What’s ‘reported speech’ in English and when do we use it?

When do we use reported speech in daily life?

We use reported speech (also known as indirect speech) when we need to tell someone what another person said - but without using their exact words. It’s like you are making a report about what someone said, but you are paraphrasing the content. For example:

She said she was coming to class

I told you earlier that I would not be able to come.

You said yesterday that you would help me!

What are the English grammar rules for using reported speech?

You will notice two changes in the examples below:

Direct speech:  “I am happy to drive you to the airport.”

Reported or Indirect speech: “She said she was happy to drive me to the airport.”

1. The personal pronouns change, relative to the person who is speaking.

2. The verb tense changes, relative to the time we are in now. This usually involves the tense moving back in time – in the example above it moves from present simple to past simple.

So how do we express reported speech, taking this tense change into account? The tables below give examples:

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* Notice the use of the Engish word if in reporting Yes/No questions.

*See below for references to points in time 

How to use reported speech in the Past Perfect tense in English

There’s no change in tense if the original speech was in the past perfect – because we can’t go further back in time! Only the personal pronouns change:

I had already left when you arrived. She said she had already left when I arrived.

What if the reported speech is about a particular time?

Maybe the reported speech talks about something that happened at a specific time? This might need to change as well. See these examples;

*If the time or place has not changed relative to where we are now, we do not have to make such changes. For example, you’re reporting today about something your friend also has to do today:

I’ll do it today She said she would do it today.

Exceptions to using reported speech in English, like Modal verbs

Using Modal verbs with reported speech

Modal verbs can be quite tricky to move back in time. This is partly because the “past form” of many modal verbs is often used to refer to the present -- usually to be polite or hypothetical. To native speakers of English, model verbs sound less pushy and more polite. 

How to use reported speech and stay in the present tense 

In English, we usually keep verbs in the present if the statement is still true. For example:

She has a headache. I told you she has a headache!

(5 minutes later, if the other person is still talking loudly!)

I’m staying at my mother’s. He said he is staying at his mother’s. 

(If he is still staying at his mother’s now)

I love chocolate. She said she loves chocolate 

(We can assume this is a permanent state!)

How to use  Said and Told in reported speech, in English

All the above examples use said, or asked for questions. But if we want to specify the person who was addressed, we often use the word told:

I’ll be at work early. She said to me that she would be at work early.

Common grammar errors using reported speech in English

Verb before subject

A common error when reporting a question, is to keep the verb-subject inversion:

She asked did I know what to do. ｘ

When in fact, the reported speech is a statement, and should be subject-verb:

She asked if I knew what to do. ✓

This is a common error in what, where, when kind of questions too:

He asked where was the exit. ｘ

He asked where the exit was. ✓

Using Said instead of Told

Another common error is confusion between said and told, . Adult students of English often say sentences like:

She said me she was coming. ｘ

Instead of:

She told me she was coming. ✓

Examples of reported speech in English language songs

Do you know the song by The Killers called “Somebody Told Me”?  It says:

Well, somebody told me you had a boyfriend 

Who looked like a girlfriend 

That I had in February of last year

Mini Quiz

Spot the mistakes in these five sentences, and scroll down for the answers.

1. He asked how was the meeting.

2. She told to me the answers.

3. They asked us had we seen the accident.

4. She asked what was our homework.

5. Somebody said me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year

Answers

1. He asked how the meeting was.

2. She told me the answers.

3. They asked us if we had seen the accident.

4. She asked what our homework was.

5. Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year.