LIFE016 · Reported Speech: Shifting Tense, Keeping Meaning

💬 Reported Speech: What Did They Actually Say?

Level: B2  |  Time: 5 min  |  Focus: Grammar — reporting verbs and backshift

📖 From Sourov’s world: A feedback session changed my teaching. Someone told me: “Get off your high horse.” I went home and I wrote down exactly what was said — word for word. Later I reported it to a colleague: “They told me to get off my high horse.” The words were the same, but the grammar had shifted. That shift is reported speech.

🔑 Backshift Rules

Direct speech	Reported speech
“I am tired.”	She said she was tired.
“I will help.”	He said he would help.
“I can do it.”	She said she could do it.
“I have finished.”	He said he had finished.
“Come here!” (command)	She told me to come there.

💡 say vs tell: say + (that)  |  tell + person + (that)
“She said she was tired.” / “She told me she was tired.”

✏️ Quick Activity

Convert to reported speech:

1. “I work in a restaurant,” he said. → He said _______________
2. “We will arrive at 8,” they told us. → They told us _______________
3. “Don’t forget your passport!” she said. → She told me _______________
4. “I can’t speak French,” he said. → He said _______________

👀 Show Answers

1. he worked in a restaurant   2. they would arrive at 8   3. not to forget my passport   4. he couldn’t speak French

⭐ Takeaway: Backshift = move one step back in time. Present → past. Will → would. Can → could. This is the only mechanical rule you need. The rest is context.