Lesson 1: How to make reported speech

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I love coffee". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.


Here's how it works:

We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

  • Direct speech: "I love coffee."
  • Reported speech: She says that she loves coffee.

We don't need to change the tense of the verb 'loves', though probably we do need to change the pronoun from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.


But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech.

  • Direct speech: "I love coffee."
  • Reported speech: She said that she loved coffee.

The verb 'love' changes from the present simple to the past simple ('loved'). This change is called 'backshifting'. It's just a grammatical change – we use it even if the thing is still true in real life.


Here are some more examples.

Present simple positive with 'be' ('am / is' change to 'was' and 'are' changes to 'were').

  • Direct speech: "The children are hungry."
  • Reported speech: She said that the children were hungry.


Present simple negative with 'be' ('am not / isn't' change to 'wasn't' and 'aren't' changes to 'weren't').

  • Direct speech: "Lucy isn't from Brazil."
  • Reported speech: She said that Lucy wasn't from Brazil.


Present simple positive with verbs that are not 'be' (present simple changes to past simple)

  • Direct speech: "I work in a bank."
  • Reported speech: He said that he worked in a bank.


Present simple negative with verbs that are not 'be' ('doesn't / don't' change to 'didn't').

  • Direct speech: "The class doesn't start at ten."
  • Reported speech: You said that the class didn't start at ten.

 

Now let's look at the present continuous. It changes to the past continuous.

  • Direct speech: "I am going to work."
  • Reported speech: She said that she was going to work.


  • Direct speech: "I'm not sleeping."
  • Reported speech: She said that she wasn't sleeping.

 

  • Direct speech: "Lucy is working."
  • Reported speech: She said that Lucy was working.

      

  • Direct speech: "James isn't coming."
  • Reported speech: She said that James wasn't coming.


The past simple is a little different. You have a choice! You can keep the past simple as the past simple, with no change. Or you can change it to the past perfect.

  • Direct speech: "I went home."
  • Reported speech: She said that she went home / had gone home.


  • Direct speech: "They didn't meet Lucy."
  • Reported speech: She said that they didn't meet / hadn't met Lucy.

 

  • Direct speech: "The laptop broke."
  • Reported speech: She said that the laptop broke / had broken.

      

  • Direct speech: "We called Julie."
  • Reported speech: She said that they had called Julie.


With the past continuous, we use 'had been + verb-ing'.

  • Direct speech: "I was watching TV."
  • Reported speech: She said that she had been watching TV.


  • Direct speech: "The children weren't sleeping."
  • Reported speech: She said that the children hadn't been sleeping.

 

  • Direct speech: "We were chatting."
  • Reported speech: She said that they had been chatting.

      

  • Direct speech: "James was studying."
  • Reported speech: She said that James had been studying.


With the present perfect, we use 'had + past participle' (the past perfect).

  • Direct speech: "I have been to Mexico."
  • Reported speech: She said that she had been to Mexico.


  • Direct speech: "The students haven't finished the exam."
  • Reported speech: She said that the students hadn't finished the exam.

 

  • Direct speech: "Maria has gone out."
  • Reported speech: She said that Maria had gone out.

      

  • Direct speech: "He has lost his keys."
  • Reported speech: She said that he had lost his keys.


With the past perfect, we don't need to change anything.

  • Direct speech: "I had been late."
  • Reported speech: She said that she had been late.


  • Direct speech: "They hadn't had lunch."
  • Reported speech: She said that they hadn't had lunch.

 

  • Direct speech: "The boys had done their homework."
  • Reported speech: She said that the boys had done their homework.

      

  • Direct speech: "We had paid for everything."
  • Reported speech: She said that they had paid for everything.


With 'will', we change it to 'would'.

  • Direct speech: "I will come to the party."
  • Reported speech: She said that she would come to the party.


  • Direct speech: "They won't help."
  • Reported speech: She said that they wouldn't help.

 

  • Direct speech: "It will rain later."
  • Reported speech: She said that it would rain later.

      

  • Direct speech: "The children will be tired."
  • Reported speech: She said that the children would be tired.


This is the same for the future continuous. We just change 'will' to 'would'.

  • Direct speech: "I will be waiting."
  • Reported speech: She said that she would be waiting.


  • Direct speech: "They won't be coming."
  • Reported speech: She said that they wouldn't be coming.

 

  • Direct speech: "It will be snowing."
  • Reported speech: She said that it would be snowing.

      

  • Direct speech: "We will be sleeping."
  • Reported speech: She said that they would be sleeping.


With 'be going to', we use 'was / were going to'.

  • Direct speech: "I'm going to meet David."
  • Reported speech: She said that she was going to meet David.


  • Direct speech: "They aren't going to travel."
  • Reported speech: She said that they weren't going to travel.

 

  • Direct speech: "The students are going to pass the test."
  • Reported speech: She said that the students were going to pass the test.

      

  • Direct speech: "We are going to go to bed early."
  • Reported speech: She said that they were going to go to bed early.

Complete and Continue