Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · 8 min read
Direct and indirect speech
There are two ways of reporting what someone said.
- Direct speech gives the exact words in inverted commas: He said, "I am tired."
- Indirect (reported) speech gives the meaning without quoting: He said that he was tired.
The sentence has two parts: the reporting clause (He said) and the reported clause ("I am tired"). When we change from direct to indirect, we normally change three things: the conjunction/form, the pronouns and the tense (and the words of time and place).
The three changes
1. Pronouns
Change according to sense, using the rule S – O – N (Subject, Object, No change):
- S — Subject: the first-person pronoun in the reported speech (I, we, my, our) changes to match the subject of the reporting verb. He said, "I am ill." → He said that he was ill.
- O — Object: the second-person pronoun (you, your) changes to match the object of the reporting verb. He said to me, "You are late." → He told me that I was late.
- N — No change: third-person pronouns (he, she, they, it) usually stay the same. She said, "He is coming." → She said that he was coming.
2. Tenses (when the reporting verb is in the past)
Move each verb one step back:
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| Simple present (is, works) | Simple past (was, worked) |
| Present continuous (is working) | Past continuous (was working) |
| Present perfect (has worked) | Past perfect (had worked) |
| Present perfect continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| Simple past (worked) | Past perfect (had worked) |
| Past continuous | Past perfect continuous |
| Simple future (will work) | would work |
| can / may / shall | could / might / would (should) |
| must | had to (obligation); must stays if it is a general truth or a strong inference |
| would, could, might, should, ought to | unchanged |
3. Words of time and place
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| last night / week / year | the night / week / year before, the previous ... |
| next week | the following week |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this / these | that / those |
| come | go |
| thus | so |
- The reporting verb is in the present or future (He says / will say that ...): He says, "I am ill." → He says that he is ill.
- The reported speech is a universal truth, habit, proverb or scientific fact: The teacher said, "The earth moves round the sun." → The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun.
- The reported speech has a modal that does not change (could, would, might, should, ought to).
- The reported speech is a statement about something still true or a historical past already in the past perfect.
- The words are reported soon after being spoken and the event is still true: He said, "I live in Delhi." → He said that he lives in Delhi (acceptable).
Types of sentence
Statements
Use that (often omitted) after the reporting verb (said, told, stated, explained, added, replied). He said, "I work hard." → He said that he worked hard. She said to him, "I will help you." → She told him that she would help him.
Said to → told; said (no listener named) stays said.
Questions
Use asked / enquired / wanted to know and remove the question mark; the word order becomes normal (statement order), and do/does/did is dropped.
- Yes/No questions: join with if / whether: He said to me, "Are you ready?" → He asked me if/whether I was ready.
- Wh- questions: keep the question word: She asked, "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived. "What is your name?" → He asked me what my name was.
- Order: subject before the verb; no auxiliary do: "Why did you leave?" → He asked me why I had left.
Commands, requests, advice, prohibitions
Use the infinitive (to + V1) with a suitable reporting verb — ordered, commanded, told, requested, begged, advised, forbade, warned, urged, invited, suggested.
- He said to me, "Shut the door." → He ordered me to shut the door.
- "Please help me," she said. → She requested me to help her.
- "Do not smoke here," he said. → He forbade me to smoke there. / He told me not to smoke there.
- "You should rest," the doctor said. → The doctor advised me to rest.
Exclamations and wishes
Use exclaimed with joy/sorrow/surprise that ..., cried out that ..., wished / prayed:
- He said, "Hurrah! We have won." → He exclaimed with joy that they had won.
- She said, "Alas! I am ruined." → She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.
- "What a beautiful scene!" he said. → He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful scene.
- "May you live long!" she said. → She prayed that I might live long.
Suggestions with let
He said, "Let us go for a walk." → He suggested that they should go for a walk. "Let him go," she said. → She said that he should be allowed to go.
Greetings and thanks
He said, "Good morning!" → He wished me good morning. "Thank you," she said to him. → She thanked him. "Congratulations!" → He congratulated me.