Reported speech — statements

When you tell someone what another person said, you have two options. Direct speech quotes the words exactly: She said, “I am tired.” Reported (indirect) speech wraps the message in your own grammar: She said she was tired.

Reported speech is everywhere in English — news (“The president announced that…”), gossip (“She told me he was leaving…”), and basic conversation (“I thought you said you were free?”). The grammar isn’t difficult — it’s a set of mechanical shifts — but you have to know which shifts apply when.

The core idea: the reporting verb is in the past, so everything else slides one step further into the past too. That step is called backshift.

The basic move

Direct: She said, “I work in Boston.” Reported: She said (that) she worked in Boston.

The original work (present simple) shifts to worked (past simple). That’s backshift.

The conjunction that is optional:

• She said that she worked in Boston. (slightly more careful)
• She said she worked in Boston. (more conversational)

In American English, that is usually dropped in casual speech and kept in writing.

Backshift table — tenses

The pattern is: shift one step backward in time. Present → past, past → past perfect, will → would. Past perfect doesn’t shift further (already maximally past).

Backshift table — modals

Modals that don’t backshift: could, would, should, might, ought to — they’re already in the “past” form for these systems. He said he could help stays could.

Pronouns and other shifts

Backshift isn’t only about verbs. Pronouns, possessives, and time/place expressions shift too — to match the new speaker’s perspective.

Pronouns

Direct: She said, “I love my new job.” Reported: She said she loved her new job.

Direct: He told me, “You are amazing.” Reported: He told me I was amazing. (the you was me)

Time expressions

Direct: He said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Reported: He said he would see me the next day.

Direct: She said, “I bought it yesterday.” Reported: She said she had bought it the day before.

Place expressions

Direct: They said, “We love it here.” Reported: They said they loved it there.

When NOT to backshift

Backshift is the default, but there are real exceptions. Skip it when:

1. The statement is still true now

If what was said is still a current fact, you can keep present tense.

• Direct: She said, “I live in Boston.”
• Reported (still lives there): She said she lives in Boston. OR She said she lived in Boston. — both fine.
• Reported (no longer lives there / unsure): She said she lived in Boston. (backshift signals “back then”)

In modern AmE, both versions are accepted even when still true; backshift is just slightly more cautious.

2. Universal / general truths

• Direct: The teacher said, “Water boils at 100°C.”
• Reported: The teacher said water boils at 100°C. (doesn’t shift to boiled — still true)

3. Reporting verb is in the present

If you’re reporting with a present-tense verb (she says, he tells me, the news reports), no backshift is needed.

• She says she is tired. (no shift — reporting verb in present)
• He tells me he needs help.

This is common with say, tell, claim, argue, mention in present tense.

4. Recent / immediate reporting

If you’re reporting something just said, native speakers often skip backshift in casual speech:

• She just said she wants coffee. (could also be wanted; both work)
• He told me he is running late.

Especially common when the reporter heard the message a moment ago.

Say vs tell

These two verbs are the workhorses of reported speech. They’re not interchangeable.

Rule of thumb:

• ✅ She said she was tired. (no listener mentioned)
• ✅ She told me she was tired. (listener: me)
• ❌ She told she was tired. (no listener — wrong)
• ❌ She said me she was tired. (with listener but no preposition — wrong)

If you must mention a listener with say, use say to + person: She said to me that she was tired — this is grammatically fine but less common than told me.

Other common reporting verbs

You’ll meet these more in lessons 14–15, but a quick preview:

• explain (to + sb): He explained to me that the deadline had moved.
• mention (to + sb): She mentioned she’d be late.
• announce / declare: They announced the event was canceled.
• claim / argue: He claimed he hadn’t seen her.
• admit / confess: She admitted she had lied.

Putting it all together — a worked example

Direct: Mark said, “I’m working from home today, and I’ll join the call in an hour.”

Reported steps:

1. Verb: am working → was working (present cont. → past cont.).
2. Verb: will join → would join.
3. Pronoun: I → he.
4. Time: today → that day; in an hour → an hour later (or kept if still understood).

Reported: Mark said (that) he was working from home that day, and he would join the call an hour later.

Or, if you’re saying this right after he said it: Mark said he’s working from home today, and he’ll join the call in an hour. — no shift needed because it’s all still happening.

AmE notes

In American English, backshift is often skipped in casual speech, especially when:

• The original statement is still relevant.

• The reporting happens soon after.

• The shift would feel overly bookish.

• Casual: He said he wants pizza.

• Formal / careful: He said he wanted pizza.

In writing — emails, news, business — keep backshift consistent. In conversation, both versions sound natural.

Also common in AmE: “like” as a quotative in informal speech.

• She was like, “I can’t believe it!” (= She said…)
• He was like, “Why are you here?”

This isn’t standard reported speech; it’s quoting the original words with attitude. Recognize it; don’t use it in writing or formal contexts.

Pronunciation notes

• said /sɛd/ — short, not /seɪd/. He said → /hi sɛd/.
• told /toʊld/ — diphthong. Told me → /toʊld mi/, often /toʊl mi/ as the /d/ drops.
• that in reported speech reduces to /ðət/ when unstressed: He said that he was tired → /hi sɛd ðət hi wəz taɪrd/.
• would reduces to /wəd/: He said he would come → /hi sɛd hi wəd kʌm/.

Common Russian-speaker mistakes

1. No backshift at all: He said he is tired → He said he was tired (in formal/written English). Russian doesn’t shift tenses in indirect speech, so the calque feels natural — but English readers expect backshift.
2. Too much backshift on still-true facts: He said he had two sisters (when he still does) → He said he has two sisters is now fully acceptable in AmE. Either is fine — pick consistency.
3. Forgetting pronoun shift: She said I am tired (when I should be she) → She said she was tired. Always shift the pronoun to match the new perspective.
4. Say vs tell mix-up: She told that she was busy → She said that she was busy OR She told me (that) she was busy. Tell needs an indirect object; say doesn’t.
5. Time markers not shifted: He said he would call me tomorrow (when “tomorrow” is no longer the next day) → He said he would call me the next day. Update time references to the new perspective.
6. Will not shifted to would: He said he will help (sounds direct/ungrammatical in past context) → He said he would help. Will must shift to would in past reporting.

Summary

• Backshift = move tense one step backward when reporting verb is past.
• Tenses: present → past; past → past perfect; will → would.
• Modals: can → could; may → might; must (obligation) → had to.
• Pronouns and time/place expressions also shift.
• No backshift if statement is still true, universal, or reporting is in present / immediate.
• Say doesn’t need an object; tell does (told me, told her).
• AmE casual speech often skips backshift; formal writing keeps it.

Next lesson: reported questions and commands — how to relay what someone asked or told you to do.