Reported Statements in English

In Brief

Reported speech tells someone what another person said without repeating the speaker's exact words. After a past reporting verb such as said or told, English commonly shifts the original tense one step into the past: “I am tired” becomes He said (that) he was tired. Pronouns, place words, and time expressions may also change to fit the new speaker's point of view.

Overview

Direct speech gives a person's exact words, usually inside quotation marks: Maya said, “I need a break.” Reported speech (also called indirect speech) presents the message as part of a new sentence: Maya said that she needed a break. The reported clause—the part containing the message—normally has statement word order and no quotation marks.

Reported statements are introduced at B1 because they bring several familiar areas of grammar together. You need to choose say or tell, adjust personal references, and often use backshift (moving a verb tense further into the past). The past perfect is especially useful because it can show that the original event happened before the act of reporting.

You will meet reported speech constantly in conversation, news, workplace communication, and storytelling. Speakers rarely remember every word exactly, so reported speech usually preserves the meaning rather than the precise wording.

How It Works

The basic pattern

A typical reported statement has three parts:

reporting subject + reporting verb + (that) + reported clause

• Leo said (that) the meeting was cancelled.
• Leo told us (that) the meeting was cancelled.

That introduces the reported clause. It is optional in many ordinary statements, especially in conversation. Keeping it can make a long or formal sentence easier to follow.

Say and tell

The two verbs use different patterns. An object here means the person who receives the information.

Verb	Pattern	Example
say	say + (that) + clause	Nora said that she was busy.
say to	say + to + person	Nora said to me that she was busy.
tell	tell + person + (that) + clause	Nora told me that she was busy.

Do not put a person directly after say, and do not normally use to after tell. In everyday English, told me is much more natural than said to me when the focus is the information.

Backshift after a past reporting verb

When the reporting verb is in the past (said, told, explained), the tense in the original statement commonly moves one step back. A past participle is the verb form used in perfect tenses, such as seen, finished, or gone.

Direct-speech form	Common reported form	Example
present simple	past simple	“I work at home.” → She said she worked at home.
present continuous	past continuous	“I am waiting.” → He said he was waiting.
present perfect	past perfect	“We have finished.” → They said they had finished.
past simple	past perfect	“I lost my key.” → She said she had lost her key.
past continuous	past perfect continuous	“I was sleeping.” → He said he had been sleeping.
will	would	“I will call.” → She said she would call.
can	could	“I can help.” → He said he could help.
may	might	“It may rain.” → She said it might rain.
must	had to, or must	“I must leave.” → He said he had to leave.

The past perfect usually stays past perfect: “I had already eaten” → She said she had already eaten. The modals would, could, should, might, and ought to also normally stay unchanged.

Backshift presents the message from a later, past viewpoint. It does not necessarily mean the original statement is now false. In Sam said he lived in Leeds, Sam may still live there; the speaker is simply reporting what Sam said.

When backshift is not needed

If the reporting verb is present, no backshift is normally required:

• Priya says she needs more time.
• The guide explains that the museum opens at ten.

After a past reporting verb, speakers may keep the original present tense when the fact is still true, permanent, or immediately relevant:

• The teacher said that water boils at 100°C at sea level.
• Ben said he is allergic to peanuts.

Backshift is also possible in the second example: Ben said he was allergic to peanuts. That version is neutral and does not imply that the allergy has ended. In formal exercises, backshift is often the expected answer unless the continuing truth clearly matters.

Pronouns and possessives

Reported speech uses the current narrator's point of view. Change pronouns only when the people they refer to have changed.

• Anna said, “I forgot my bag.” → Anna said she had forgotten her bag.
• Tom said to Mia, “You can use my desk.” → Tom told Mia she could use his desk.
• We said, “We will email you.” → We told Dan we would email him.

There is no automatic replacement list: I does not always become he or she. If you report your own words, it can remain I: I said I was ready. Always identify who each pronoun refers to before changing it.

Time and place expressions

Words tied to the original moment or location may need to change. Choose the expression that is true from the reporting situation; do not change it mechanically.

Original expression	Frequent later form
now	then, at that time
today	that day
tonight	that night
yesterday	the day before, the previous day
tomorrow	the next day, the following day
last week	the week before, the previous week
next month	the following month
two days ago	two days before, two days earlier
here	there
this / these	that / those

For example, “I will finish this tomorrow” can become She said she would finish it the next day. If you report the words on the same day and in the same place, today, tomorrow, and here may still be accurate and can remain unchanged.

Negatives and word order

A reported statement keeps ordinary statement order:

• “I can't help.” → He said he couldn't help.
• “We aren't leaving.” → They said they weren't leaving.

Do not invert the subject and verb. Reported questions use a different structure and are covered separately.

Examples in Context

Reported English	Meaning in plain English	Note
He said he was tired.	His original message was “I am tired.”	Present simple backshifts to past simple.
She told me she would come.	She said to me, “I will come.”	Tell takes the object me; will becomes would.
They said they had seen the movie.	Their original words were “We saw the movie.”	Past simple becomes past perfect.
He said he couldn't help.	His message was “I can't help.”	Can becomes could.
Ava said that she was working from home.	Ava's message was “I am working from home.”	Present continuous becomes past continuous.
The neighbours told us they had already called the police.	They said, “We have already called the police.”	Present perfect becomes past perfect.
Marcus said he would send the file the next day.	He said, “I will send the file tomorrow.”	Both the modal and time expression change.
I told Elena I had left her keys there.	I said, “I left your keys here.”	Pronoun, tense, and place word depend on viewpoint.
The doctor said the medicine might make me sleepy.	The doctor said, “The medicine may make you sleepy.”	May becomes might; you becomes me.
Our manager told us that we had to wear badges.	The manager said, “You must wear badges.”	Obligation with must often becomes had to.
Mia says she doesn't eat meat.	Her current message is “I don't eat meat.”	Present reporting verb, so there is no backshift.
The lecturer said that light travels faster than sound.	The statement is a general scientific fact.	Present tense can remain for a continuing truth.

Common Mistakes

Putting a person directly after said

• Wrong: She said me that the shop was closed.
• Right: She told me that the shop was closed.
• Also right: She said that the shop was closed.
• Why: Tell can take a person directly; say cannot. Say to me is grammatical, but less usual in this pattern.

Leaving out the person after told

• Wrong: He told that he was late.
• Right: He said that he was late.
• Right with a listener: He told us that he was late.
• Why: In this meaning, tell needs an object: tell someone something.

Backshifting only part of a verb phrase

• Wrong: They said they had saw the film.
• Right: They said they had seen the film.
• Why: The past perfect is had + past participle. The past participle of see is seen, not saw.

Forgetting whose pronoun it is

• Wrong: Laura said, “I will bring my laptop.” → Laura said I would bring my laptop.
• Right: Laura said she would bring her laptop.
• Why: The original I and my refer to Laura, not to the person reporting her words.

Changing time words automatically

• Unclear: At 9 a.m. today: Ravi said he would call the next day.
• Better if Ravi meant later today: Ravi said he would call today.
• Why: Time words change only when the reporting viewpoint changes. Preserve the intended date, not a memorised conversion.

Treating a reported statement like a question

• Wrong: She said was she ready.
• Right: She said she was ready.
• Why: A reported statement uses subject + verb order. If the original words were a question, use the rules for reported questions instead.

Usage Notes

In conversation, that is frequently omitted after common reporting verbs: He said he was busy. It is more likely to be kept when the clause is long, when several clauses follow, or when the writer wants a clearer boundary: The report stated that demand had fallen during the previous quarter.

Said and told are neutral, but English has many reporting verbs that add meaning. Explain, mention, admit, announce, promise, and claim can all introduce statements, but their patterns differ. For example, explain does not take a person directly: She explained the problem to me or She explained that the train was delayed, not she explained me.

In news and academic writing, present reporting verbs often present information as currently available: The study shows that sleep affects memory. Past forms place the reporting event in a completed context: The witness said that she had heard a noise. Journalists may avoid backshift for a claim that remains current, but tense choice can subtly signal distance, chronology, or relevance.

Reported speech is not always a word-for-word record. She said she was exhausted may summarise “I really need to rest; I have no energy left.” If exact wording matters—for a legal statement, definition, or memorable quotation—direct speech may be more appropriate.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Optional backshift and speaker distance

When a situation is still true, both forms may be possible:

• Lena said she lives in Cairo.
• Lena said she lived in Cairo.

The present form highlights the information as still current. The backshifted form reports it neutrally from the past viewpoint; by itself, it does not prove that Lena has moved. Context usually resolves the meaning.

A reporter can also use tense choice to show commitment to a claim. Compare The company said the product is safe with The company said the product was safe. The first can sound more accepting of the claim, while the second may sound more detached. This is a tendency, not a fixed rule.

Past simple instead of past perfect

Careful textbook backshift changes “I lost it” to He said he had lost it. In natural speech, speakers sometimes retain the past simple when the sequence is already obvious: He said he lost it on the train. The past perfect is clearer when two past times might otherwise be confused and remains the safest choice in controlled B1 practice.

Modal meanings need interpretation

Must has more than one meaning. For obligation, it often becomes had to: She said she had to leave. For a logical conclusion, must can remain: He said it must be a mistake. Could, would, should, might, and ought to generally do not change, but the surrounding pronouns and time references still may.

Reporting commands is a different structure

A sentence such as The guard told us to wait reports an instruction, not a statement. It uses tell + object + to-infinitive (the basic verb form with to), rather than tell + object + that-clause. Keep this distinction in mind when the original speaker is asking someone to act.

Reporting mixed time frames

Not every verb in a long report shifts in the same way. Each tense reflects its own time relationship:

“I finished the draft yesterday, and I am checking it now.” → Nina said she had finished the draft the day before and was checking it then.

A fact that remains generally true can stay present inside an otherwise backshifted report: The guide told us that the castle had been rebuilt twice and that it stands on Roman foundations.

Practice Tips

1. Transform in stages. Underline the reporting verb, identify every person, mark the original time and place, and only then change tense, pronouns, and time words. This prevents mechanical but illogical changes.
2. Practise paired versions. Write a direct sentence such as “We will meet here tomorrow,” then report it from two situations: immediately in the same place and a week later elsewhere. Notice which words genuinely need to change.
3. Collect real examples. When reading news or listening to interviews, note sentences with said and told. Ask why that was included or omitted and whether the writer used backshift.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Past Perfect — helps show that the reported event happened before the act of reporting.
• Next step: Reported Questions — applies related tense and viewpoint changes but uses question words or if/whether with statement word order.