Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, and Practice (2026)
Master reported speech with clear rules, tense backshift tables, common reporting verbs, and practice exercises. Perfect for B1-B2 English learners.
Reported Speech: Rules, Examples, and Practice Exercises
Learn how to report what someone said using correct tenses, common reporting verbs, and natural sentence structures. This guide covers everything from basic backshift rules to tricky exceptions.
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What Is Reported Speech?
Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is how you tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. You use it constantly in conversation, writing, and exams.
Direct speech: "I am tired."
Reported speech: She said she was tired.
Notice the verb changed from "am" to "was." That shift is called backshift, and it is the most important rule in reported speech.
Reported speech is useful for telling stories, sharing information, and reporting conversations at work or school. It appears at every CEFR level from A2 through C1, so mastering it early helps your fluency.
Check your current level with our free English level test to see where reported speech fits your study plan.
Direct Speech vs Reported Speech
The table below shows how direct statements change when you convert them to reported speech.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| Direct: "I love this course." | Reported: She said she loved that course. |
| Direct: "We are studying." | Reported: They said they were studying. |
| Direct: "I have finished." | Reported: He said he had finished. |
| Direct: "I went to London." | Reported: She said she had gone to London. |
| Direct: "I will call you." | Reported: He said he would call me. |
| Direct: "Can you help?" | Reported: She asked if I could help. |
Tense Backshift Rules
When the reporting verb is past tense (said, told, asked), the verb in the reported clause shifts back one tense. This is called the backshift of tenses.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech (Backshift) |
|---|---|
| Simple present ("I work") | Simple past ("He said he worked") |
| Present continuous ("I am working") | Past continuous ("He said he was working") |
| Present perfect ("I have worked") | Past perfect ("He said he had worked") |
| Simple past ("I worked") | Past perfect ("He said he had worked") |
| Past continuous ("I was working") | Past perfect continuous ("He said he had been working") |
| Will ("I will work") | Would ("He said he would work") |
| Can ("I can work") | Could ("He said he could work") |
| Must ("I must work") | Had to ("He said he had to work") |
| May ("I may work") | Might ("He said he might work") |
Exception: No backshift needed
If the reported situation is still true or the reporting verb is present tense, you can keep the original tense. Both forms are acceptable in many cases.
Example: "She said she works in London" (she still works there) is fine. "She said she worked in London" is also correct.
Time and Place Changes
Words like "now," "here," and "yesterday" also change in reported speech because the time and place of speaking are different.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| here | there |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| this week/month | that week/month |
| last week/month | the previous week/month |
| next week/month | the following week/month |
| ago | before / previously |
Reporting Questions
Reported questions follow a different pattern. The word order changes from question order to statement order, and auxiliary verbs do/does/did are removed.
Direct question: "Where do you live?"
Reported question: She asked me where I lived.
Note: The word order changes from "do you live" (question) to "I lived" (statement). The auxiliary "do" disappears and "live" backshifts to "lived."
Direct yes/no question: "Are you ready?"
Reported yes/no question: She asked if I was ready.
For yes/no questions, use if or whether.
Common Reporting Verbs
Beyond "say" and "tell," English has many reporting verbs that add nuance. Each follows a specific grammatical pattern.
| Verb | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Say | say + (that) + clause | She said (that) she was happy. |
| Tell | tell + person + (that) + clause | He told me (that) he was leaving. |
| Ask | ask + person + if/whether or question word | They asked if I was ready. |
| Explain | explain + (that) + clause | She explained that the class was full. |
| Promise | promise + (that) + clause or to + infinitive | He promised he would help. |
| Suggest | suggest + (that) + clause or gerund | She suggested trying a new method. |
| Admit | admit + (that) + clause or gerund | He admitted making a mistake. |
| Deny | deny + (that) + clause or gerund | She denied knowing the answer. |
Common mistake: Say vs Tell
"Tell" always needs a person object. "Say" does not. Incorrect: "She told she was busy." Correct: "She said she was busy" or "She told me she was busy."
Reporting Commands and Requests
To report commands, requests, and advice, use verb + person + to + infinitive.
Direct command: "Sit down."
Reported: He told me to sit down.
Direct request: "Please help me."
Reported: She asked me to help her.
Direct negative command: "Don't be late."
Reported: He told me not to be late.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most frequent errors learners make with reported speech.
Forgetting to backshift the tense
She said she is tired.
Correct: She said she was tired.
If the reporting verb (said) is past, the reported clause verb must shift back.
Leaving out the object after "tell"
He told that he was coming.
Correct: He told me that he was coming.
Tell always needs a person object. Say does not.
Keeping question word order in reported questions
She asked where did I live.
Correct: She asked where I lived.
Reported questions use statement word order.
Forgetting to change time and place words
He said he would call me tomorrow.
Correct: He said he would call me the next day.
Words like today, tomorrow, here, now change when time/place differs.
Using "say" for commands and requests
She said me to wait.
Correct: She told me to wait. / She asked me to wait.
Use tell or ask (not say) for commands with to + infinitive.
Not removing do/does/did in reported questions
He asked me what did I want.
Correct: He asked me what I wanted.
The auxiliary disappears in reported questions.
Overusing that when it is not needed
Natural: She said she was happy. (that is optional)
In everyday speech, we often drop that after say and tell.
Using the wrong reporting verb for the meaning
She said to go home. (for a command)
Correct: She told me to go home.
Choose the verb that matches the speaker's intention.
Practice Exercises
Convert each sentence from direct speech to reported speech.
1. Change to reported speech: "I am learning English."
Show answer
She said she was learning English.
2. Change to reported speech: "I have never been to London."
Show answer
He said he had never been to London.
3. Change to reported speech: "I will call you tomorrow."
Show answer
She said she would call me the next day.
4. Change to reported question: "Do you like coffee?"
Show answer
He asked if I liked coffee.
5. Change to reported speech: "I must finish this today."
Show answer
She said she had to finish that that day.
6. Change to reported speech: "We are going to the park."
Show answer
They said they were going to the park.
7. Change to reported command: "Please close the door."
Show answer
She asked me to close the door.
8. Change to reported question: "Where did you buy that book?"
Show answer
He asked me where I had bought that book.
9. Change to reported speech: "I can speak three languages."
Show answer
She said she could speak three languages.
10. Change to reported speech: "I saw that movie last week."
Show answer
He said he had seen that movie the previous week.
Tips for Mastering Reported Speech
- 1. Practise with real conversations: Listen to a podcast, pause after each statement, say the reported version.
- 2. Learn the backshift pattern: The most common shift is present to past. That gets you 80% there.
- 3. Notice say vs tell: Train yourself to add an object after "tell" every time.
- 4. Master question word order: Reported questions use statement word order. This takes conscious practice.
- 5. Use it daily: Every time you share what someone said, you are using reported speech. Correct yourself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is reported speech?
How do verbs change in reported speech?
Do I always need to backshift tenses?
What is the difference between say and tell?
How do questions change in reported speech?
What are the most common reporting verbs?
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