Direct speech repeats someone's exact words inside quotation marks. Indirect speech (also called reported speech) reports what they said in your own sentence, usually without quotation marks — and usually with changes to tense, pronouns and time words.
The parts of a reported sentence
Every sentence in speech has a reporting verb (said, told, asked) and the reported speech (the words being reported).
If the reporting verb is in the present or future (says, will say, has said), the tense of the reported speech does not change: He says, "I am busy." → He says that he is busy. The tense changes only when the reporting verb is in the past — which is the most common case.
Tense changes in indirect speech (backshift)
When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), move each verb one step back into the past:
| Direct speech | Indirect speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Past simple | "I work here." → He said he worked there. |
| Present continuous | Past continuous | "I am waiting." → She said she was waiting. |
| Present perfect | Past perfect | "I have finished." → He said he had finished. |
| Present perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous | "I have been studying." → She said she had been studying. |
| Past simple | Past perfect | "I saw him." → She said she had seen him. |
| Past continuous | Past perfect continuous | "I was sleeping." → He said he had been sleeping. |
| Past perfect | No change | "I had left." → She said she had left. |
| will | would | "I will call." → He said he would call. |
| can | could | "I can swim." → She said she could swim. |
| may | might | "It may rain." → He said it might rain. |
| must (obligation) | had to (or must) | "I must go." → She said she had to go. |
| shall (future) | should / would | "I shall return." → He said he would return. |
Could, would, should, might, ought to and used to do not change.
When the tense does not change
- The reporting verb is present or future: She says, "I'm hungry." → She says she's hungry.
- Universal truths and facts: The teacher said, "The earth goes round the sun." → The teacher said that the earth goes round the sun.
- Habits and situations still true now (optional in spoken English): He said, "I live in Bengaluru." → He said he lives/lived in Bengaluru (and he still does).
- Second and third conditionals stay the same: "If I were rich, I would travel." → He said that if he were rich, he would travel. (See conditional sentences.)
Pronoun changes
Pronouns change to match the new speaker's point of view. A simple rule used in many textbooks is SON:
- First person (I, we, my, our) changes to match the Subject of the reporting verb: Amit said, "I lost my bag." → Amit said that he had lost his bag.
- Second person (you, your) changes to match the Object of the reporting verb: She told me, "You are right." → She told me that I was right.
- Third person (he, she, they) — No change.
Time and place word changes
| Direct | Indirect | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| now | then | today | that day |
| tonight | that night | tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day | next week | the following week |
| last month | the previous month | ago | before |
| here | there | this / these | that / those |
Only change these if the time or place is actually different when you report. If you report today what someone said this morning, "today" can stay.
Say vs. tell
- tell + a person: She told me that she was leaving. (✗ She told that…)
- say + no person (or to + person): She said that she was leaving. / She said to me…
- Other reporting verbs add meaning: explained, replied, promised, warned, admitted, complained, suggested.
Reporting questions
Reported questions use statement word order (subject before verb), no question mark, and the reporting verb asked / wanted to know / wondered.
Yes/no questions → if / whether
- "Are you coming?" → He asked if I was coming.
- "Did you finish the report?" → She asked me whether I had finished the report.
Wh- questions → keep the question word
- "Where do you live?" → He asked me where I lived. (✗ where did I live)
- "What time is it?" → She asked what time it was.
- "Why are you late?" → The teacher asked why I was late.
Reporting commands, requests and advice
| Type | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|
| Command | "Sit down." | The teacher told/ordered us to sit down. |
| Negative command | "Don't shout." | She told them not to shout. |
| Request | "Please help me." | He requested/asked me to help him. |
| Advice | "You should rest." | The doctor advised me to rest. |
| Suggestion (let's) | "Let's go out." | She suggested going out. / She suggested that we (should) go out. |
Exclamations, wishes and greetings
- "What a beautiful view!" → She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful view.
- "Happy birthday!" → He wished me a happy birthday.
- "Thank you!" → She thanked me.
- "Good morning, sir." → He greeted the teacher / wished the teacher good morning.
Common mistakes
| ✗ Incorrect | ✓ Correct |
|---|---|
| He told that he was busy. | He said that he was busy. / He told me that he was busy. |
| She asked where did I live. | She asked where I lived. |
| He asked that was I coming. | He asked if I was coming. |
| She told me don't worry. | She told me not to worry. |
Practice
Change into indirect speech.
- Neha said, "I am learning French."
- He said to me, "I will meet you tomorrow."
- They said, "We have finished the project."
- She asked, "Can you drive?"
- The officer said, "Show me your ticket."
- My mother said, "Don't eat too much sugar."
- He asked, "Where did you buy this phone?"
- The teacher said, "Water boils at 100°C."
Show answers
- Neha said that she was learning French.
- He told me that he would meet me the next day.
- They said that they had finished the project.
- She asked if/whether I could drive.
- The officer told/ordered me to show him my ticket.
- My mother told/advised me not to eat too much sugar.
- He asked where I had bought that phone.
- The teacher said that water boils at 100°C. (universal truth — no change)
Backshift is easy once you know your tenses — see the 12-tense chart — and modal changes are covered in modal verbs. Another common transformation exercise is active to passive voice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between direct and indirect speech?
Direct speech repeats the speaker’s exact words in quotation marks (She said, “I’m tired.”). Indirect speech reports the meaning in your own sentence, usually with tense and pronoun changes (She said she was tired).
Do we always change the tense in indirect speech?
No. Change it when the reporting verb is in the past. Don’t change it when the reporting verb is present or future, when reporting universal truths, or (optionally) when the situation is still true.
How do you change questions into indirect speech?
Use asked/wanted to know, keep the question word (or use if/whether for yes/no questions), use normal statement word order and drop the question mark: “Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.
What is the indirect speech of an imperative sentence?
Use a verb like told, ordered, requested or advised + object + to + base verb: “Close the door” → She told me to close the door. For negatives use “not to”.
What is the difference between said and told in reported speech?
“Tell” needs a person directly after it (He told me…). “Say” does not take a person directly (He said that…, or He said to me…).