Reported Speech
Backshift the verb one step into the past when reporting speech (present→past, past→past perfect, will→would), switch pronouns to match the reporter's perspective, and change "say" to "tell" only when you name who was told.
Formula
Examples
Usage
- •Conveying what someone said without using their exact words
- •Tense changes in reported speech
- •Changes in reporting verbs (say, tell, ask, etc.)
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Try 5 cards free — no signup →How do you change tenses in reported speech?
Backshift moves the verb one step further into the past: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect → past perfect, past simple → past perfect. Modal verbs shift too: will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to (for obligation).
The pronoun and time expressions usually change too, to match the reporter's perspective: "I" becomes "he/she", "tomorrow" becomes "the next day", "here" becomes "there" — because the reporting happens at a different time and often a different place than the original words.
Do you always need to backshift tenses?
No. If the reported statement is still true at the time of reporting, many native speakers keep the original tense: "She said she lives in Paris" (still true now, so present tense is fine). Backshift is most important when reporting something from a clearly finished past situation, or when strict accuracy matters (news reports, legal statements).
In casual conversation, speakers often skip backshift for facts that haven't changed — "He said he's coming" reports both what was said and what's still expected to happen.
Comparison Table
| Form | Reported form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Past simple | "I work here" → She said she worked there. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | "I am working" → She said she was working. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | "I have finished" → He said he had finished. |
| Past simple | Past perfect | "I finished" → He said he had finished. |
| will | would | "I will call" → He said he would call. |
| can | could | "I can help" → She said she could help. |
| must (obligation) | had to | "I must go" → He said he had to go. |
Save this comparison chart
More Examples
"I will call you," he said → He said he would call me.
will → would in backshift
"Are you coming?" she asked → She asked if I was coming.
Yes/no question becomes "if/whether" clause
"I have finished," he said → He said he had finished.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect backshift
"Don't touch that!" she told me → She told me not to touch that.
Reported imperative / command
Common Mistakes
- ✗❌ "She told that she was tired" → ✓ "She said that..." or "She told me that..." (tell needs an object)
- ✗❌ "He said me he was hungry" → ✓ "He told me he was hungry" (say does NOT take an indirect object)
- ✗❌ No backshift: "She said she is tired" — in formal reported speech backshift to: "she was tired"
Tips
- ✓Tense backshift: present→past, past→past perfect, will→would, can→could.
- ✓Say (no object: "she said that") vs tell (needs object: "she told me that").
Tense Backshift Table
How direct speech tenses shift in reported speech
| Direct speech tense | Reported speech tense |
|---|---|
| present simple | past simple |
| present continuous | past continuous |
| present perfect | past perfect |
| past simple | past perfect |
| past continuous | past perfect continuous |
| past perfect | past perfect (no change) |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
| must / have to | had to |
| shall | would |
| should / would / could / might | no change |
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| now | then / at that moment |
| today | that day |
| 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 |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before / previously |
Advanced Notes
Tense backshift is not always obligatory — if the reported fact is still true now, many native speakers keep the original tense: "She said she lives in Paris" (still true today). Backshift is most important when reporting past events or when accuracy matters. Reporting verbs carry meaning beyond "said": "claim", "admit", "deny", "warn", "insist", "refuse" all embed the speaker's attitude and change the following grammar (that-clause, infinitive, gerund). Learner blind spot: question word order flips in reported questions — "She asked where I was going" not "She asked where was I going".
FAQ
"Say" or "tell" — which one do I use in reported speech?
"Say" never takes a direct object for the listener — "He said he was hungry", not "He said me he was hungry". "Tell" always needs an object naming who was told — "He told me he was hungry", not "He told that he was hungry". If you name the listener, use tell; if you don't, use say.
Do you always need to backshift the tense?
Not always — if what was said is still true, native speakers often keep the original tense ("She said she lives in Paris", still true today). Backshift (present→past, will→would, etc.) is expected when reporting finished past situations or when precision matters, such as in formal or written reports.
How do you report questions?
For yes/no questions, add "if" or "whether": "Are you coming?" → "She asked if I was coming." For wh-questions, keep the question word but switch to normal statement word order — no auxiliary inversion: "Where are you going?" → "She asked where I was going", not "where was I going".
How do you report commands and imperatives?
Use tell/ask + object + infinitive (to + verb), not the imperative form directly: "Don't touch that!" → "She told me not to touch that." Negative commands use "not to + verb".
What's the difference between reported speech and passive voice?
Reported speech converts someone's exact words into an indirect report, changing tense and pronouns ("She said she was tired"). Passive voice restructures a sentence to focus on the receiver of an action rather than who did it ("The cake was eaten"). They're unrelated transformations that can combine — you can report a passive sentence, or use passive constructions to report speech vaguely ("It is said that...").
Practice
- 1."I am tired," she said. → She said (that) she tired.
- 2."I will call you," he said. → He said he call me.
- 3."Are you coming?" she asked. → She asked I was coming.
- 4."Don't touch that!" she told me. → She told me touch that.
- 5."I have finished," he said. → He said he finished.
Compare With
Other B2 Topics
Past Perfect
Used for the earlier of two past events to show sequence
Future Perfect
Used for actions completed before a specific future point
Conditionals (0, 1, 2, 3)
Forms real, hypothetical, and impossible conditions across all time frames
Gerund vs Infinitive
Used for choosing between -ing and to+verb after verbs, adjectives, or prepositions
Causative Have
Used for arranging for someone else to do something for you
Past Perfect Continuous
Used for an ongoing action that continued up to a past event
Future Perfect Continuous
Used for duration of an ongoing action up to a future point
Modal Perfects: Deduction About the Past
Expresses deductions about past events using must/can't/might + have
Participle Clauses
Used for reducing clauses using -ing or past participle for concise formal style
Dependent Prepositions
Fixed prepositions that always follow certain verbs, adjectives, and nouns.