When do we use reported speech in daily life?
We use reported speech (also known as indirect speech) when we need to tell someone what another person said - but without using their exact words. It’s like you are making a report about what someone said, but you are paraphrasing the content. For example:
She said she was coming to class.
I told you earlier that I would not be able to come.
You said yesterday that you would help me!
What are the English grammar rules for using reported speech?
You will notice two changes in the examples below:
Direct speech: “I am happy to drive you to the airport.”
Reported or Indirect speech: “She said she was happy to drive me to the airport.”
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The personal pronouns change, relative to the person who is speaking. 2. The verb tense changes, relative to the time we are in now. This usually involves the tense moving back in time – in the example above it moves from present simple to past simple.
So how do we express reported speech, taking this tense change into account? The tables below give examples:
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Direct speech (present simple) |
Reported speech (past simple) |
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I know what to do. |
She said she knew what to do. |
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I don’t know what to do. |
She said she didn’t know what to do. |
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Do you know what to do? |
She asked me if I knew what to do.* |
* Notice the use of the Engish word if in reporting Yes/No questions.
Direct speech (Present Continuous) |
Reported speech (Past continuous) |
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I’m working on it this week. |
He said he was working on it this week.* |
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I’m not working on it this week. |
He said he wasn’t working on it this week. |
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Are you working on it this week? |
He asked if I was working on it this week. |
*See below for references to points in time.
Direct speech (present perfect continuous) |
Reported speech (past perfect continuous) |
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I’ve been listening to the news. |
He said he had been listening to the news. |
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I haven’t been listening to the news. |
He said he hadn’t been listening to the news. |
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Have you been listening to the news? |
He asked if I had been listening to the news. |
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Direct speech (will) |
Reported speech (would) |
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I’ll finish the report in time. |
She said she would finish the report on time. |
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I won’t finish the report on time. |
She said she wouldn’t finish the report on time. |
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Will you finish the report in time? |
She asked if I would finish the report on time. |
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Direct speech (past simple) |
Reported speech (past perfect) |
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I did the training at the same time as Carol. |
She said she had done the training at the same time as Carol. |
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I didn’t do the training at the same time as Carol. |
She said she hadn’t done the training at the same time as Carol. |
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Did you do the training at the same time as Carol. |
She asked if I had done the training at the same time as Carol. |
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Direct speech (past continuous) |
Reported speech (past perfect continuous) |
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I was staying at my sister’s place. |
He said he had been staying at his sister’s place. |
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I wasn’t staying at my sister’s place. |
He said he hadn’t been staying at his sister’s place. |
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Were you staying at your sister’s place? |
He asked if I had been staying at my sister’s place |
How to use reported speech in the Past Perfect tense in English
There’s no change in tense if the original speech was in the past perfect – because we can’t go further back in time! Only the personal pronouns change:
I had already left when you arrived. She said she had already left when I arrived.
What if the reported speech is about a particular time?
Maybe the reported speech talks about something that happened at a specific time? This might need to change as well. See these examples;
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I’ll do it today. |
She said she would do it that day.* |
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I’ll do it this week. |
He said he would do it that week. |
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I’ll do it tomorrow. |
She said she would do it the next day. or She said she would do it the following day. |
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I’ll do it next week. |
He said he would do it the next week. or He said he would do it the following week. |
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I did it yesterday. |
She said she had done it the day before. |
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I did it last week. |
He said he had done it the previous week. |
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I’m not available now. |
She said she wasn’t available at the time. |
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I’ve never been here before. |
He said he had never been there before. |
*If the time or place has not changed relative to where we are now, we do not have to make such changes. For example, you’re reporting today about something your friend also has to do today:
I’ll do it today She said she would do it today.
Exceptions to using reported speech in English, like Modal verbs
Using Modal verbs with reported speech
Modal verbs can be quite tricky to move back in time. This is partly because the “past form” of many modal verbs is often used to refer to the present -- usually to be polite or hypothetical. To native speakers of English, model verbs sound less pushy and more polite.
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I will be a bit late. |
He said he would be a bit late |
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I can help you with the party. |
She said she could help me with the party. |
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You must be at the station by 10:00 |
He said I had to be at the station by 10:00 |
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Shall we leave? |
She asked if they should leave. |
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Would you like a coffee? |
He asked if I would like a coffee. |
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Could I leave early today? |
She asked if she could leave early today |
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Should I call head office? |
She asked if she should call head office. |
How to use reported speech and stay in the present tense
In English, we usually keep verbs in the present if the statement is still true. For example:
She has a headache. I told you she has a headache!
(5 minutes later, if the other person is still talking loudly!)
I’m staying at my mother’s. He said he is staying at his mother’s.
(If he is still staying at his mother’s now)
I love chocolate. She said she loves chocolate
(We can assume this is a permanent state!)
How to use Said and Told in reported speech, in English
All the above examples use said, or asked for questions. But if we want to specify the person who was addressed, we often use the word told:
I’ll be at work early. She said to me that she would be at work early.
Common grammar errors using reported speech in English
Verb before subject
A common error when reporting a question, is to keep the verb-subject inversion:
She asked did I know what to do. ｘ
When in fact, the reported speech is a statement, and should be subject-verb:
She asked if I knew what to do. ✓
This is a common error in what, where, when kind of questions too:
He asked where was the exit. ｘ
He asked where the exit was. ✓
Using Said instead of Told
Another common error is confusion between said and told, . Adult students of English often say sentences like:
She said me she was coming. ｘ
Instead of:
She told me she was coming. ✓
Examples of reported speech in English language songs
Do you know the song by The Killers called “Somebody Told Me”? It says:
Well, somebody told me you had a boyfriend
Who looked like a girlfriend
That I had in February of last year
Mini Quiz
Spot the mistakes in these five sentences, and scroll down for the answers.
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He asked how was the meeting.
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She told to me the answers.
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They asked us had we seen the accident.
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She asked what was our homework.
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Somebody said me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year.
Answers
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He asked how the meeting was.
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She told me the answers.
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They asked us if we had seen the accident.
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She asked what our homework was.
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Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year