What is reported speech?

Reported speech is how you pass on what someone said without quoting them word for word. Instead of Maria said, “I'm hungry,” you say Maria said she was hungry. The pronouns, tenses, and time words change to fit the reporter's point of view, which is why I'm becomes she was.

Do I always have to change the tense in reported speech?

No. Backshift is the default after a past reporting verb like said or told, but you can keep the original tense if what was said is still true: He said he works in finance is fine if he still does. There is never any backshift after a present reporting verb: She says she is tired. The past perfect and the modals would, could, might, and should cannot move back, so they stay the same.

What is the difference between say and tell?

Tell must be followed by the person who is told: She told me she was leaving. Say is followed directly by what was said, with no person: She said she was leaving. If you want to mention the listener after say, you need to (She said to me that she was leaving), but tell is more natural. Said me and told that are both errors.

What happens to will, can, and must in reported speech?

Will becomes would, can becomes could, and may becomes might: “I'll help” becomes She said she would help. Must expressing obligation usually becomes had to (He said he had to leave), though must can also stay unchanged, especially for deductions (He said it must be a mistake). Would, could, might, and should do not change because they are already past forms.

How do time words like yesterday and tomorrow change?

They are recalculated from the reporter's moment. Yesterday becomes the day before or the previous day, tomorrow becomes the next day or the following day, now becomes then, and ago becomes before: “I arrived two days ago” becomes He said he had arrived two days before. If you report the words on the same day they were spoken, the original time words can stay.

English grammar · Intermediate

Reported Speech: Tense Changes, Pronouns, and Time Words

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is how you tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. The reporting verb (said, told) usually sits in the past, so the tense of the original sentence moves one step back, and pronouns and time words shift to the reporter's point of view: “I'll call you tomorrow” becomes She said she would call me the next day.

She said she was tired.

direct speech I'm tired: the tense moves back and I becomes she

What it is

When you report what someone said, you move their words into your own sentence, and everything that depended on the original speaker's position moves with them. The speaker's I becomes he or she, their here becomes there, their tomorrow becomes the next day, and because your reporting verb (said, told, explained) is in the past, the tenses of the original shift one step into the past as well. This shift is called backshift, and it is the part of reported speech learners spend most time on, though it is not the only change.

“I'm working in Berlin now,” Tom said. Tom said he was working in Berlin then. (I becomes he, am working becomes was working, now becomes then.)

How to spot it

Reported speech has a reporting verb (said, told, asked, explained) followed by a clause with no quotation marks, usually introduced by that, which can be left out. If the reporting verb is in the past, expect the verbs after it to be a step further back than the original words.

He said (that) he lived in Leeds. (direct: I live in Leeds; present becomes past)
They told us they had already eaten. (direct: We've already eaten; present perfect becomes past perfect)
She said she would be late. (direct: I'll be late; will becomes would)
My doctor says I need more sleep. (present reporting verb: no backshift)

Backshift is triggered by a past reporting verb, not by reported speech itself. He says he is tired keeps the present because says is present.

Reported Speech Quick Reference

How words that point to the speaker's time and place change in a report

Direct speech	Reported speech	Why it changes
I, my, me	he / she, his / her, him / her	the reporter is talking about the original speaker
you, your	I / we or he / she, depending on who was addressed	you now refers to the reporter or to a third person
now	then, at that time	the moment of speaking has passed
today, tonight	that day, that night	the day is no longer today
yesterday, tomorrow	the day before, the next day	counted from the original day, not from now
last week, next year	the week before, the following year	last and next are measured from the reporter's now
here, this, these	there, that, those	the reporter is usually somewhere else
ago	before, earlier	ago measures back from the present, so it cannot survive backshift

Common Reported Speech Examples in English

Reported statements grouped by what the speaker was doing with their words, each with the direct version so you can see what moved:

Passing On Facts and Opinions

“I'm a vegetarian,” she said. She said she was a vegetarian.: am becomes was; backshift is normal even though it is still true
“We don't have any milk,” he said. He said they didn't have any milk.: present simple to past simple; we becomes they
“I'm looking for a new flat,” Ana said. Ana said she was looking for a new flat.: present continuous to past continuous
“I can't swim,” he admitted. He admitted he couldn't swim.: can becomes could

Any verb that reports a statement works the same way as say: admit, explain, complain, insist, mention, point out.

Passing On Plans and Promises

“I'll send it tonight,” she promised. She promised she would send it that night.: will becomes would; tonight becomes that night
“We're going to move house,” they said. They said they were going to move house.: are going to becomes were going to
“It may rain,” the forecaster said. The forecaster said it might rain.: may becomes might
“I must finish this today,” he said. He said he had to finish it that day.: must for obligation usually becomes had to

A promise or plan reported after the event often invites a contrast: She said she would call, but she never did.

Retelling Past Events

“I saw Marta yesterday,” he said. He said he had seen Marta the day before.: past simple to past perfect; yesterday becomes the day before
“We were living in Rome at the time,” she said. She said they had been living in Rome at the time.: past continuous to past perfect continuous
“I've never tried sushi,” Leo said. Leo said he had never tried sushi.: present perfect to past perfect
“I had already left when it started,” she said. She said she had already left when it started.: past perfect has nowhere further to go, so it stays

In casual speech the past simple often survives unchanged (He said he saw Marta yesterday). The past perfect is the careful, written form.

Reporting Thoughts and Feelings

I thought you were joking.: at the time I thought: you are joking
We knew it would be hard.: knew plus would: a future seen from the past
She hoped the train wasn't full.: hope plus a backshifted clause
I didn't realise you had met before.: realise plus the past perfect

Think, know, believe, hope, and realise report thoughts with exactly the same tense changes as say reports words.

How Reported Speech Works

Five changes, all driven by one fact: the reporter is speaking from a different time, place, and identity than the original speaker.

The Tense Moves One Step Back

After a past reporting verb, present tenses become past tenses, past tenses become past perfect, will becomes would, can becomes could, and may becomes might. The logic is simple: what was present for the speaker is past for the reporter. The past perfect and the past modals (would, could, might, should) are already as far back as English goes, so they do not change.

“I'm busy,” he said. He said he was busy.

am becomes was

Past reporting verb, tense back one step.

Pronouns Follow the Reporter

I, me, my, and mine refer to whoever is speaking, so when you report someone else's words they turn into he, him, his, she, her, or hers. You changes according to who was being spoken to: if it was you, it becomes I or me; if it was someone else, it becomes he, she, or they. We and our become they and their unless the reporter was part of the group.

“I love your garden,” she told me. She told me she loved my garden.

I becomes she, your becomes my

Pronouns point from where the reporter stands.

Time and Place Words Shift Too

Words like now, today, tomorrow, yesterday, here, and this are anchored to the speaker's moment and location. Once the report is made later or elsewhere, they have to be recalculated: then, that day, the next day, the day before, there, that. If the report is made on the same day in the same place, the original words can stay.

“I'll see you here tomorrow,” he said. He said he would see me there the next day.

here becomes there, tomorrow becomes the next day

Recalculate time and place from the reporter's position.

Say Takes No Object; Tell Needs One

Say goes straight to the reported words: She said (that) she was fine. If you want to name the listener after say, you need to: She said to me that she was fine. Tell always names the listener, without to: She told me (that) she was fine. Told that with no listener, and said me, are the two combinations English does not allow.

She said she was fine. She told me she was fine.

said plus clause; told plus person plus clause

Say something. Tell someone something.

That Is Optional

The conjunction that links the reporting verb to the reported clause, and after common verbs like say, tell, think, and know it is usually dropped in speech. It tends to stay after less frequent reporting verbs (explained that, complained that) and in formal writing, where it makes the structure easier to follow.

He said he'd forgotten. He explained that the train had been cancelled.

that dropped after said, kept after explained

That can go after say, tell, think, and know.

Common Mistakes with Reported Speech

Incorrect: She told that she was tired.

Correct: She told me that she was tired.

Tell always needs a person as its object: told me, told us, told the police. If you don't want to name the listener, switch to say: She said that she was tired.

Incorrect: He said me he would come.

Correct: He told me he would come.

Say cannot take a person directly after it. Either use tell with the person (told me) or keep say and add to (said to me), though tell is far more natural.

Incorrect: Last week he said he is going to the party tomorrow.

Correct: Last week he said he was going to the party the next day.

The report is made a week later, so both the tense and the time word have to move: is going becomes was going, and tomorrow, which now points to the wrong day, becomes the next day.

Incorrect: He said he would call me when he will arrive.

Correct: He said he would call me when he arrived.

Two things are wrong. A time clause after when never takes will, even in direct speech (I'll call you when I arrive), and in a report the whole sentence moves back together, so arrive becomes arrived.

Tense Backshift in Reported Speech

Each tense moves one step into the past after a past reporting verb. The examples report the words of a speaker called Sam, so I becomes he and you becomes me.

Tenses

The left column is what Sam said. The right column is how you report it later with said.

Pronoun	Direct speech	Reported speech
present simple	“I work from home.”	He said he worked from home.
present continuous	“I'm working from home.”	He said he was working from home.
present perfect	“I've finished the report.”	He said he had finished the report.
present perfect continuous	“I've been waiting for an hour.”	He said he had been waiting for an hour.
past simple	“I finished the report.”	He said he had finished the report.
past continuous	“I was working late.”	He said he had been working late.
past perfect	“I had already left.”	He said he had already left.
will future	“I'll call you.”	He said he would call me.
be going to	“I'm going to resign.”	He said he was going to resign.

The past simple and the present perfect both become the past perfect, so the difference between them disappears in a report. The past perfect has nowhere further to go and stays as it is.

Modal verbs

Modals with a past form move to it; modals that are already past forms do not change.

Pronoun	Direct speech	Reported speech
can	“I can help.”	He said he could help.
may	“I may be late.”	He said he might be late.
must (obligation)	“I must leave early.”	He said he had to leave early.
will	“I will try.”	He said he would try.
would, could, might, should	“I would love to come.”	He said he would love to come.

Must can also stay as must, especially when it expresses a deduction: “It must be late” becomes He said it must be late. Had to is the usual choice for obligations.

When Backshift Is Optional

Backshift is the default after a past reporting verb, but English lets you keep the original tense when the statement is still true, and some verbs cannot move back at all.

Statements that are still true

If what the person said is still true when you report it, you can keep the original tense. Backshifting is never wrong here, but the present sounds more immediate.

She said she lives in Oslo. / She said she lived in Oslo.: both correct if she still lives there
He told me the shop closes at six.: a timetable that has not changed
They said the bridge was unsafe.: backshift hints that it has since been repaired, or that you are keeping your distance from the claim

Choose the past if the situation has changed or you doubt the claim: He said he was thirty (but I think he is older).

Present reporting verbs

After says, is saying, has said, or will say, there is no backshift, because the reporting verb is not in the past.

The forecast says it will rain tomorrow.: says: will stays will
She has told me several times that she hates flying.: present perfect reporting verb: present kept
He'll tell you he wasn't there.: the past here is the original tense, not a backshift

Messages passed on immediately often use says: Mum says dinner is ready.

Forms that cannot move back

The past perfect, and the modals would, could, might, should, ought to, and used to, have no further past form, so they stay unchanged.

“I had never seen snow.” He said he had never seen snow.: past perfect stays
“You should rest.” The doctor said I should rest.: should stays
“I used to smoke.” She admitted she used to smoke.: used to stays

Could and might in the original stay the same, which is why He said he could swim can report either “I can swim” or “I could swim”.

Quick Check: Reported Speech

Report each sentence, or choose the right word, filling the gaps.

1. “I'm learning Portuguese,” Ana said. Ana said she ___ Portuguese.

Answer: was learning

present continuous moves to past continuous

2. “We'll be there by eight,” they promised. They promised they ___ there by eight.

Answer: would be

will becomes would

3. “I lost my keys,” Tom said. Tom said he ___ his keys.

Answer: had lost

past simple moves to past perfect

4. “I can't come tomorrow,” she said on Monday. On Friday you report: She said she ___ come ___.

Answer: couldn't, the next day

can becomes could, and tomorrow is recalculated because the day has passed

5. She ___ (said / told) me she was moving to Italy.

Answer: told

a person follows, so tell

6. The sign says the pool ___ (close) at nine.

Answer: closes

present reporting verb, so no backshift

Reported Speech FAQs

What is reported speech?: Reported speech is how you pass on what someone said without quoting them word for word. Instead of Maria said, “I'm hungry,” you say Maria said she was hungry. The pronouns, tenses, and time words change to fit the reporter's point of view, which is why I'm becomes she was.
Do I always have to change the tense in reported speech?: No. Backshift is the default after a past reporting verb like said or told, but you can keep the original tense if what was said is still true: He said he works in finance is fine if he still does. There is never any backshift after a present reporting verb: She says she is tired. The past perfect and the modals would, could, might, and should cannot move back, so they stay the same.
What is the difference between say and tell?: Tell must be followed by the person who is told: She told me she was leaving. Say is followed directly by what was said, with no person: She said she was leaving. If you want to mention the listener after say, you need to (She said to me that she was leaving), but tell is more natural. Said me and told that are both errors.
What happens to will, can, and must in reported speech?: Will becomes would, can becomes could, and may becomes might: “I'll help” becomes She said she would help. Must expressing obligation usually becomes had to (He said he had to leave), though must can also stay unchanged, especially for deductions (He said it must be a mistake). Would, could, might, and should do not change because they are already past forms.
How do time words like yesterday and tomorrow change?: They are recalculated from the reporter's moment. Yesterday becomes the day before or the previous day, tomorrow becomes the next day or the following day, now becomes then, and ago becomes before: “I arrived two days ago” becomes He said he had arrived two days before. If you report the words on the same day they were spoken, the original time words can stay.