Reported Commands & Requests
When someone gives a command ("Open the door!") or makes a request ("Could you help me?"), we report it using an infinitive structure — not a that-clause. This makes reported commands and requests quite different from reported statements and reported questions.
There are 3 core patterns to master:
- Commands: Subject + told + object + (not) to + infinitive
- Requests: Subject + asked + object + (not) to + infinitive
- Advanced verbs: Subject + verb (order, warn, advise, etc.) + object + (not) to + infinitive
The crucial difference from reported statements and questions: there is no tense backshift — we simply use the infinitive form. Compare:
| Type | Direct Speech | Reported Speech | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | "I am tired." | He said (that) he was tired. | said + that-clause (backshift) |
| Question | "Are you ready?" | He asked if I was ready. | asked + if/wh + clause (backshift) |
| Command | "Sit down." | He told me to sit down. | told + object + to-infinitive (no backshift) |
| Request | "Could you help me?" | He asked me to help him. | asked + object + to-infinitive (no backshift) |
Note: Don't confuse the two uses of ask. When ask introduces a question, it is followed by if/whether or a wh-word + clause: He asked if I was ready. When ask introduces a request, it is followed by an object + to-infinitive: He asked me to help him. The structures are completely different. See Reported Questions for the question pattern.
If you are not yet familiar with pronoun and time/place expression shifts, review Reported Statements first — those rules apply here too.
Basic Commands with Tell
The most common way to report a command or instruction is with tell + object + to + infinitive:
The Formula
Subject + told + person + to + infinitive
Examples
| Direct Command | Reported Command |
|---|---|
| "Close the window." | The teacher told us to close the window. |
| "Sit down." | She told the children to sit down. |
| "Be careful!" | Mum told him to be careful. |
| "Hurry up!" | She told us to hurry up. |
| "Finish your homework." | Dad told me to finish my homework. |
Key Points
- Always use told, not said: You cannot say
said me to close— said does not take an object + infinitive. Use told. - Tell always needs a person: You must say told me to close — you cannot say
told to closewithout an object. (Ask also requires an object for requests: asked me to help.) - No tense backshift: The imperative "Close" simply becomes the infinitive "to close". There is no shifting from present to past.
- Phrasal verbs keep their particle: "Hurry up" → "to hurry up", "Turn off" → "to turn off", "Wake up" → "to wake up".
- Even be follows the pattern: "Be quiet!" → told them to be quiet.
Come/Here → Go/There
When the reporter is not at the same location as the original speaker, come often changes to go, and here changes to there:
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| "Come here." | She told him to go there. |
| "Come to my office." | He told her to go to his office. |
This follows the same place-shift rule as reported statements — the perspective moves away from the original speaker's location.
👉 Practice Basic Commands with Tell →
Requests with Ask & Polite Forms
When someone makes a polite request — using please, could you, would you, or would you mind — we report it with ask + object + to + infinitive:
The Formula
Subject + asked + person + to + infinitive
How Different Request Forms Are Reported
All polite forms collapse into the same reported structure:
| Direct Request | Reported Request |
|---|---|
| "Please close the door." | She asked me to close the door. |
| "Could you help me?" | He asked me to help him. |
| "Would you open the window?" | He asked me to open the window. |
| "Would you mind closing the window?" | He asked me to close the window. |
Notice: the word please disappears in reported speech — politeness is already conveyed by using asked instead of told.
Tell vs Ask: Choosing the Right Verb
The choice between told and asked depends on the tone and authority of the original speech:
| Situation | Direct Speech | Reporting Verb | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher to student | "Open your books." | told | Authority, instruction |
| Friend to friend | "Could you lend me your pen?" | asked | Polite request |
| Boss to employee | "Finish this by Friday." | told | Directive, authority |
| Student to teacher | "Please speak more slowly." | asked | Polite, lower authority |
| Parent to child | "Go to bed!" | told | Command |
| Colleague to colleague | "Would you check my report?" | asked | Polite request |
Rule of thumb: If the original used please, could you, or would you, use asked. If it was a direct instruction or order, use told.
👉 Practice Requests with Ask & Polite Forms →
Negative Commands: The Not To Rule
When reporting a negative command ("Don't...!"), we use not to + infinitive. The word not comes before to, not after it.
The Formula
Subject + told/asked + person + not to + infinitive
Examples
| Direct Command | Reported Command |
|---|---|
| "Don't run in the corridor!" | The teacher told them not to run in the corridor. |
| "Don't be late!" | She told him not to be late. |
| "Don't touch that!" | He told the children not to touch that. |
| "Don't forget your keys." | She told me not to forget my keys. |
| "Please don't make noise." | She asked the neighbours not to make noise. |
⚠️ The #1 Mistake: Word Order of Not
This is the most common error with reported commands. Many learners put not in the wrong position:
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct |
|---|---|
| She told me to not run. | She told me not to run. |
| He asked her to not be late. | He asked her not to be late. |
| They told us to not open the box. | They told us not to open the box. |
Remember: In standard English, the correct order is always not to + verb — never to not + verb. Think of "not to" as a fixed unit.
Pronoun & Demonstrative Shifts
When reporting commands, pronouns and demonstratives shift to reflect the reporter's perspective — the same rules as in reported statements:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| "Bring me your homework." (teacher, female) | She told him to bring her his homework. | me → her (speaker) |
| "Do this exercise." | She told us to do that exercise. | this → that |
| "Come here immediately!" | She told him to go there immediately. | here → there |
| "Put your bags here." | He told them to put their bags there. | your → their |
| "Don't leave my books here." (she) | She told him not to leave her books there. | my → her |
| "Meet me at my office tomorrow." (he) | He told her to meet him at his office the next day. | me→him, my→his, tomorrow→the next day |
Quick Reference: Common Shifts
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| I / me | he/she / him/her |
| my | his/her |
| your | my/his/her/their |
| we / us | they / them |
| our | their |
| this / these | that / those |
| here | there |
| come | go (when location changes) |
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| yesterday | the day before |
👉 Practice Negative Commands & Pronoun Shifts →
Advanced Reporting Verbs
Beyond tell and ask, English has a rich set of reporting verbs that convey the exact tone and intention of the original speaker. They all follow the same structural pattern:
Subject + verb + object + (not) to + infinitive
Reporting Verb Guide
| Verb | Meaning | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| tell | instruct, direct | Neutral command | She told me to wait. |
| ask | request | Polite request | He asked me to help. |
| order | command | Strong authority | The sergeant ordered them to leave. |
| warn | alert to danger | Danger/risk | She warned us not to swim there. |
| advise | recommend | Recommendation | The doctor advised her to rest. |
| remind | help remember | Memory aid | She reminded me to lock the door. |
| beg | plead desperately | Desperate/emotional | He begged them to let him go. |
| forbid | prohibit, ban | Prohibition | The teacher forbade them to use phones. |
| encourage | motivate, support | Support/motivation | The coach encouraged the team to keep going. |
| invite | extend an invitation | Social/friendly | They invited us to join them for dinner. |
| urge | press strongly | Strong/pressing | The leader urged the committee to act. |
How to Choose the Right Verb
The context of the original speech tells you which reporting verb to use:
| Clue in Direct Speech | Reporting Verb |
|---|---|
| Shouted command, authority figure | ordered |
| Danger mentioned ("it's dangerous", "be careful") | warned |
| "You should...", recommendation | advised |
| "Don't forget to...", "Remember to..." | reminded |
| "Please, please..." / desperate tone | begged |
| "You are not allowed to...", "must not" | forbade |
| "You can do it!", supportive tone | encouraged |
| "Come to my party / dinner / event" | invited |
| "You must act now!", pressing urgency | urged |
Special Note: Forbid
Forbid already contains a negative meaning ("prohibit"), so we use the positive infinitive — not not to:
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| "You must not use phones in class." | The teacher forbade them to use phones. |
| "Students are not allowed to enter." | The sign forbade students to enter. |
The past tense of forbid is forbade (pronounced /fərˈbeɪd/ or /fərˈbæd/).
⚠️ Don't Confuse with Suggest / Recommend / Propose
Some reporting verbs look similar but take a completely different structure. Suggest, recommend, and propose cannot be followed by object + to-infinitive:
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| He suggested (that) I (should) see a doctor. | suggest + that-clause | |
| She recommended (that) we (should) try the fish. | recommend + that-clause | |
| They proposed (that) I (should) start early. | propose + that-clause |
Compare with advise, which DOES take object + to-infinitive:
| ✅ He advised me to see a doctor. | advise + object + to-infinitive |
|---|
This is one of the trickiest verb-pattern traps in English — don't let the similar meanings fool you!
👉 Practice Reporting Verbs for Commands & Requests →
Telling Them Apart: Commands vs Statements vs Questions
At the B1–B2 level, you need to quickly identify whether a sentence is a command, a statement, or a question — because each uses a completely different reported speech structure.
Three Structures Side by Side
| Type | Direct Speech | Reported Speech | Key Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | "I am tired." | She said (that) she was tired. | said + that-clause (backshift) |
| Question | "Do you like coffee?" | He asked me if I liked coffee. | asked + if/wh + clause (backshift) |
| Command | "Call me tonight." | She told me to call her that night. | told + object + to-infinitive (no backshift) |
How to Identify the Type
| If the direct speech... | It's a... | Report with... |
|---|---|---|
| Starts with a verb (imperative): "Open...", "Don't..." | Command | told/asked + to-infinitive |
| Starts with "Please...", "Could you...", "Would you..." | Request | asked + to-infinitive |
| Has a question mark and question word order | Question | asked + if/wh + clause |
| Is a declarative sentence (subject + verb) | Statement | said/told + that-clause |
Practice Comparison
| Direct Speech | Type | Reported Speech |
|---|---|---|
| "I will help you." | Statement | He said that he would help me. |
| "Where do you live?" | Question | He asked me where I lived. |
| "Don't open the box." | Command | She told me not to open the box. |
| "Do you like coffee?" | Question | He asked me if I liked coffee. |
| "Call me tonight." | Command | She told me to call her that night. |
The comprehensive mixed practice set tests all three types together — this is excellent preparation for exams.
👉 Practice Comprehensive Mixed Practice →
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Incorrect | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| She told me to close the door. | Said cannot take an object + infinitive. Use told for commands. | |
| He told me not to run. | The correct word order is not to + verb, never to not + verb. | |
| "Could you help me?" → She asked me to help her. | A polite request ("Could you...?") should be reported with asked, not told. Told implies a command, changing the meaning. | |
| He suggested that I (should) see a doctor. | Suggest, recommend, and propose take a that-clause, NOT object + to-infinitive. Don't confuse with advise (which does take to). | |
| The teacher forbade them to use phones. | Forbid already means "not allow" — don't add not. | |
| She told me to close the door. | After to, always use the base form (infinitive), not a past tense form. | |
| He told me to leave. | Spoke and talked cannot introduce reported commands. Use told or asked. | |
| She asked me to help her. | When the speaker refers to themselves, use the correct shifted pronoun (me → her/him). |
Quick Summary
5-Step Conversion Process
Follow these steps to convert any command or request into reported speech:
| Step | Action | Example: "Please don't park here." |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identify the type | "Please" + command → polite request |
| 2 | Choose the reporting verb | Polite request → asked |
| 3 | Build the infinitive (positive or negative) | "Don't park" → not to park |
| 4 | Adjust pronouns | (no pronoun change needed here) |
| 5 | Adjust demonstratives & place/time | "here" → there |
| Result | She asked me not to park there. |
Core Pattern Quick Reference
| Direct Speech Pattern | Reported Speech Pattern |
|---|---|
| "Verb...!" (command) | told + object + to + verb |
| "Don't verb...!" (negative command) | told + object + not to + verb |
| "Please verb..." / "Could you...?" | asked + object + to + verb |
| "Please don't..." / "Could you not...?" | asked + object + not to + verb |
Reporting Verb Quick Reference
| Verb | Use When... |
|---|---|
| told | Giving an instruction or command |
| asked | Making a polite request |
| ordered | Commanding with authority |
| warned | Alerting about danger |
| advised | Giving a recommendation |
| reminded | Helping someone remember |
| begged | Pleading desperately |
| forbade | Prohibiting an action |
| encouraged | Motivating someone |
| invited | Extending a social invitation |
| urged | Pressing strongly for action |
Practice Tips
- Start with the two basic patterns: Master told + to and asked + to before moving to advanced reporting verbs. These two cover 80% of real-life reported commands and requests.
- Drill the "not to" word order: Write ten negative commands and convert them. Say "not to" aloud each time until it feels natural. This is the #1 mistake area — repetition is the cure.
- Match verbs to context clues: When choosing a reporting verb, look for clues in the original speech: danger → warned, "you should" → advised, "please please" → begged, "remember to" → reminded.
- Practise telling the three types apart: Take a dialogue and identify each sentence as a statement, question, or command before converting. This skill is essential for B1–B2 exams.
- Compare with statements and questions: Review the other two reported speech lessons — Reported Statements and Reported Questions — and practise mixed exercises to build fluency across all three patterns.
Practice All Exercises
Put everything together with the comprehensive mixed practice set, then review any areas you want to improve:
👉 Practice Comprehensive Mixed Practice →
| Set | Topic | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | Basic Commands with Tell | A2 |
| Set 2 | Requests with Ask & Polite Forms | A2 |
| Set 3 | Negative Commands & Pronoun Shifts | B1 |
| Set 4 | Reporting Verbs for Commands & Requests | B1 |
| Set 5 | Comprehensive Mixed Practice | B2 |
Now try the exercises to practise what you've learned!