In reported (indirect) speech we tell what someone said without quoting. When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the tenses usually move one step back, and pronouns and time expressions change to fit the new situation.
Form
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| say (that) + backshifted clause | He said (that) he was tired. |
| tell + person + (that) + clause | She told me (that) she was busy. |
| pronoun & time changes | now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day |
When to use it
- Present → past: "I like it." → He said he liked it.
- Past → past perfect: "I left." → She said she had left.
- will → would, can → could, may → might: "I will go." → He said he would go.
- Time words: now → then, today → that day, yesterday → the day before, tomorrow → the next day, here → there.
- Use tell + person or say without a person: She told me… / She said…
Examples
- "I am tired," she said. → She said she was tired.
- "I work here." → He said he worked there.
- "We will come." → They said they would come.
- "I have finished." → She said she had finished.
- "I can swim." → He said he could swim.
- "I bought it yesterday." → She said she had bought it the day before.
Common mistakes
- Keeping the tense: She said she is tired (when reporting later) → was tired.
- “Say” with a person: He said me → He told me / He said to me.
- Leaving the question mark or quotation order: He said that "I am" → He said he was.