Reported Speech
Reported speech is used to convey what someone said without quoting them directly. It involves tense changes, pronoun shifts, and time expression adjustments.
Reporting statements
Use say or tell + that-clause. 'Tell' must be followed by a person (tell me, tell him); 'say' does not.
"I love this city." → She said (that) she loved the city.
"We are leaving." → He told me (that) they were leaving.
Reporting questions
Use ask + if/whether (yes/no questions) or ask + question word (wh- questions). The reported question uses normal word order (not inverted).
"Are you coming?" → She asked if I was coming.
"Where do you live?" → He asked where I lived.
"Did you eat?" → She asked whether I had eaten.
Reporting commands and requests
Use tell / ask + object + infinitive.
"Close the door." → He told me to close the door.
"Please sit down." → She asked us to sit down.
"Don't be late." → He told her not to be late.
Full tense backshift table
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| present simple | past simple |
| present continuous | past continuous |
| past simple | past perfect |
| present perfect | past perfect |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| must / have to | had to |
'Say' vs. 'tell': She said she was tired ✓ / She told she was tired ✗. 'Tell' always needs an indirect object: She told me she was tired ✓.
Tip: Reported questions use statement word order — not question word order. Never use a question mark: He asked where she lived. (not: He asked where did she live?)