Reported Speech: What Did They Say?
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B2⏱ 5 min
Reported Speech: What Did They Say?
The Tense Backshift
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| present simple → “I love this wine.“ | past simple → She said she loved that wine. |
| present continuous → “I am laughing.“ | past continuous → He said he was laughing. |
| past simple → “I moved to Sydney.“ | past perfect → He said he had moved to Sydney. |
| will → “I will explain.“ | would → She said she would explain. |
| can → “I can help.“ | could → He said he could help. |
Say vs Tell
- say — no indirect object needed: She said (that) she was tired.
- tell — needs an indirect object (a person): She told me (that) she was tired.
❌ She said me… | ✅ She told me…
Examples
- Direct: “I don’t understand why you’re laughing.” → Reported: Vanessa said she didn’t understand why Sourov was laughing.
- Direct: “We live in La Réunion.” → Reported: They said they lived in La Réunion.
- Direct: “I will call you tomorrow.” → Reported: He told me he would call me the next day.
- Direct: “Can you pass the salt?” → Reported: She asked if I could pass the salt.
- Direct: “I moved to France in 2012.” → Reported: He said he had moved to France in 2012.
Practice Task — Report these sentences
Change each sentence into reported speech. Remember to backshift the tense and change pronouns where needed.
- “I am learning English every day.” (she / say)
- “We will meet at the restaurant.” (they / tell / us)
- “I can’t find my keys.” (he / say)
- “I visited Bangladesh last year.” (she / say)
- “Are you enjoying the lesson?” (he / ask / me)
Show answers
- She said (that) she was learning English every day.
- They told us (that) they would meet at the restaurant.
- He said (that) he couldn’t find his keys.
- She said (that) she had visited Bangladesh the previous year.
- He asked me if I was enjoying the lesson.
Takeaway
Reported speech = tense backshift + pronoun change + time/place word changes. Use say without a person, tell always with a person.
Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching hours and four written assignments validated to the required standard.
Independent project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification.
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