Reported statements
Full backshift, pronoun/time/place changes.
When we report what someone said without quoting them directly, we use reported (indirect) speech. The reporting verb (say or tell) introduces a that-clause. Use say when there is no indirect object: She said (that) she was tired. Use tell when you name the listener: She told me (that) she was tired. The verb tense in the that-clause normally shifts one step back into the past — this is called backshift: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect → past perfect, past simple → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to. Pronouns also change to reflect the new speaker's perspective (I → he/she, we → they, my → his/her). Time and place words shift too: now → then, today → that day, yesterday → the day before, tomorrow → the next day, this → that, here → there. Backshift is optional when the reported fact is still true (a general truth or scientific fact). For example: Direct: 'I will finish the project tomorrow.' → Reported: He told me that he would finish the project the next day.
Key terms
| Direct speech tense | Reported speech tense | Direct example | Reported example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Past simple | 'I am happy.' | She said she was happy. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | 'We are watching TV.' | They said they were watching TV. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | 'I have finished.' | He said he had finished. |
| Present perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous | 'I've been working here.' | He said he had been working there. |
| Past simple | Past perfect | 'I bought this car.' | He said he had bought that car. |
| Past continuous | Past perfect continuous | 'I was cooking.' | She said she had been cooking. |
| will | would | 'I will call you.' | She said she would call me. |
| can | could | 'I can swim.' | He said he could swim. |
| may | might | 'I may come.' | She said she might come. |
| must | had to | 'I must leave now.' | He said he had to leave then. |
Modals 'would', 'could', 'should', 'might', and 'ought to' do not backshift — they stay the same.
| Direct speech word | Reported speech word |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| last week | the previous week / the week before |
| next week | the following week |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
Forgetting to shift time/place words is just as wrong as forgetting to backshift the verb.
| Reporting verb | Needs a personal object? | Correct structure | Incorrect structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| say | No | She said (that) she was tired. | She said me (that) she was tired. |
| tell | Yes — always | She told me (that) she was tired. | She told (that) she was tired. |
'Say to + person' is possible but less natural than 'tell + person' (e.g. 'said to me' vs 'told me').
- 1Direct statement: "I've been waiting here for two hours and I can't stay any longer," she told him.
- 2Step 1 — Identify the reporting verb and tense: 'Told' is past tense → backshift is required for all verbs in the that-clause.
- 3Step 2 — Backshift the verbs: 'have been waiting' (present perfect continuous) → 'had been waiting' (past perfect continuous). 'can't' (present modal) → 'couldn't' (past modal).
- 4Step 3 — Change pronouns: 'I' → 'she' (the original speaker is female). No further pronoun changes needed here.
- 5Step 4 — Shift the place word: 'here' → 'there' (it was her location at the time, not the reporter's).
- 6Result: She told him that she had been waiting there for two hours and she couldn't stay any longer.
A very common error is writing 'said me' — for example, 'She said me that she was tired.' 'Say' cannot take a direct personal object. Either use 'told me' or drop the person entirely: 'She said (that) she was tired.' Similarly, 'told that' without a personal object is wrong — 'tell' always needs one: 'He told us that…'
Confusing modal backshifts is a frequent source of errors. Remember: 'will' → 'would', 'can' → 'could', 'may' → 'might', 'must' → 'had to'. These pairs are fixed. 'Would', 'could', and 'might' do NOT backshift further if they already appear in the direct speech.
Time and place words must shift along with the tense — it is wrong to backshift the verb but keep 'now', 'here', or 'tomorrow' unchanged. For example, 'He said he would be here tomorrow' is incorrect if using a past reporting verb; it must be 'He said he would be there the next day.'
Backshift is optional — but never wrong — when the reported information states a general truth or scientific fact that is still valid. Both 'The teacher said that water boils at 100°C' and 'The teacher said that water boiled at 100°C' are grammatically correct, but the present tense better conveys the timeless nature of the fact.
Rules
- 1Use 'say' without an indirect object and 'tell' with one: she said (that)…; she told me (that)…
- 2Shift the tense one step back: present simple → past simple; present perfect / past simple → past perfect; will → would; can → could; may → might; must → had to.
- 3Change pronouns to match the reporting perspective: I → he/she; we → they; my → his/her; our → their.
- 4Change time and place references: now → then; today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the day before; here → there; this → that.
- 5Backshift is optional (but never wrong) when the reported information is a general truth that is still valid at the time of reporting.
Practice
15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard
10 random questions per test