Reported Speech in English

1. Read the Dialogue

Lucy and Tom are talking about their friend, Emma.

Lucy: I met Emma yesterday. She told me that she was feeling sick.

Tom: Oh no! Last week, she said she had a cold.

Lucy: Yes, and she also mentioned that she had seen the doctor.

Tom: Did she say when she would come back to school?

Lucy: Yes, she said she would be back next Monday.

Tom: That’s good to hear! Last time, she told me she couldn’t go on the school trip.

Reported speech helps us share what others have said in a natural way, making communication clearer and more efficient in conversations.

2. What is Reported Speech?

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said, but we do not use their exact words. We often change the tense of the verb.

Example:

• Direct speech: Emma said, "I am feeling sick."

• Reported speech: Emma said she was feeling sick.

3. How to Change Direct Speech to Reported Speech

When we change direct speech to reported speech, we usually move the verb one step back in time. Look at the table below:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
"I am tired."	She said she was tired.
"I have a cold."	She said she had a cold.
"I saw the doctor."	She said she had seen the doctor.
"I will come back."	She said she would come back.
"I can’t go."	She said she couldn’t go.

4. Key Rules

1. Change the tense

   • Present simple → Past simple ("I like apples" → She said she liked apples.)

   • Present continuous → Past continuous ("I am reading" → He said he was reading.)

   • Past simple → Past perfect ("I ate lunch" → She said she had eaten lunch.)

   • Future (will) → Would ("I will call you" → He said he would call me.)

2. Change pronouns and time words

   • "I" → "he/she" ("I am late" → He said he was late.)

   • "Today" → "that day"

   • "Tomorrow" → "the next day"

   • "Yesterday" → "the day before"

   • "Next week" → "the following week"

5. Practice Time!

Change the sentences into reported speech:

1. "I am going to the park," said John. → John said he was going to the park.

2. "We watched a movie last night," said Anna. → Anna said they had watched a movie the night before.

3. "I will help you tomorrow," said Tom. → Tom said he would help me the next day.

Try more on your own!

6. Summary

• Reported speech is used to tell what someone else said.

• We change the verb tense, pronouns, and time words.

• Common changes:

  • Present → Past

  • Past → Past perfect

  • Will → Would

  • Can → Could

Now, practice using reported speech in your conversations! 😊