📞 +44 7424 720 271 ✉️ info@elitelanguage.co.uk 💬 WhatsApp
B1 – B2

Reported Speech: The Complete Guide

Everything you need to report what someone said in English, backshift, pronoun and time changes, reported questions and commands, common mistakes and exam practice.

📖 Reading time: ~14 minutes ✅ Reviewed by a CELTA-qualified teacher 🎯 Covers A1 to B2

📋 What's in This Guide

  1. 1. Introduction, What Is Reported Speech?
  2. 2. Quick Summary
  3. 3. Backshift, How Tenses Change
  4. 4. Pronouns and Time Expressions Change Too
  5. 5. Reported Questions
  6. 6. Reported Commands and Requests
  7. 7. Common Reporting Verbs
  8. 8. When You Don't Need to Backshift
  9. 9. Common Mistakes
  10. 10. Exercises
  11. 11. Mini Quiz
  12. 12. Exam Focus, Cambridge, IELTS, SELT
  13. 13. Frequently Asked Questions
  14. 14. Related Grammar Guides
  15. 15. Book a Free Level Test

1. Introduction, What Is Reported Speech?

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is how we tell someone what another person said, without quoting their exact words. Instead of "She said, 'I am tired,'" we say "She said she was tired." Notice the tense shifted from present ("am") to past ("was"), this shift, called backshift, is the central grammar point of the whole topic.

Reported speech touches almost every other area of grammar at once, tenses, pronouns, time expressions and word order all change together, which is exactly why it feels harder than it should. This guide breaks each moving part down separately.

2. Quick Summary

⚡ Reported Speech at a Glance

DefinitionReporting what someone said without quoting their exact words.
Key RuleTenses usually shift one step back into the past ("backshift")
ExampleDirect: "I am tired." → Reported: She said she was tired.
Also ChangesPronouns (I → she) and time expressions (today → that day)
Common MistakeForgetting to change the pronoun or time expression, not just the verb
🇪🇸
Resumen en español Al reportar lo que alguien dijo, el inglés generalmente retrocede el tiempo verbal un paso ("I am" se convierte en "I was"), un cambio llamado "backshift" que no tiene un equivalente sistemático en español, donde el tiempo verbal cambia menos de forma predecible al reportar discurso.

3. Backshift, How Tenses Change

Direct SpeechReported Speech
Present simple: "I work here."Past simple: She said she worked there.
Present continuous: "I am working."Past continuous: She said she was working.
Past simple: "I worked there."Past perfect: She said she had worked there.
Present perfect: "I have finished."Past perfect: She said she had finished.
will: "I will call you."would: She said she would call me.
can: "I can help."could: She said she could help.
💡
The general rule Almost every tense moves one step further into the past. Present becomes past; past becomes past perfect; "will" becomes "would." Past perfect itself doesn't change further, there's nowhere further back to go.

4. Pronouns and Time Expressions Change Too

Backshift isn't the only change. Pronouns must match the new speaker's perspective, and time/place expressions usually shift to match when the reporting is happening.

Direct SpeechReported Speech
todaythat day
tomorrowthe next day / the following day
yesterdaythe day before / the previous day
nowthen / at that time
herethere
this / thesethat / those

Example: "I'll see you here tomorrow," she said. → She said she would see me there the next day.

5. Reported Questions

Reported questions lose the question word order and question mark, they become statements grammatically, even though they report a question.

Direct QuestionReported Question
"Where do you live?"She asked where I lived.
"Are you coming?"He asked if/whether I was coming.
"What time is it?"She asked what time it was.
⚠️
Yes/No questions need "if" or "whether" Questions without a question word (where, what, why...) need "if" or "whether" to introduce the reported clause: "Are you ready?" → She asked if I was ready.

6. Reported Commands and Requests

Commands and requests are reported using "to" + infinitive, with "tell" or "ask" as the reporting verb.

Direct SpeechReported Speech
"Close the door," she said.She told me to close the door.
"Please help me," he said.He asked me to help him.
"Don't be late," they said.They told me not to be late.

7. Common Reporting Verbs

VerbTypical PatternExample
saysay (that) + clauseHe said (that) he was busy.
telltell + person + (that) + clauseHe told me (that) he was busy.
askask + person + if/wh-wordShe asked me if I was ready.
explainexplain (that) + clauseShe explained that she'd be late.
suggestsuggest + -ing / that + clauseHe suggested going for lunch.

8. When You Don't Need to Backshift

If the original statement is still true or general (a fact, habit, or something still relevant now), backshift is often optional.

9. Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect✅ CorrectWhy
She asked where did I live.She asked where I lived.Reported questions use normal statement word order, not question word order.
He asked did I want tea.He asked if I wanted tea.Yes/no questions need "if" or "whether," not question word order.
She said she is tired. (talking about the original moment)She said she was tired.Present in direct speech usually backshifts to past in reported speech.
He told that he was busy.He told me that he was busy. / He said that he was busy."Tell" always needs an object (told + person); "say" doesn't.
She told me to not be late.She told me not to be late.The negative goes before "to," not between "to" and the verb.

10. Exercises

A. Gap Fill, Transform into reported speech (10 questions)

1. "I am tired," she said. → She said she ___ tired.
2. "I work in London," he said. → He said he ___ in London.
3. "I will call you," she said. → She said she ___ call me.
4. "Where do you live?" she asked. → She asked where I ___.
5. "Are you coming?" he asked. → He asked ___ I was coming.
6. "Close the door," she said. → She told me ___ the door.
7. "I have finished," he said. → He said he ___ finished.
8. "Don't be late," they said. → They told me ___ late.
9. "I can help," she said. → She said she ___ help.
10. "What time is it?" he asked. → He asked what time ___.
Show Answers (A)
1. was   2. worked   3. would   4. lived   5. if/whether   6. to close   7. had   8. not to be   9. could   10. it was

B. Multiple Choice (5 questions)

1. "I am busy," she said. → She said she ___ busy. (a) is (b) was
2. "Where do you work?" he asked. → He asked where I ___. (a) worked (b) did work
3. "Are you ready?" she asked. → She asked ___ I was ready. (a) if (b) that
4. "I will help," he said. → He said he ___ help. (a) will (b) would
5. "Sit down," she said. → She told me ___ down. (a) sit (b) to sit
Show Answers (B)
1.b 2.a 3.a 4.b 5.b

C. Error Correction (5 questions)

1. She asked where did I live.
2. He asked did I want coffee.
3. She told that she was tired.
4. He told me to not worry.
5. She said she is happy about it. (talking about the original moment, should backshift)
Show Answers (C)
1. She asked where I lived.
2. He asked if I wanted coffee.
3. She said that she was tired. / She told me that she was tired.
4. He told me not to worry.
5. She said she was happy about it.

D. Freer Practice, Write Your Own Sentences (2 tasks)

1. Write a direct sentence someone said to you, then rewrite it in reported speech.
2. Write a direct question, then rewrite it as a reported question.
Show Answers (D)
Model answers will vary. Examples:
1. "I'm going to the gym," she said. → She said she was going to the gym.
2. "Do you like pizza?" he asked. → He asked if I liked pizza.

11. Mini Quiz

1. "I am tired," she said. → She said she ___ tired.

2. "Where do you live?" → She asked where I ___.

3. "Are you ready?" → He asked ___ I was ready.

4. "Close the door," she said. → She told me ___ the door.

12. Exam Focus, Cambridge, IELTS, SELT

ExamHow Reported Speech Is TestedSample Question
Cambridge B1 Preliminary / B2 FirstKey word transformations are a core, heavily tested format."'I'll call you tomorrow,' she said." → "She said she ___ me the next day." (would call)
IELTS Speaking & WritingUsed when recounting conversations, interviews or what others have said."My teacher told me that I needed to practise more."
Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT)Retelling conversations accurately in narrative speaking tasks."What did your friend say when you told them the news?"

13. Frequently Asked Questions

A way of telling someone what another person said without quoting their exact words, also called indirect speech.
The general rule that tenses move one step further into the past when reporting speech: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and so on.
Yes, pronouns shift to match the new speaker's perspective, e.g. 'I' often becomes 'she' or 'he.'
Use 'if' or 'whether' to introduce the reported clause: 'Are you coming?' becomes 'She asked if I was coming.'
Use 'tell/ask + person + to + infinitive': 'Close the door' becomes 'She told me to close the door.'
No, if the original statement is still true or general, backshift is often optional.
Yes, accurately retelling what someone else said is common in narrative and conversational speaking tasks.
Past PerfectWhere backshift often leads Question FormationDirect questions before you report them Modal VerbsWill/would and can/could backshift General English CoursesBuild every grammar point with expert guidance

📅 Ready to Master Reported Speech, and Every Other Grammar Point?

Reading about grammar takes you part of the way. Real fluency comes from using it, in conversation, with a tutor who corrects you immediately. Book a free level test with Elite Language Solutions and find out exactly where you are.

📅 Book a Free Level Test View English Courses

Grammar: keep learning

ELS Learning CentresGrammarSELTVocabularyCambridgeInteractive LessonsSpanish

Reported speech: diagnose the shift

Use this checkpoint after the explanation. If one area is weak, follow the linked lesson instead of repeating the whole page.

Reporting time

Decide whether backshift is needed rather than changing every tense automatically.

Pronouns/time words

Track who is speaking, who is listening and when the report is made.

Questions/commands

Use statement word order in reported questions and infinitive patterns for commands/requests.

Question FormationTense ReviewTest Your EnglishGet guided 1-to-1 help

Free grammar workbook

Take this grammar point with you

Keep this lesson free online, then use the Complete English Grammar Companion for revision and extra practice. Enter your email once to unlock the free PDF.

Get the free Grammar Companion →

The lesson above stays completely free. Only the optional PDF download is email-gated.

Chat on WhatsApp