Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said.

To do this, we can use

direct speech or indirect speech.
direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel.
indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.
In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g.  worked)
than the tense originally used (e.g. work). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change
other words that were used, for example pronouns.
When we use reported speech, the main verb of the sentence is usually past (Paul said
that…; I told her that ... etc.),
SHIFT OF TENSES

Indirect speech can be introduced by a verb in a present tense: He says that ... This is usual when
we are:

a. reporting a conversation that is still going on

b. reading a letter and reporting what it says
c. reading instructions and reporting them
d. reporting a statement that someone makes very often, e.g. Tom says that he’ll never get
married.
When the introductory verb is in a present, present perfect or future tense we can report the
direct speech without any change of tense:

PAUL (phoning from the station): I’m trying to get a taxi.

ANN (to Mary, who is standing beside her): Paul says he is trying to get a taxi.

 В косвенной речи время глагола НЕ меняется, если вы говорите о чем-то, что все еще
имеет место:

Sasha said: “I call my parents every week.”

Sasha said that he CALLS his parents every week.
 Past Simple НЕ меняется в косвенной речи, если в предложении указана конкретная дата
или промежуток времени:
Nikita said: “Australia was discovered in 1788.”
Nikita said that Australia was discovered in 1788.
 Past Simple может меняться или нет, на ваше усмотрение, если в предложении не указана
конкретная дата.

It is not always necessary to change the verb in reported speech. If the situation is still the same,
you do not need to change the verb to the past. For example:
direct Paul said ‘My new job is boring.'
 reported Paul said that his new job is boring.
(The situation is still the same. His job is still boring now.)

Indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense. Verbs in the direct speech have
then to be changed into a corresponding past tense.

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Simple Present Simple Past
“I never eat meat”, he explained. = He explained (that) he never ate meat.
Present Continuous Past Continuous
“I’m waiting for Ann”, he said. = He said (that) he was waiting for Ann.
Present Perfect Past Perfect
“I have found a flat”, he said. = He said (that) he had found a flat.
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
He said, “I’ve been waiting for ages”. = He said (that) he had been waiting for ages.
Simple Past Past Perfect
“I took it home with me”, she said. = She said (that) he had taken it home with
her.
Future Conditional
He said, “I will/shall be in Paris on Monday”. = He said (that) he would be in Paris on
Monday.
Future Continuous Conditional Continuous
“I will/shall be using the car myself on the = She said (that) she’d been using the car
24h”, she said. herself on the 24th.
Conditional Conditional
I said, “I would like to see it”. = I said (that) I would like to see it

MUST: after a past reporting verb, must does not usually change:

He said, “It must be pretty late, I really must go”.

He said that it must be pretty late and he really must go.
HAD TO is also possible in reported speech, but this is really the past of have to, not must.

He said, “I have to go. I have an appointment in half an hour”

He said that he had to go because he had an appointment in half an hour.
MODAL VERBS: Past modal verbs (could, might, ought to, should, used to, etc. ) do not normally
change in reported speech.

He said, “I might come”. - He said that he might come.

He said, “I would help him if I could”. - He said that he would help him if he could.

PRONOUNS AND ADJECTIVES

First and second person pronouns and possessive adjectives normally change to the third person
except when the speaker is reporting his own words. (I = he, she; me = him, her; my = his, her;
mine = his, hers; we = they...)
She said, “he’s my son”.  She said that he was her son.
“I’m ill”, she said.  She said that she was ill.
THIS / THESE
This used in time expressions usually becomes that.
She said, “She’s coming this week”.
She said that she was coming that week.
This and that used as adjectives usually change to the.
He said, “I bought this pearl/these pearls for my mother”.
He said that he had bought the pearl/the pearls for his mother.
This, these used as pronouns can become it, they/them.
 He came back with two knives and said, “I found these beside the king’s bed”.
He said he had found them beside the king’s bed.
He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow”.
He said that they would discuss it (the matter) the next day.

Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follows:

 Меняются не только формы глагола, но и наречия места, времени
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
today that day
(the) next day
yesterday the day before, the previous day
tomorrow the next day/the following day
next week/year etc. the next week/ year
the following week/year etc.
last week/year etc. the previous week/year etc.
the year before
a year etc. ago a year before/the previous year
the day before yesterday two days before
the day after tomorrow in two day’s time
now then
here there
this, these that, those

SAY AND TELL

 If you say who somebody is talking to, use tell:
Sonia told me that you were in hospital, (not Sonia said me)
What did you tell the police? (not say the police)
Otherwise use say:
Sonia said that you were in hospital, (not Sonia told that ...)
What did you say?
 But you can 'say something to somebody':
Ann said goodbye to me and left, (not Ann said me goodbye)
What did you say to the police?
 Tell/ask somebody to do something
We also use the infinitive (to do / to be etc) in reported speech, especially with tell and ask (for
orders and requests):
direct ‘Drink plenty of water,' the doctor said to me.
reported The doctor told me to drink plenty of water.
SAID- просто сказать
TOLD – ОБРАЩЕНИЕ
SAY кому-то – TOLD
ВОПРОСИТЕЛЬНЫЕ
Если английским вопросительным предложениям предшествуют фразы:
Do you know…
Could you tell me…
I’d like to know…
То обратный порядок слов меняется на прямой
When will Alex arrive? Do you know when Alex is will arrive?
Where is the class? Could you tell me where the class is?
When does the show start? I’d like to know when the show starts.
Общие вопросы присоединяются к главному предложению при помощи союзов if (ли) или
whether (ли):
“Is anyone there?” he asked
He asked if/whether anyone was there.
 DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
Утвердительные предложения
This is Mary calling from she was calling from London.
London.
Mary said (that)
We are staying with a very They were staying with a very
nice family. nice family.
Общие вопросы
Have you ever been to he had ever been to London.
London?
Mary asked Tim if/ whether
Will you visit any museums? he would visit any museums.
ПРЯМОЙ ПОРЯДОК
Специальные вопросы
How do you like London? how she liked London?
Where are you staying? where she was staying.
HOW/WHERE/WHAT…- Tim asked Mary
соединялки между
предложениями
Повелительные предложения to do smth
Mary says to Tim: “Ring me up tomorrow.” Mary told Tim to ring him up next day.