Direct & Reported Speech
A complete B2 guide to direct and reported speech. Covers tense backshift, pronoun changes, time expression shifts, and reporting verbs.
Reported speech tells someone what another person said without using their exact words.
Direct And Reported Speech
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| ”I am tired.” | She said that she was tired. |
| ”I have finished.” | He said that he had finished. |
| ”I will call you.” | She said that she would call me. |
That is often optional.
He said that he was busy.
He said he was busy.
Tense Changes
When the reporting verb is in the past, the tense often moves one step back.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| present simple | past simple |
| present progressive | past progressive |
| present perfect | past perfect |
| will | would |
| can | could |
These changes are not always necessary if the situation is still true.
She said she lives in Boston. This can be correct if she still lives there.
Reported Questions
Reported questions use statement word order.
"Where do you live?" becomes He asked me where I lived.
"Are you ready?" becomes She asked if I was ready.
Do not use question word order after asked.
Time And Place Expressions
When the reporting verb is in the past, time and place words usually shift to match.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| this week | that week |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
"I will see you tomorrow." becomes He said he would see me the next day.
"I bought it yesterday." becomes She said she had bought it the day before.
These shifts are not always required. If the time reference is still current when you report the words, the original expression can stay.
Common Mistakes
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| He said me he was tired. | He told me he was tired. |
| She asked where did I live. | She asked where I lived. |
| He said that he has finished. | He said that he had finished. |
Practice
Direct: "I am busy." Reported: She said she ___ busy.
Summary
Use reported speech to report meaning rather than exact words. After a past reporting verb, tenses often move back: present to past, present perfect to past perfect, will to would, and can to could. Reported questions use statement word order.