Reported Speech
Reported Speech is when we tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words.
history Backshifting
When reporting, the tense usually takes a "step back" into the past.
sync_alt Time & Pronouns
You must shift pronouns (I ➔ He) and time words to match the reporter's perspective.
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Watch the reporting verb!
Reported Speech đŹ
Watch Teacher Sopheak explain the tricky rules of backshifting tenses and shifting pronouns. It's like translating English into English!
Quick Check ⚡
He said he ___ pizza.
She said she ___ to Kep.
He said he would help me ___.
He says that he ___.
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Recent Questions
Hi Serey! Great question. You can absolutely remove it! In spoken English, native speakers usually drop the word "that" because it's faster. So "She said she was busy" is perfectly natural and correct. đŁ️
What happens if they say "must"? Like: "I must study."
That's a tricky one! Because "must" doesn't really have a past tense form of its own, it changes into "had to".
So: "I must study" ➔ He said he had to study. đĄ
Teacher, do I always have to use "that"? Like "She said THAT she was busy". Can I remove it?