Reported Speech

Reported Speech

Reported speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words.

She said, "I saw him."
She said that she had seen him.

'That' may be omitted:
She said she had seen him.


'Say' and 'tell':
Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:
He said that he was tired.


Direct - Reported

is seeing - was seeing
sees - saw
saw - had seen
has seen - had seen
will see - would see
is going to see - was going to see
can see - could see

here - there
this - that
these - those
now - then
today - that day
yesterday - the previous day
tomorrow - the next day

Reported Speech Exercises


Convert the phrases below into reported speech.

"It's raining," she said.
1 ______________________________________________
He said to her, "I love you."
2 ______________________________________________
"I saw María in the supermarket yesterday," said Carlos.
3 ______________________________________________
"We've lived here for three years," he said.
4 ______________________________________________
"I'll bring a pasta salad," said Francesca.
5 ______________________________________________
"Mark's going to install solar panels," said Miranda.
6 ______________________________________________
"They found gold here," said the geology teacher.
7 ______________________________________________
"Jenny can't speak French," said Pierre.
8 ______________________________________________
"I first met my wife in Seville," he told us.
9 ______________________________________________
"I want your homework handed in by tomorrow," he said.
10 ______________________________________________
"My mother made these cakes," said Juan.
11 ______________________________________________
"I'm feeling tired now," said David.
12 ______________________________________________


Answers

"It's raining," she said.
1 She said (that) it was raining.
He said to her, "I love you."
2 He told her (that) he loved her.
"I saw María in the supermarket yesterday," said Carlos.
3 Carlos said (that) he saw/had seen María in the supermarket the previous day.
"We've lived here for three years," he said.
4 He said (that) they had lived there for three years.
"I'll bring a pasta salad," said Francesca.
5 Francesca said (that) she would bring a pasta salad.
"Mark's going to install solar panels," said Miranda.
6 Miranda said (that) Mark was going to install solar panels.
"They found gold here," said the geology teacher.
7 The geology teacher said (that) they had found gold there.
"Jenny can't speak French," said Pierre.
8 Pierre said (that) Jenny couldn't speak French.
"I first met my wife in Seville," he told us.
9 He told them (that) he first met/ had first met his wife in Seville.
"I want your homework handed in by tomorrow," he said.
10 He said (that) he wanted their homework handed in by the next day.
"My mother made these cakes," said Juan.
11 Juan said (that) his mother made/had made those cakes.
"I'm feeling tired now," said David.
12 David said (that) he was feeling tired then.