Reported Speech — Statements, Questions, and Commands
Imagine you are at your office in Gurgaon and your manager, Mr. Khanna, says to you, "I will review your report tomorrow." Later that evening, your colleague calls you and asks what the boss said. If you repeat his exact words, it sounds like he is speaking right then. Instead, you need to report his words by shifting the time and perspective. Mastering Reported Speech (also called Indirect Speech) is essential for professional emails, UPSC descriptive papers, and IELTS speaking tests where you often have to recount conversations accurately.
When we report what someone said, we usually move the speaker's original words one step back into the past (called Backshift).
- If the reporting verb (said, told, asked) is in the past tense, the verbs inside the quote must change.
- Pronouns (I, you, we) and time expressions (now, tomorrow) must also change to reflect the new perspective.
1. The Tense Backshift
When the reporting verb is in the past (e.g., Ravi said...), the tense of the original statement shifts back. Think of it as taking a step further away from the present moment.
| Direct Speech (Original) | Reported Speech (Indirect) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Simple Past | "I live in Delhi," said Neha. → Neha said she lived in Delhi. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | "Rohan is playing cricket," he said. → He said Rohan was playing cricket. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | "I have finished the PPT," said Priya. → Priya said she had finished the PPT. |
| Simple Past | Past Perfect | "We went to Mumbai," they said. → They said they had gone to Mumbai. |
| will / shall | would (or should for offers/suggestions) | "I will call you," said Arjun. → Arjun said he would call me. (Note: 'Shall' shifts to 'should' only for offers or advice.) |
| can | could | "I can speak Tamil," said Rahul. → Rahul said he could speak Tamil. |
| may | might | "It may rain tonight," she said. → She said it might rain that night. |
| must | had to | "You must submit the form," he said. → He said I had to submit the form. |
✏️ Quick Practice — Tense Shifting
Change the following into Reported Speech:
- Rajesh said, "I am writing an email to the client."
- "I have lost my keys," complained Meera.
- The teacher said, "The students finished the test early."
Answers: 1. Rajesh said he was writing an email to the client. | 2. Meera complained that she had lost her keys. | 3. The teacher said the students had finished the test early.
2. Pronoun and Time Expression Changes
Because the person reporting the speech is different from the original speaker, pronouns must change. Similarly, here becomes there because the location has likely changed, and today becomes that day because the time has passed.
| Word in Direct Speech | Word in Reported Speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / Me | He, She / Him, Her | "I like sweets," she said. → She said she liked sweets. |
| We / Us | They / Them | "We are late," they said. → They said they were late. |
| You | I / Me / He / She | "I will help you," he said. → He said he would help me. |
| Now | Then / At that time | "I am busy now," said Akash. → Akash said he was busy then. |
| Today | That day | "I will visit today." → She said she would visit that day. |
| Tomorrow | The next day / The following day | "See you tomorrow." → He said he'd see me the next day. |
| Yesterday | The day before / The previous day | "It rained yesterday." → She said it had rained the day before. |
| Here / This | There / That | "Put it here." → He told me to put it there. |
3. Reporting Statements: Say vs. Tell
One of the most frequent errors among Indian learners is the confusion between say and tell.
- Say: Use say when you do not mention the listener immediately after the verb. You say something.
- Tell: Use tell when you mention the listener (the object). You tell someone something.
✅ Correct: Ravi said that he was happy.
✅ Correct: Ravi told me that he was happy.
❌ Incorrect: Ravi told that he was happy. ('tell' needs an object like 'me', 'him', or 'us')
If you are mentioning the person being spoken to, use told. If you are just reporting the information without mentioning the listener, use said.
4. Reporting Questions
Reporting questions is tricky because the word order changes. In a normal question, we use Verb + Subject (e.g., "Where are you?"). In reported speech, we use the statement order: Subject + Verb (e.g., "He asked where I was"). We do not use the auxiliary verbs do, does, or did.
Type A: Yes/No Questions
Use if or whether to connect the clauses.
✅ Direct: "Are you coming to the party?" asked Karan.
✅ Reported: Karan asked if I was coming to the party.
Type B: Wh- Questions
Keep the question word (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How).
✅ Direct: "Where do you live?" asked the interviewer.
✅ Reported: The interviewer asked where I lived.
| Direct Question | Reported Question | Why the change? |
|---|---|---|
| "What is your name?" | He asked what my name was. | No question mark; statement order. |
| "Did you see the match?" | He asked if I had seen the match. | 'Did' is removed; Past Simple → Past Perfect. |
| "Can you help me?" | She asked if I could help her. | 'Can' becomes 'could'; 'if' is added. |
✏️ Quick Practice — Reporting Questions
Change the following into Reported Speech:
- Anjali asked, "Where is the nearest Metro station?"
- My father asked, "Have you finished your homework?"
- "Why are you crying?" asked the mother.
Answers: 1. Anjali asked where the nearest Metro station was (or 'is'). | 2. My father asked if/whether I had finished my homework. | 3. The mother asked why I was crying.
5. Reporting Commands and Requests
When reporting an order, a command, or a request, we don't usually use that. Instead, we use the pattern:
Reporting Verb + Person + To + Verb (Infinitive)
- Commands: Use verbs like tell, order, command, instruct.
"Stay back!" the policeman said to the crowd. → The policeman ordered the crowd to stay back. - Requests: Use ask, beg, request.
"Please bring me a glass of water," said the guest. → The guest asked me to bring him a glass of water. - Negative Commands: Use not to.
"Don't touch the wire," warned the electrician. → The electrician warned us not to touch the wire.
6. When NOT to Backshift
Grammar isn't always about shifting back. In three specific cases, we keep the original tense:
- General Truths / Facts: "The teacher said that the sun rises in the east." (The sun still rises there, so no backshift is needed).
- Reporting Verbs in Present Tense: If the reporting verb is says or tells (Present), the tense inside does not change. "Suresh says he is busy." (He is still busy now).
- Immediate Reporting: If you are reporting something that was said just a few seconds ago and the situation is still true, you do not need to backshift. (e.g., "I am hungry," said Raj just now. → Raj said just now that he is hungry.)
7. Common Mistakes by Indian Learners
Many learners translate directly from Hindi or regional languages, leading to word order errors in questions or incorrect usage of told.
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| He told that he will come. | He said (that) he would come. | 'Tell' needs an object (me/him); 'will' shifts to 'would'. |
| She asked me where do I live? | She asked me where I lived. | Reported questions use statement order, not question order. |
| The boss told to finish the work. | The boss told me to finish the work. | 'Tell' must be followed by the person being addressed. |
| He said he has seen the movie. | He said he had seen the movie. | Present Perfect must shift to Past Perfect. |
Summary
Reported speech is the art of relaying information while adjusting the perspective of time, place, and person. To master it:
- Always check if your reporting verb is in the past (said/told).
- If it is, move the main verb one step back (is → was, have → had), unless you are reporting a general truth, a fact, or speech that was just uttered.
- Switch pronouns to match the new speaker (I → he/she).
- Use if/whether for Yes/No questions and remove do/does/did.
- Use to + verb for commands and requests.
Key takeaway: Next time you're reporting a conversation from a meeting or a family gathering, consciously check your tense and your Say vs. Tell usage. Practise by writing a short summary of a recent news interview you watched on TV.