were you, I wouldn’t visit that area late at night, said the travel agent to the young couple.
‘The travel agent advised young couple not to visit the area late at night.
Would you like to stay at my house?’ said Peter to James.
Peter asked James if he would like to stay in his house.
‘I won’t eat my vegetables!’ said Timmy.
Timmy refused to eat his vegetables.
‘I’ll give you a lift into town,’ said Ray to Mary.
Ray offered Mary to give her a lift into town.
‘Put that diamond necklace down?’ the police officer said to the burglar.
The police officer ordered to a burglar to put the diamond necklace down.
I’m going to work in Spain next year.
Rachel said she was going to work in Spain next year.
I work for a small publishing company.
Rachel said that she was working in a small publishing company.
I’m their marketing manager.
Rachel said that she was their marketing manager.
The company has opened an office in Barcelona.
Rachel said that the company had opened an office in Barcelona.
It’s been very successful.
Rachel said that it had been very successful.
I’ve been chosen to run a new office in Madrid.
Rachel said that she has been chosen to run a new office in Madrid.
I’m studying Spanish in the evenings.
Rachel said that she was studying Spanish in the evenings.
I don’t have much time to enjoy myself.
Rachel said that she didn’t have much time to enjoy herself.
I haven’t had lunch with a friend for ages.
Rachel said that she hadn’t had lunch with a friend ages.
is it correct?
All are correct except the ones below (which I have corrected for you – see the words in bold.)
Where does James live?
I have no idea where James lives.
Have I passed the exam?
I’m sorry. I can’t tell you if you have passed your exam.
How many languages are there in the word?
I haven’t got a clue how many languages there are in the world.
Who’s that woman over there?
I can’t remember who that woman is.
Did Ben buy some more sugar?
I don’t know if Ben bought more sugar.
If I were you, I wouldn’t visit that area late at night, said the travel agent to the young couple.
‘The travel agent advised the young couple not to visit the area late at night.
‘I’ll give you a lift into town,’ said Ray to Mary.
Ray offered to give Mary a lift into town.
‘Put that diamond necklace down?’ the police officer said to the burglar.
The police officer ordered the burglar to put the diamond necklace down.
I’m going to work in Spain next year.
Rachel said she was going to work in Spain the following year.
I work for a small publishing company.
Rachel said that she worked in a small publishing company.
I’ve been chosen to run a new office in Madrid.
Rachel said that she had been chosen to run a new office in Madrid.
I haven’t had lunch with a friend for ages.
Rachel said that she hadn’t had lunch with a friend for ages.
hi clare
Please help me out………
I could not able to make out when should we use "IF" in between the reporting speech.
Please give few examples along with how to use and when to use.
He asked me if I had seen the film. ("Have you seen the film?")
He asked me if I knew the answer. ("Do you know the answer?")
hi Clare
can you please help me with my doubts?
1 I know from the rule that the verbs could,must,should,etc. used in the direct speech don't have to change in the reported.But my teacher also said that could and must may become 'to be able to' and 'have to' in the reported speech and that I have to use the past tenses of these verbs.
but are they always interchangeable or there is a rule for the choice?
so how should I write this sentence?
Brian said to his friend " I couldn't get my car to start" Should I write -Brian said to his friend that he couldn't get his car to start- or -Brian said to his friend that he had not been able to get his car to start- ?
2 in the sentence I've been studying a lot recently is it correct to replace recently with 'at that time' in the reported speech?
Yes, I agree with your teacher. But if you use "could" in direct speech as a request, you don't use "able to" in the reported speech:
"Could I speak to Sarah please?" = She asked me if she could speak to Sarah.
In your sentence, I think you can use both "couldn't" and "wasn't able to". You can't go one tense back from "couldn't" so it stays the same.
I understood it ……..thanks for this explanation
Thanks a lot.please, answer my previous question about the word recently.
e.g.
"I have lived in Londen recently"
She said that she had lived in London ————-???
What should I write recently again or what???
Thanks for your help
I'd write "recently" in the reported speech.
Hello, can you help me to turn this sentences into reported speech…?
1.Fetch the lady's shawl,please.
2.Let's go and have supper at the lovely restaurant over there.
3.I didn't expect to be given such information.
Can I get the answers till tomorrow before 1 o'clock pm cuz i need them urgent, please….
Thank you.
1. He told him / her to fetch the lady's shawl.
2. He suggested supper at the restaurant over there.
3. She said that she didn't expect to be given…
i couldnt close the page without leaving a msg … this is such great website .thanks a lot
Nasty girls say to Christy, "Have you seen our new car today."
Five minutes later Christy tells Samantha: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car today".
A day later Christy tells Jane: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car yesterday."
A week later Christy tells Monica: "The nasty girls asked whether I had seen their new car a week ago."
My question is: if we use backshift, should the time expression MUST be changed too or it has to follow WHEN we reported it. I'm so confused about time expression. Please help, thanks.
Time expressions also change in reported speech:
yesterday – the day before
last week – a week ago
But I think you need to decide if the time expression refers to when the girls asked, or when you saw their car. If the first, you can say:
The girls asked me today/ yesterday / a week ago whether I had seen their new car.
"when does the performance start"
is it correct: he asked me when did the performance start?
He asked me when the performance started.
Hi, i'd like to know how to report a statement like the following:1-"With the global market meltdown, many employees are being laid off "(this is a current situation)
2-The moon plays a vital role in the stability of the earth"(scientific truth)
thx in advance.
The newspaper reported that many people were being laid off in the global market meltdown.
The newspaper reports that many people are being laid off…. (note that the reporting verb "reports" is in the present tense)
He said that the moon plays / played…
Of the two I prefer the first, as this is a scientific truth which is always true.
hi.
please help me to know the rules in reporting statement especially in reporting the general truths,facts and simple conversation/statements
thanks
If the thing you are reporting is still true (i.e. general truths and facts) then you don't need to go back one tense:
He said that the earth is round.
He said he's going to London tomorrow.
This kind Of Website is Awesome…
i learned about grammars.. and also in Speaking English Fluently..
I will Recommend it to my Friends….
=)
Hi,
Are these sentences correct? I thought you have to change the verb back to past tense? if they are correct then when do we use present tense and when do we use past tense?
From a blog that was created the same day as the football practice:
After practice, coach Johnson said he's (he was) seeing good things from Robert.
Specifically, Johnson said he sees (saw) Wilson correcting teammates after they make (made) errors.
If you're reporting something that happened in the past, then use past tenses.
After practice, coach Johnson said he was seeing good things from Robert.
Specifically, Johnson said he had seen Wilson correcting teammates after they had made errors.
What is wrong here:"They claimed they hadn't braken the low"..Why we need to say"They claimed they were not breaking the low"?
It's not wrong, but in the first sentence, "breaking the law" happened before the conversation. In the second, the people were told they were doing something wrong at the time of the conversation.
I don't understand how 'let' is changed into indirect speech in the following sentence:
Vandana said to Rubina, "Let the boy come in."
Should it be
'Vandana told Rubina that the boy might be allowed to come in.'
OR
'Vandana told Rubina that the boy be allowed to come in.'
Please help.
We don't use "let" in the passive, which is why you use "allow". In the second example you have, the verb form is in the subjunctive (told… that be allowed..) as it suggests a future wish / command. In the first, "might be" is a suggestion.
In the following sentence,
'He said to his friends, "Let us go for a walk."',
the indirect speech will be :
'He proposed to his friends that they should go for a walk.'
Is it correct to write 'suggested' instead of 'proposed'?
Yes, you can use "suggested" instead. You can also delete the "should" with both proposed / suggested.
The sentence " I had moved here a week before the flood", he said.
—–> He said that he had moved there a week before the flood.
Thanks,
Correct!
Rich said," I get leg cramps at night. They wake me up, and I can't get back to sleep."
Doctor said," The next time you feel a cramp, do this: Pinch the place between your upper lip and your nose. The cramp should stop right away."
( the reporting verbs are say). May I make these sentences:
Rich said that he had gotten leg cramps at night. They woke him up, and he could not get back to sleep.
The doctor said to pinch the place between his upper lip and his nose when the next time he feel a cramp. The cramp should stop right away.
Please help, thanks.
A couple of corrections:
Rich said that he got….. the next time he felt a cramp and the cramp would/should stop…
