Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.
Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
§ pronouns
§ present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
§ place and time expressions
§ tenses (backshift)
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Type
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Example
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direct speech
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“I speak English.”
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reported speech
(no backshift)
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He says that he speaks English.
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reported speech
(backshift)
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He said that he spoke English.
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Statements in Reported Speech
Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example
She says, “My mum doesn’t have time today.” – She says that her mum doesn’t have time today.
Tenses
No backshift
Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Present (e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).
Example
He says, “I speak English.” – He says that he speaks English.
Backshift
You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Past (e. g. He said). This is called backshift.
Example
He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy.
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Direct Speech
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Reported Speech
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Simple Present
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Simple Past
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Present Progressive
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Past Progressive
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Simple Past
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Past Perfect Simple
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Present Perfect Simple
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Past Perfect Simple
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Past Progressive
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Past Perfect Progressive
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Present Perfect Progressive
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Past Perfect Progressive
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Future I (going to)
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was / were going to
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Future I (will)
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Conditional I (would)
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Conditional I (would)
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The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to do not normally change.
Example:
He said, “She might be right.” – He said that she might be right.
Place and Time expressions
For place and time expressions you have to check whether place and time are the same in direct and reported speech or not. Check out the following example:
It is Friday and you meet James at a restaurant. James tells you that he saw Caroline in this restaurant today. (“I saw Caroline here today.”) A few minutes later, Helen joins you and you want to report what James has told you. Place (here) and time (today) are the same and you can say:
→ James said that he had seen Caroline here today.
One day later, you meet Mary at the same restaurant. Again, you want to report to her what James has told you. The place is the same, but not the time (it happened yesterday). So you would say:
→ James said that he had seen Caroline here yesterday.
Still a few days later, Tom rings you at home. Again, you want to report to him what James has told you. However, now you are not at the restaurant (but at home) and a few days have passed since then. So you would say:
→ James said that he had seen Caroline at the restaurant on Friday.
oder
→ I met James in a restaurant on Friday and he said that he had seen Caroline there that day.
Therefore you always have to think which place and time expressions are logical in a certain situation.
In the following table, you will find ways of transforming place and time expressions into reported speech.
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Direct Speech
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Reported Speech
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today
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that day
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now
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then
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yesterday
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the day before
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… days ago
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… days before
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last week
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the week before
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next year
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the following year
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tomorrow
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the next day / the following day
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here
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there
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this
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that
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these
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those
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Questions
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
§ pronouns
§ present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
§ place and time expressions
§ tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:
§ transform the question into an indirect question
§ use the interrogative or if / whether
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Type
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Example
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with interrogative
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direct speech
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“Why don’t you speak English?”
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reported speech
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He asked me why I didn’t speak English.
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without interrogative
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direct speech
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“Do you speak English?”
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reported speech
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He asked me whether / if I spoke English.
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Questions in Reported Speech
For pronouns, tenses and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech.
Besides, note that instead of ‚that‘ you use the interrogative. If there is no interrogative, use ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘.
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Direct Speech
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Reported Speech
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statement
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He said: “She lives in London.“
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He said that she lived in London
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question with interrogative
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He asked:“Where does she live?“
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He asked where she lived.
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question without interrogative
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He asked: “Does she live in London?“
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He asked whether she lived in London.
He asked if she lived in London.
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It is also important that you use an indirect question in reported speech, i.e. after the interrogative or ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘ you continue the sentence as if it were a statement (subject-verb etc.). The auxiliary verb ‚do‘ is not used in indirect questions.
Example:
He asked: “Where does she live?“ – He asked where she lived.
Requests
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
§ pronouns
§ place and time expressions
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Type
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Example
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direct speech
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“Carol, speak English.“
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reported speech
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He told Carol to speak English.
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Requests in Reported Speech
For pronouns and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech. Tenses are not relevant for requests – simply use ‚to‘ + infinite verb.
Example:
She said, “Say hello to your mum.“ – She asked me to say hello to my mum.
For negative requests, use ‚not to‘ + infinite verb.
Example:
He said, “Don’t give up, Bob.“ – He advised Bob not to give up.
Additional Information and Exeptions
Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:
§ main clauses connected with and / but
§ tense of the introductory clause
§ reported speech for difficult tenses
§ exeptions for backshift
§ requests with must, should, ought to and let’s
Advanced Points
Main Clauses connected with and / but
If two complete main clauses are connected with ‚and‘ or ‚but‘, put ‚that‘ after the conjunction.
Example:
He said,“I saw her but she didn’t see me.“ – He said that he had seen her but that she hadn’t seen him.“
If the subject is left out in the second main clause (the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use ‚that‘.
Example:
She said,“I am a nurse and work in a hospital.“ – He said that she was a nurse and worked in a hospital.“
Tense of the Introductory Clause
The introductory clause usually is in Past Tense.
Example:
He said that …
Present Tense is often used to report a conversation that is still going on, e. g. during a phone call or while reading a letter.
Example:
“I am fine.“ – Tom says / writes that he is fine.
The introductory clause can also be in another tense. In the following table you can see, for which tense of the introductory clause you have to use backshift in reported speech.
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No Backshift
if introductory clause is in …
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Backshift
if introductory clause is in …
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§ Simple Present (He says …)
§ Present Perfect (He has said …)
§ Future I will (He will say …)
§ Future I going to (He is going to say …)
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§ Simple Past (He said …)
§ Past Perfect (He had said …)
§ Future II ( He will have said …)
§ Conditional I (He would say …)
§ Conditional II (He would have said …)
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Backshift in Reported Speech
The basic rules for backshift when transforming direct speech into reported speech are:
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Direct Speech
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Reported Speech
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Simple Present
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Simple Past
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Present Progressive
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Past Progressive
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Simple Past
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Past Perfect Simple
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Present Perfect
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Past Perfect
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Past Progressive
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Past Perfect Progressive
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Present Perfect Progressive
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Past Perfect Progressive
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Future I (going to)
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was / were going to
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Future I (will)
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Conditional I
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Conditional I
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Future II
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Conditional II
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Conditional II
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Exceptions
Backshift of Simple Present is optional if the situation is still unchanged or if you agree with the original speaker.
Beispiel:
“Canberra is the capital of Australia.“
She said that Canberra is / was the capital of Australia.
Backshift of Simple Past and Past Progressive is optional if they cannot be mistakenly taken for backshift of Present Tense. So backshift is not necessary if there is a time expression indicating past.
Example:
“She left Boston on Monday.“
He said that she left / had left Boston on Monday.
Simple Past and Past Progressive do not normally change in sentences with when / if.
Example:
“When I was having breakfast, the telephone suddenly rang.“
She said that when she was having breakfast, the telephone suddenly rang.
Example:
“If I had more time, I would learn French.“
He said that if he had more time, he would learn French.
Requests
The basic rule for requests is: introductory clause + ‚to‘ + infinite verb.
Example:
“Say hello to your mum.“
She asked me to say hello to my mum.
Advise expressions with must, should and ought are usually reported using advise / urge.
Example:
“You must read that book.“
He advised / urged me to read that book.
The expression let’s is usually reported using suggest. In this case, there are various possibilities for reported speech: gerund or statement with should.
Example:
“Let’s go to the cinema.“
He suggested going to the cinema.
He suggested that we should go.to the cinema.
