Reported Speech: Rules and Examples (Indirect Speech)
Reported speech explained: the tense backshift rule, changing pronouns and time words, and how to report questions and commands, with a conversion table.
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is how you tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Instead of “She said, I am tired,” you write She said she was tired. Notice two things: the quotation marks disappear and the verb steps back one tense (am becomes was). For Indian learners, reported speech shows up constantly, in office emails, in grammar exams, in narrating a phone call to a colleague, and in the IELTS or CBSE English paper. This guide gives you the full backshift rule, ready-to-use conversion tables, and the mistakes speakers of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and other Indian languages make most often.
What reported speech is
Reported speech is when you report the meaning of what someone said instead of repeating their exact words. Direct speech uses the speaker’s own words inside quotation marks; reported speech folds those words into your own sentence without quotes.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| Ravi said, “I am busy.” | Ravi said he was busy. |
| “We live in Pune,” they said. | They said they lived in Pune. |
| She said, “I will call you.” | She said she would call me. |
Three things usually change when you move from direct to reported speech: the tense steps back, the pronouns shift to match the new speaker, and time and place words update. We cover each below with its own table.
The one-step-back tense rule (backshift)
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, asked), the tense inside moves one step back into the past. This is called backshift. Present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would.
| Tense in direct speech | Becomes in reported speech | Example (direct) | Example (reported) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple (work) | Past simple (worked) | “I work here.” | She said she worked there. |
| Present continuous (am working) | Past continuous (was working) | “I am working.” | He said he was working. |
| Present perfect (have worked) | Past perfect (had worked) | “I have worked.” | She said she had worked. |
| Present perfect continuous (have been working) | Past perfect continuous (had been working) | “I have been waiting.” | He said he had been waiting. |
| Past simple (worked) | Past perfect (had worked) | “I worked late.” | She said she had worked late. |
| Past continuous (was working) | Past perfect continuous (had been working) | “I was working.” | He said he had been working. |
| will | would | “I will help.” | She said she would help. |
| 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 go.” | He said he had to go. |
| shall | should / would | “We shall win.” | They said they would win. |
Pronoun changes
Pronouns change to match the point of view of the person now doing the reporting. If Ravi says “I am ready,” and you report it, “I” becomes “he” because you are talking about Ravi, not yourself.
| Direct pronoun | Usually becomes | Example (direct) | Example (reported) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | he / she | “I passed.” | He said he had passed. |
| we | they | “We agree.” | They said they agreed. |
| you | I / he / she / they | “You are late.” | She told me I was late. |
| my | his / her | “My bag is here.” | She said her bag was there. |
| our | their | “Our team won.” | They said their team had won. |
| us | them | “Call us.” | They asked me to call them. |
The safest way to choose the pronoun is to ask who the sentence is really about now. Do not change pronouns mechanically; change them so the meaning stays true.
Time and place word changes
Words that point to now and here shift into the past and away, because the moment of reporting is different from the moment of speaking. “Now” becomes “then,” “today” becomes “that day,” and “here” becomes “there.”
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| this week | that week |
| last week | the week before / the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
Example: Direct, “I will finish this today.” Reported, She said she would finish that the same day. But if you report on the same day, you may keep “today,” because it is still true. Context wins over the mechanical rule.
Reporting questions
To report a question, use asked (or enquired, wanted to know), remove the question mark, and change the word order to a normal statement. Questions do not keep their inverted, do-support order in reported speech.
Wh- questions (what, where, why, when, who, how)
Keep the question word and follow it with statement word order (subject then verb).
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| “Where do you live?” | She asked where I lived. |
| “What are you doing?” | He asked what I was doing. |
| “Why did you leave?” | She asked why I had left. |
Yes/No questions (use if or whether)
When there is no question word, join with if or whether.
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| “Do you speak Hindi?” | She asked if I spoke Hindi. |
| “Are you coming?” | He asked whether I was coming. |
| “Did you pay the fee?” | She asked if I had paid the fee. |
Reporting commands and requests
To report an order, request, or piece of advice, use a reporting verb plus to + verb (the infinitive). Use told for commands, asked for requests, and verbs like advised, warned, reminded, or ordered for shades of meaning.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| “Sit down,” the teacher said. | The teacher told us to sit down. |
| “Please wait,” she said. | She asked me to wait. |
| “Don’t be late,” he said. | He told me not to be late. |
| “Take an umbrella,” mother said. | Mother advised me to take an umbrella. |
| “Don’t touch the wires,” he said. | He warned them not to touch the wires. |
Notice there is no tense backshift here; the infinitive (to sit, to wait) does not change. This makes commands and requests easier than statements once you learn the pattern.
When the tense does not backshift
The tense does not step back when the statement is still true right now, when it is a general fact, or when the reporting verb is in the present. In these cases keeping the present tense is not a mistake; it is correct.
- Still-true facts: She said the earth goes round the sun. (Not “went”, it is always true.)
- Present reporting verb: He says he is tired. (Reporting verb is present, so no shift.)
- Something still true now: She said she works in Bengaluru. (If she still does, present is fine.)
- Timetables and habits that continue: He said the train leaves at six.
| Situation | Backshift? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb is past + fact no longer relevant | Yes | She said she was ill. |
| General truth / scientific fact | Optional (often no) | He said water boils at 100 degrees. |
| Still true at time of reporting | Optional | She said she lives in Delhi. |
| Reporting verb is present or future | No | She says she is happy. |
Common mistakes (with the India angle)
The most common reported-speech errors among Indian learners come from mixing say and tell, keeping the question word order, and forgetting the backshift. Fix these five and your accuracy jumps.
A mother-tongue-influence pattern to watch: many Hindi and Tamil speakers add “that” after asked (“She asked that where I live”). After asked, use if, whether, or a wh- word, never “that.” Also avoid the double past “He told me that he had went”; the correct form is had gone.
You can memorise every table on this page, yet still freeze when you actually speak. Grammar and vocabulary are learned by using them out loud and getting corrected in real time. In a group class your speaking time is shared and the teacher’s attention is scattered across many students. WizMantra runs dedicated 1-on-1 grammar classes where every minute of speaking is yours and every mistake is corrected on the spot.
Reading the Rule Is Not Enough
You learn grammar by using it, out loud, with someone who corrects you. In a group class you barely speak; our dedicated 1-on-1 classes give you full speaking time and live correction on the exact mistakes you make. Try a ₹299 demo (a level check where you also see how online 1-on-1 works).
Book a ₹299 Demo ClassFrequently Asked Questions
What is reported speech?
Reported speech, also called indirect speech, is a way of telling someone what another person said without using their exact words or quotation marks. Instead of “He said, I am coming,” you write “He said he was coming.” The verb usually steps back one tense, pronouns shift to the new point of view, and time words update. It is the natural way we retell conversations in everyday English, emails, and exams.
Does the tense always change in reported speech?
No, the tense does not always change. It backshifts one step when the reporting verb is in the past and the statement belongs to that past moment, for example “She said she was tired.” But if the statement is still true, a general fact, or the reporting verb is in the present, you can keep the original tense, as in “She said the sun rises in the east.” So the backshift rule is a strong default, not an absolute law.
How do I report a question?
To report a question, use the verb asked, drop the question mark, and change the word order to a normal statement (subject before verb). For wh- questions, keep the question word: “Where do you live?” becomes “She asked where I lived.” For yes/no questions, join with if or whether: “Are you coming?” becomes “He asked if I was coming.” Never keep the inverted question order and never use “that” after asked.
How to report commands and requests?
Report commands and requests with a reporting verb plus “to” and the base verb, called the infinitive. Use told for orders and asked for polite requests: “Sit down” becomes “The teacher told us to sit down,” and “Please wait” becomes “She asked me to wait.” For a negative command, use “not to”: “Don’t be late” becomes “He told me not to be late.” There is no tense backshift here because the infinitive does not change.
What is the difference between direct and indirect speech?
Direct speech quotes the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks, for example: She said, “I am happy.” Indirect or reported speech folds those words into your own sentence without quotation marks and usually shifts the tense, pronouns, and time words: She said she was happy. Direct speech is common in stories and dialogue; indirect speech is common when you retell or summarise what someone said. Both are correct; you choose based on whether you want the exact words or the meaning.
When does the tense not change in reported speech?
The tense stays the same when the information is still true at the time you report it, when it is a general or scientific fact, or when the reporting verb is in the present or future. For example, “He said he lives in Mumbai” is fine if he still lives there, and “She said water boils at 100 degrees” keeps the present because it is always true. If the reporting verb is present, as in “He says he is busy,” there is no shift at all.
Why do Indian learners confuse say and tell?
Many Indian languages use one verb for both saying and telling, so learners carry that pattern into English and produce “He said me.” In English, “tell” needs a person right after it (tell me, tell him), while “say” does not take a person that way. So the correct forms are “He told me” or “He said (that)…” but never “He said me.” Practising this out loud with correction fixes it faster than memorising the rule.
Is reported speech important for IELTS and school exams?
Yes, reported speech appears in CBSE and state-board English papers as a direct transformation exercise, and it strengthens your writing and speaking in exams like IELTS. Examiners notice when you can retell information accurately with correct tense and pronoun changes. It also makes your everyday English sound natural when you narrate a conversation or summarise a meeting. Regular speaking practice with feedback, rather than only worksheets, is the fastest way to master it.