Sometimes we may wish to report the words of others. In fact, this is quite a regular occurrence in any language.
There are two ways to do this: reported (indirect) speech, and direct speech.
Here’s how they work.
Direct speech
As the name would suggest, direct speech is when you directly report the words of another person.
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said.
Direct speech can always be identified in written speech through the use of speech marks (sometimes known as quotation marks). Please note that single or double marks can be used depending on the habit of the individual user.
Direct speech is the easier of the two options because it does not involve any grammatical or structural changes to the original sentence.
Reported (indirect) speech
Reported speech involves grammatical, and sometimes structural, changes.
Here is an example of the same sentence as above but this time delivered in reported speech.
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. (direct speech)
He said (that) he would see me at the meeting today. (reported/indirect speech)
Aa can be seen, considerable changes have been made to the original sentence. First of all, the speech marks have been removed. Next, we must consider the verb tense used. Fortunately, the rules covering this are written in stone:
| Direct speech | Indirect / Reported speech |
|---|---|
| 1) Present simple | Past simple |
| 2) Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| 3) Present continuous | Past continuous |
| 4) Past simple | Past Perfect |
| 5) Past continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| 6) Past perfect | Past perfect (no change) |
| 7) Past perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous (no change) |
| 8) Future simple (will) | Would |
| 9) Can | Could |
| 10)All other Modal Verbs (might/may/could/should/would) | No change |
As can be seen from the above table, the original verb tense must be adapted accordingly. Let us look at the original examples once more:
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. (direct speech)
He said (that) he would see me at the meeting today. (reported/indirect speech)
The verb tense in the original, direct speech sentence (‘will’) has been adapted to ‘would’ as necessary. This reflects the difference in time between when the comment was originally made, and when it was reported.
This fact is made most obviously clear when the present tense is adapted to the past, as follows:
“I want to talk to you,” she said.
She said that she wanted to talk to me.
As is dictated, ‘want’ has become wanted’ because the request is now clearly in the past.
Please note that, on some occasions, adapting the present tense to the past tense may not be necessary. For example:
“I like pizza,” she said.
She said she likes/liked pizza.
Because we can assume the state to still be true, the present tense is also correct in the reported sentence.
Other changes
Let us look once more at the original pair of sentences:
“I’ll see you at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said. (direct speech)
He said (that) he would see me at the meeting today. (reported/indirect speech)
As well as the verb tense, both the subject and object have been adapted, and so has the time expression.
Of course, these amendments are all relative. Who was talking to who, and what is the time relationship between when the original sentence was communicated, and when it was reported? Always bear in mind these considerations when using reported speech.
Reported questions
Questions are a little bit different, and must be adapted in their own unique way. Generally speaking, there are two types of questions, and each must be considered separately.
- “What is your name?” he asked.
- “Do you like pizza?” she asked.
The first question is an ‘information’ question, requiring some kind of specific detail in the answer. The second question, meanwhile, is quite simply a ‘yes/no’ question, where detail is optional.
Here are the changes that must be made to each question in reported (indirect) speech
- He asked me what my name was/is.
- She asked me if I liked pizza.
In the ‘information’ question, the original sentence must be restructured so it is now no longer a question, but an affirmative statement. That is because, when reported, it is no longer a question. The verb tense should also be adapted as per the rules with all reported speech transitions.
In the ‘yes/no’ question, the sentence must also be adapted, with the word ‘if’ (or ‘whether’) replacing the auxiliary. Again, the verb tense must be changed accordingly.
Reporting verbs
In the examples in this article we have included the classic reporting verbs ‘said’ and ‘asked’. ‘Tell’ is another classic.
In truth, these verbs are incredibly uninformative. In reality, they tell us nothing about the emotion or feeling of what was communicated.
Therefore, it is better to run through the many options of reporting verbs we have at our disposal to select an option which best describes the sentiment of the words. Of course, in formal or business English you may want to stay with the neutral words of ‘say’, ‘ask’ and ‘tell’, but to be a little more descriptive, why not check out some of these options:
- admit
- advise
- beg
- concede
- enquire
- explain
- mutter
- plead
- promise
- recommend
- suggest
- warn
- whisper
There are almost countless others. Give your language more color by choosing something more descriptive.
And don’t forget, the Linguix AI-powered writing assistant can provide you not only with the grammatical and structural amendments that you need to be correct in your writing, but can also be used to adapt your style so it is suitable to your audience. Get lists of synonyms to help you identify the perfect word, too.
Practical tips for using reported speech
When you convert direct speech, concentrate on three adjustments: tense (backshifting when the report is later), perspective (pronouns and time words), and sentence type (turn questions into statements). Treat these changes relative to when the reporting happens, not only to the original utterance.
Use a short checklist to reduce mistakes: remove quotation marks, change verb forms when the timing has shifted, adapt pronouns and time expressions to the reporter’s viewpoint, and restructure questions (use if/whether for yes/no questions).
Remember that tense backshift is sometimes optional-if the reported fact is still true or general (e.g., permanent states, habitual actions), keeping the original tense is acceptable.
- Remove quotes and reporting punctuation.
- Backshift tenses when reporting later (unless the fact still holds).
- Change pronouns and time references to match the speaker and moment of reporting.
- Convert questions into statements; use if/whether for yes/no questions.
FAQ
Can I ever keep the original tense?
Yes. If the statement expresses a current truth, habit, or ongoing situation, keeping the present tense is natural. Backshift only when the timing or certainty has clearly moved into the past.
Do I always need the word “that” after reporting verbs?
No. “That” is optional in many reported statements and is often omitted in informal writing and speech; include it when it makes the sentence clearer or more formal.
How should modal verbs be handled?
Some modals typically shift to past forms (e.g., will → would, can → could), while others (may, might, should, could) may remain unchanged depending on meaning and time reference. Match the modal to the intended degree of certainty and timing.