Grammar: Reported Speech
B2 Lesson 1: Reported Statements
Why It Matters: Direct vs. Reported Speech
Reported Speech is how we tell someone what another person said, without using their exact words. Mastering this requires changing the tense, pronouns, and time/place words.
My friend said, "I am happy today."
My friend said that he was happy that day.
The Rules for Reporting Statements 📖
Rule 1: The Tense "Backshift"
When the reporting verb is in the past (e.g., "he said"), the verb tense in the original statement usually takes one step back into the past.
| Direct Speech Tense | Reported Speech Tense |
|---|---|
| Present Simple ("I work") | Past Simple ("He said he worked") |
| Present Continuous ("I am working") | Past Continuous ("He said he was working") |
| Past Simple ("I worked") | Past Perfect ("He said he had worked") |
| Present Perfect ("I have worked") | Past Perfect ("He said he had worked") |
| will ("I will work") | would ("He said he would work") |
| can ("I can work") | could ("He said he could work") |
Rule 2: Pronoun & Adverbial Changes
Pronouns and words describing time and place must also change logically based on the new perspective.
Direct: My friend said, "I will meet you here in Battambang tomorrow."
Reported: My friend said that he would meet me there in Battambang the next day.
💡 Pro Tip: Exception for Timeless Truths
If the original statement is a general fact or a timeless truth (something that is always true), we usually do not backshift the tense.
Direct: The teacher said, "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."
Reported: The teacher said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
Exercise: Report the Statement
Convert these direct statements into reported speech by filling in the blanks.
- Direct: "I am studying now."
→ He said that he _______ studying _______. (was / then) - Direct: "We will visit you tomorrow."
→ They said they would visit us _______. (the next day) - Direct: "I have finished my project."
→ She told me that she _______ her project. (had finished) - Direct: "I went to the cinema yesterday."
→ He said that he _______ to the cinema _______. (had gone / the day before)
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
What Did They Say?
Imagine your friend said these things to you yesterday. Report them to another friend today.
- "I am really enjoying my trip here."
→ She said that she was really enjoying her trip there. - "I bought this beautiful krama yesterday."
→ He said that he had bought that beautiful krama the day before. - "I will call you tomorrow."
→ She said that she would call me the next day.
Key Vocabulary
- Reported Speech Reporting what someone else said, without using their exact words.
- Direct Speech The exact words someone said, inside quotation marks ("...").
- Backshift To change a verb tense to a "more past" tense.
- Timeless Truth A statement that is always true, like a scientific fact.