Reported Speech in English: Rules and Examples

Reported speech retells what someone said without repeating every exact word. Use said plus a clause, told plus a person and a clause, asked plus if, whether, or a question word, and asked or told plus a person and a to-infinitive for requests or instructions. Change tense, pronouns, time, and place only when the new viewpoint requires it.

Direct speech presents someone’s words as a quotation. Reported, or indirect, speech presents the message from the reporter’s point of view:

• Direct: Emma said, “I’m tired.”
• Reported: Emma said that she was tired.

Reported speech is not a word-for-word code. In conversation, people summarize, keep information that is still true, and choose the time or place words that fit the moment of reporting.

Use say and tell with different patterns

Pattern	Natural example	Common error
say + clause	“Mia said she was ready.”	Not “Mia said me…”
say to + person	“Mia said to Ben, ‘Wait here.’”	Not “said Ben”
tell + person + clause	“Mia told Ben she was ready.”	Not “Mia told she…”
tell + person + to	“Mia told Ben to wait.”	Not “told to Ben”

After said or told, that is often optional in everyday speech:

• “Emma said that the room was ready.”
• “Emma said the room was ready.”

Both are natural. Keep that when it makes a long sentence easier to follow.

Backshift is common, but meaning controls it

When the reporting verb is in the past and the original situation belongs to the past, the reported verb often moves one step back. This is called backshift.

Direct form	Common reported form	Example
present simple	past simple	“I work here.” → She said she worked there.
present continuous	past continuous	“I’m waiting.” → He said he was waiting.
present perfect	past perfect	“I’ve finished.” → She said she had finished.
past simple	past perfect	“I sent it.” → He said he had sent it.
will	would	“I’ll call.” → She said she would call.
can	could	“I can help.” → He said he could help.

In natural American English, backshift is not automatic in every report. If the information is still true or current, a present form can remain:

• “Sam said the store opens at nine on weekdays.” The schedule is still current.
• “Sam said the store opened at nine on weekdays.” The speaker frames the regular schedule inside the past report.

Both can be natural. A present reporting verb also normally keeps the current tense: “Mia says she works from home.”

Change pronouns to match the new speaker

The pronoun depends on who is reporting and who was addressed:

Ben said to Mia, “I’ll send you my notes.”
Ben told Mia that he would send her his notes.

Do not change a pronoun mechanically. First identify every person in the original scene, then rebuild the sentence from the reporter’s viewpoint.

Change time and place only when the viewpoint changes

Textbooks often show these changes:

Original viewpoint	Possible reported viewpoint
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day, the following day, or the named day
yesterday	the day before or the named day
here	there
this	that

These are choices, not automatic replacements. If Mia says “Meet me here tomorrow” and you report it a minute later in the same room, here and tomorrow still fit. If you report it later from another place, you may need there and a new time expression.

Reported questions use statement word order

A reported question is no longer arranged like a direct question. Put the subject before the verb, and do not add do, does, or did.

Yes-or-no questions

Use if or whether. Both are natural; if is more common in everyday conversation.

• “Do you work here?” → “Emma asked if I worked there.”
• “Has Ben called?” → “Mia asked whether Ben had called.”

Questions with who, what, where, when, why, or how

Keep the question word, then use statement order:

• “Where does Sam live?” → “Emma asked where Sam lived.”
• “Why are they leaving?” → “Ben asked why they were leaving.”

Do not say “Emma asked where did Sam live.” The reported clause does not use question inversion. It also does not take a question mark unless the complete sentence itself is a direct question.

If you need the other person to repeat or explain the original message before you report it, Ledoly’s guide to asking someone to repeat or clarify gives direct phrases for that moment.

Report requests and instructions with an infinitive

For a request, use ask + person + to-infinitive. For an instruction, use tell + person + to-infinitive:

• “Please send the file.” → “Mia asked Ben to send the file.”
• “Wait by the door.” → “Emma told Sam to wait by the door.”
• “Don’t open it.” → “Emma told Sam not to open it.”

The original form may look like a question: “Could you close the window?” If its function is a request, “She asked me to close the window” is usually more useful than reporting it as a yes-or-no question.

Summarize instead of moving every word

Good reported speech preserves the message, not every sentence. A long meeting comment may become “Ben said the team needed another day.” Ledoly’s guide to email English versus meeting English uses the same principle: record the decision and action, not a transcript of every word.

Practice: report the intended message

Rewrite each item in reported speech. Each prompt supplies the time or place context needed for its answer. The key lists the most natural American answers that preserve the stated meaning.

1. Report immediately with says: Ben says, “I work from home.”
2. Report the next day: Emma said, “I’m tired.”
3. It is Tuesday before the planned call. On Monday, Mia told Ben, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
4. The schedule is still current: Sam said, “The store opens at nine on weekdays.”
5. Ben still lives in the same place: Emma asked, “Where does Ben live?”
6. Report this yes-or-no question: Sam asked Emma, “Did Mia send the file?”
7. Report this polite request later from another room: Mia said to Ben, “Please wait here.”
8. Report this negative instruction: Emma said to Sam, “Don’t open the box.”
9. Choose said or told: “Mia ___ me that the room was ready.”
10. Choose if or whether: “Ben asked ___ I needed help.”

Answer key

1. Ben says (that) he works from home. That is optional.
2. Emma said (that) she was tired. That is optional.
3. Mia told Ben (that) she would call him today/Tuesday or she’ll call him today/Tuesday. She’d is accepted for she would, and she was going to call him today/Tuesday is also natural. The next day and the following day are accepted as narrative-style references back to Monday.
4. Sam said (that) the store opens at nine on weekdays or opened at nine on weekdays. Present is natural because the schedule remains current; past is natural when the speaker keeps the regular schedule inside the past report.
5. Emma asked where Ben lives or where Ben lived. Present emphasizes that his address is still current; backshifted past is also natural.
6. Sam asked Emma if Mia had sent the file or whether Mia had sent the file. In informal American conversation, if/whether Mia sent the file is also natural when the past event is clear.
7. Mia asked Ben to wait there. The report happens from another room, so the place word changes. An if/whether report is possible, but asked Ben to wait is the most direct report of a please-request.
8. Emma told Sam not to open the box.
9. told — tell takes the person directly: told me.
10. if or whether — both are natural; if is more common in everyday conversation.

Frequently asked questions

What is reported speech?

Reported speech tells another person the content of what someone said, asked, wrote, or thought without necessarily repeating the exact words. It is also called indirect speech.

What is the difference between said and told?

Use said before a reported clause: “Mia said she was ready.” Use told with the person receiving the message: “Mia told Ben she was ready.”

Do I always change the tense in reported speech?

No. Backshift is common when a past reporting verb introduces an earlier situation. A present form can remain when the information is still true, current, or regularly repeated.

Why does a reported question use statement word order?

The question becomes a clause inside a larger statement, so the subject comes before the verb: “She asked where Ben lived,” not “She asked where did Ben live.” Use if or whether for a yes-or-no question.

Sources

• British Council LearnEnglish: Reported Speech—Statements — explains optional that, backshift choices, and viewpoint changes in pronouns, time, and place.
• British Council LearnEnglish: Reported Speech — explains reporting and summarizing, reporting-verb patterns, and present or past choices for information that remains true.
• British Council LearnEnglish: Reported Speech—Questions — documents if/whether, question words, statement order, and request patterns.
• VOA Learning English: The Difference Between Say and Tell — distinguishes say something from tell someone and shows their common reporting patterns.