Reported Statements

When someone says something, we can repeat their exact words (direct speech) or report the meaning in our own words (reported speech / indirect speech). In reported statements, the key changes are: tense backshift, pronoun adjustment, and time/place expression shifts. The basic formula is: Subject + said/told + (that) + reported clause.

What is Reported Speech?

Compare these two ways of reporting the same statement:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Tom said, "I am tired."	Tom said (that) he was tired.

In direct speech, we use the speaker's exact words inside quotation marks. In reported speech, we report the meaning — and several things change:

What Changes	Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Tense	"I am tired."	He said he was tired.
Pronouns	"I am tired."	He said he was tired.
Time expressions	"I will come tomorrow."	He said he would come the next day.
Place expressions	"I live here."	He said he lived there.
Demonstratives	"I like this book."	He said he liked that book.

Key Points About the Structure

The word "that" is optional: She said (that) she was happy. Both forms are correct.
Quotation marks are removed in reported speech.
The reporting verb (said, told) is usually in the past tense, which triggers the backshift.
If the reporting verb is in the present tense (says, tells), no backshift is needed: He says he is tired.

Present Tense Backshift

The most basic backshift rule: when the reporting verb is past tense, the present tense in the original statement shifts one step back.

Present Simple → Past Simple

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I like pizza."	She said she liked pizza.
"We live in Paris."	They said they lived in Paris.
"I know the answer."	He said he knew the answer.
"My sister teaches English."	He said his sister taught English.

The pronoun also changes to match the reporter's perspective: I → she/he, we → they, my → his/her.

Watch out for irregular verbs: know → knew, teach → taught, have → had, go → went, understand → understood.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I am studying for my exam."	He said he was studying for his exam.
"We are waiting for the bus."	They said they were waiting for the bus.
"The children are playing outside."	She said the children were playing outside.

The auxiliary am/is/are shifts to was/were, and the -ing form stays.

👉 Practice Present Tense Backshift →

Past & Perfect Tense Backshift

When the original statement is already in the past or uses the present perfect, we shift one step further back — into the past perfect.

Past Simple → Past Perfect

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I bought a new car."	He said he had bought a new car.
"We went to Paris last summer."	They said they had gone to Paris the previous summer.
"She wrote me a long letter."	He told us she had written him a long letter.

Common student error: Using just past simple ("He said he bought...") instead of past perfect. While sometimes acceptable in informal speech, the past perfect is the standard reported form and avoids ambiguity about when events happened.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I have finished my homework."	She said she had finished her homework.
"We have never been to Japan."	They said they had never been to Japan.
"I have known her for ten years."	He said he had known her for ten years.

Both present perfect and past simple backshift to the same form — past perfect (had + past participle).

Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I was studying when you called."	She said she had been studying when I called.
"They were playing football."	He said they had been playing football.
"I was working late last night."	He said he had been working late the night before.

The continuous aspect is preserved: was/were + -ing becomes had been + -ing.

👉 Practice Past & Perfect Tense Backshift →

Future tenses and modal verbs also shift back in reported speech. Here is the complete set of changes:

Will, Can, May, Must & Others

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Change
"I will call you."	She said she would call me.	will → would
"I won't tell anyone."	He promised he wouldn't tell anyone.	won't → wouldn't
"I can speak French."	He said he could speak French.	can → could
"I can't find my keys."	She said she couldn't find her keys.	can't → couldn't
"I may visit you."	She said she might visit me.	may → might
"It may not rain."	He said it might not rain.	may not → might not
"I must finish this."	He said he had to finish that.	must → had to
"I'm going to start a new job."	She said she was going to start a new job.	am going to → was going to
"We are going to move."	They said they were going to move.	are going to → were going to

Shall → Would (Not Should!)

A common source of confusion: when shall expresses future meaning (= will), it becomes would in reported speech — not should:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Meaning
"I shall never forget this day."	He said he would never forget that day.	Future / determination
"We shall inform you soon."	They said they would inform me soon.	Future promise

When does shall → should? Only when shall carries the meaning of obligation or suggestion (rare in modern English):

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Meaning
"Shall I open the window?"	He asked if he should open the window.	Suggestion / offer

Negative Modals

Negative modals follow the same pattern — just add not:

Direct	Reported
"I won't accept this."	She warned she wouldn't accept that.
"I can't come tomorrow."	He said he couldn't come the next day.
"The meeting may not happen."	She said the meeting might not happen.

👉 Practice Future & Modal Verb Changes →

Time, Place & Demonstrative Shifts

When we report speech at a different time or place from the original, time and place expressions must also shift to match the new perspective.

Time Expressions

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the day before / the previous day
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
last week/month/year	the week/month/year before / the previous week/month/year
next week/month/year	the following week/month/year
... ago	... before / ... earlier
now	then / at that time

Examples:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I have an exam today."	She said she had an exam that day.
"I saw him yesterday."	She said she had seen him the day before.
"I will call you tomorrow."	He said he would call me the next day.
"I moved here two years ago."	He said he had moved there two years before.
"I started last week."	She said she had started the week before.

Place Expressions & Demonstratives

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
here	there
this	that
these	those

Examples:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"The weather is lovely here."	She said the weather was lovely there.
"I bought this car last month."	He said he had bought that car the month before.
"I made these cookies myself."	She said she had made those cookies herself.

Important: These shifts are context-dependent. If you report someone's words at the same time and place, the expressions may not need to change. For example, if someone says "I'll come tomorrow" and you report it the same day, "tomorrow" can stay as "tomorrow".

👉 Practice Time, Place & Demonstrative Shifts →

No Backshift: When the Tense Stays the Same

Backshift is not always required. There are several important situations where you can — or must — keep the original tense.

General Truths & Scientific Facts

When the reported statement is a fact that is always true, present tense is preferred:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Why No Backshift?
"Water freezes at 0°C."	She said water freezes at 0°C.	Scientific fact — always true.
"The sun rises in the east."	He told us the sun rises in the east.	General truth — still true.
"Whales are mammals."	She explained that whales are mammals.	Permanent biological fact.

Note: Using backshift (froze, rose, were) is technically grammatical but can misleadingly imply the fact is no longer true.

Still-True Statements

When the reported situation has not changed, keeping the present tense makes it clearer:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech	Why?
"I live in Paris." (still lives there)	She said she lives in Paris.	Still true — no change needed.
"I am allergic to peanuts." (still allergic)	He told me he is allergic to peanuts.	Permanent personal condition.
"My sister loves chocolate." (still does)	She told me her sister loves chocolate.	Unchanged situation.

Backshift (lived, was, loved) is also acceptable — but the present tense makes it clear the situation hasn't changed.

Past Perfect Cannot Backshift Further

Past perfect is already the "furthest back" tense. It stays the same:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I had already eaten."	He said he had already eaten.
"We had never visited Japan."	They told us they had never visited Japan.
"I had been waiting for two hours."	She said she had been waiting for two hours.

Already-Past Modals Stay the Same

The modals would, could, might, and should are already past forms. They do not change further:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I would love to visit Italy."	He said he would love to visit Italy.
"I might take a holiday."	She said she might take a holiday.
"You should see a doctor."	He told me I should see a doctor.
"I could speak three languages."	He said he could speak three languages.

Present-Tense Reporting Verb = No Backshift

When the reporting verb is in the present tense, no changes are needed at all:

Reported Speech	Why?
The forecast says it will be sunny.	Says is present — keep will.
My doctor says I need more exercise.	Says is present — keep need.
The sign says the museum opens at 9 a.m.	Says is present — keep opens.

👉 Practice No Backshift & Special Cases →

Say vs Tell

This is one of the most common mistakes in reported speech. The two verbs have different grammar patterns:

The Core Difference

Verb	Pattern	Example
say	say + (that) + clause	She said (that) she was tired.
say	say + to + person + (that) + clause	She said to me (that) she was tired.
tell	tell + person + (that) + clause	She told me (that) she was tired.

What NOT to Do

Incorrect	Correct	Rule
~~She said me she was tired.~~	She said to me / She told me she was tired.	Say cannot take a direct personal object.
~~She told she was tired.~~	She said she was tired. / She told me she was tired.	Tell requires a personal object.
~~She told to me she was tired.~~	She told me she was tired.	Tell does not use "to" before the person.

Quick Rule

No person mentioned? → Use say: He said he was leaving.
Person mentioned? → Use tell + person: He told me he was leaving.

Fixed Expressions with "Tell"

A few set phrases use tell without "that" + clause:

tell a story / tell the truth / tell a lie / tell a joke / tell the time / tell the difference

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
~~He said he is happy.~~ (with past said)	He said he was happy.	Past reporting verb → backshift required (unless still true).
~~She said me she was tired.~~	She said she was tired. / She told me she was tired.	Say does not take a direct personal object.
~~He told that he was leaving.~~	He said that he was leaving. / He told me that he was leaving.	Tell requires a personal object.
~~She said she will come tomorrow.~~ (reporting days later)	She said she would come the next day.	Both the modal and time expression need to shift.
~~He said he had had bought a car.~~	He said he had bought a car.	Past perfect is the maximum — don't try to go further back.
~~He said "I am tired".~~ (as reported speech)	He said (that) he was tired.	Reported speech removes quotation marks and changes pronouns + tense.
~~She said the earth revolved around the sun.~~	She said the earth revolves around the sun.	General truths do not need backshift — using past tense implies it's no longer true.
~~He told to me that...~~	He told me that...	Tell does not use "to" before the person.

Quick Summary

Complete Tense Backshift Chart

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Present Simple (like)	Past Simple (liked)
Present Continuous (am working)	Past Continuous (was working)
Present Perfect (have seen)	Past Perfect (had seen)
Present Perfect Continuous (have been waiting)	Past Perfect Continuous (had been waiting)
Past Simple (bought)	Past Perfect (had bought)
Past Continuous (was studying)	Past Perfect Continuous (had been studying)
Past Perfect (had left)	Past Perfect — no change (had left)

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
will	would
can	could
may	might
must	had to
shall (future meaning)	would
am/is/are going to	was/were going to
would / could / might / should	no change

Time & Place Shifts

Direct	Reported
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the day before
tomorrow	the next day
last week	the week before
next week	the following week
... ago	... before / earlier
now	then / at that time
here	there
this / these	that / those

No Backshift Required When...

The reporting verb is present tense (says, tells)
The statement is a general truth or scientific fact
The situation is still true at the time of reporting
The original verb is already past perfect
The modal is already a past form (would, could, might, should)

Practice Tips

Start with pronouns: Before worrying about tense, practise changing the pronouns first. Get comfortable with I → he/she, my → his/her, we → they. Once pronouns feel automatic, add tense backshift.
Use the backshift chart: Keep the tense chart above visible while practising. Over time, you will memorize the patterns without needing to check.
Practise the exceptions: The "no backshift" rules trip up many students. Quiz yourself: Is this a general truth? Is it still true? Is the reporting verb present tense? If yes → you may keep the original tense.
Say or tell? Every time you write a reported sentence, ask: Did I mention a person? If yes → told + person. If no → said.
Rewrite real conversations: Take a short dialogue from a textbook or TV show and rewrite it in reported speech. This gives you practice with multiple changes at once — the best preparation for the mixed exercises.

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	Present Tense Backshift	A2
Set 2	Past & Perfect Tense Backshift	B1
Set 3	Future & Modal Verb Changes	B1
Set 4	Time, Place & Demonstrative Shifts	B1
Set 5	No Backshift & Special Cases	B2
Set 6	Comprehensive Mixed Practice	B2

Now try the exercises to practise what you've learned!

Learn Reported Statements