Reported Speech

Reported Statements

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm
going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person
said. Here's how it works:

We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy.
We just put 'she says' and then the sentence.

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I'
to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.

On the other hand, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the
tenses in the reported speech:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

Reported speech: She said she liked ice cream.

Tense Direct Speech Reported Speech

present simple "I like ice cream." She said (that) she liked ice cream.

present "I am living in London." She said she was living in London.
continuous
past simple "I bought a car." She said she had bought a car OR She
said she bought a car.

past continuous "I was walking along the She said she had been walking along the
street." street.

present perfect "I haven't seen Julie." She said she hadn't seen Julie.

past perfect* "I had taken English She said she had taken English lessons
lessons before." before.

will "I'll see you later." She said she would see me later.

would* "I would help, but…" She said she would help but...
 can "I can speak perfect She said she could speak perfect English.
English."

could* "I could swim when I She said she could swim when she was four.
was four."

shall "I shall come later." She said she would come later.

should* "I should call my She said she should call her mother.
mother."

might* "I might be late." She said she might be late.

must "I must study at the She said she must study at the weekend. OR
weekend." She said she had to study at the weekend.

* doesn't change.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct
speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we
like to change the tense):

Direct speech: The sky is blue.

Reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative
sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: Where do you live?

Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so different from reported
statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very
important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question
any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence.:

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a
present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change
the verb to the past simple. Another example:
Direct speech: Where is Julie?
Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple
of be by inverting (changing the position of) the subject and verb. So, we need to change them
back before putting the verb into the past simple. Here are some more examples:

Direct Question Reported Question

"Where is the Post Office, please?" She asked me where the Post Office was.

"What are you doing?" She asked me what I was doing.

"Who was that fantastic man?" She asked me who that fantastic man had
been.

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't
have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':

Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?

Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

Direct Question Reported Question

"Do you love me?" He asked me if I loved him.

"Have you ever been to She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
Mexico?"

"Are you living here?" She asked me if I was living here.

Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)?
For example:

Direct speech: Close the window, please.

Or: Could you close the window please?
Or: Would you mind closing the window please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when
we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples:

Direct Request Reported Request

"Please help me". She asked me to help her.

"Please don't smoke". She asked me not to smoke.
"Could you bring my book tonight?" She asked me to bring her book that night.
"Could you pass the milk, please?" She asked me to pass the milk.
"Would you mind coming early tomorrow?" She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

Direct speech: Please don't be late.

Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.
Reported Orders

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in
English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

Direct speech: Sit down!

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell'
instead of 'ask.'

Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Direct Order Reported Order

"Go to bed!" He told the child to go to bed.
"Don't worry!" He told her not to worry.
"Be on time!" He told me to be on time.
"Don't smoke!" He told us not to smoke.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time
expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard
the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example:

It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".

So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was
said.

Here's a table of some possible conversions.

now then / at that time

today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
yesterday The day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December
last night the night before, Thursday night
last week the week before / the previous week
tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday
 Reported Statements: Present Simple

Change the direct speech into reported speech.

1. "I live in New York"

She said ________________________________________________________

2. "He works in a bank"

She told me _____________________________________________________

3. "Julie doesn't like going out much"

She said ________________________________________________________

4. "I don't have a computer"

She said ________________________________________________________

5. "They never arrive on time"

She said ________________________________________________________

6. "We often meet friends in London at the weekend"

He told me _____________________________________________________

7. "David doesn't have any children"

She said ________________________________________________________

8. "I don't go to the gym very often"

She said ________________________________________________________

9. "Lucy owns three flats in the city"

She said ________________________________________________________

10. "I never get up early on Sundays"

She said ________________________________________________________
11. "She meets her boyfriend at the cinema every Friday night"
He said ________________________________________________________

12. "We don't travel much"

She said ________________________________________________________

13. "John doesn't live in Japan anymore"

She said ________________________________________________________

14. "They work in Hong Kong"

She told me _____________________________________________________

15. "I have to work until seven or eight pm every night"

She said ________________________________________________________

16. "I don't want to go to the theatre next weekend"

She said ________________________________________________________

17. "We like working in Paris"

She said ________________________________________________________

18. "She doesn't have enough time to do everything"

She said ________________________________________________________

19. "Tony hates mushrooms"

She told me _____________________________________________________

20. "They often go on holiday in July"

She said ________________________________________________________
 Reported Statements: Present Continuous

Change the direct speech into reported speech.

1. "I'm sleeping"
She told me _____________________________________________________

2. "We're working"
She told me _____________________________________________________

3. "She's coming to the party"

She told me _____________________________________________________

4. "He's talking on the telephone"

She told me _____________________________________________________

5. "Lucy is reading a book in front of the fire"

She told me _____________________________________________________

6. "I'm not going out"

She said ________________________________________________________

7. "We are not visiting Paris during our trip"

She said ________________________________________________________

8. "I'm listening to my new CD"

She said ________________________________________________________

9. "John is working in a bar for the summer"

She told me _____________________________________________________

10. "I'm not going to go on holiday"

She told me _____________________________________________________
11. "He isn't living in Beijing"
She told me _____________________________________________________

12. "I'm taking the train to Berlin"

She told me _____________________________________________________

13. "He is never coming back"

She told me _____________________________________________________

14. "Jill is studying a lot"

She told me _____________________________________________________

15. "I'm not meeting Julie"

She told me _____________________________________________________

16. "We aren't renting a flat"

She said ________________________________________________________

17. "They are visiting the museum"

She said ________________________________________________________

18. "She's eating dinner"

She said ________________________________________________________

19. "We aren't going to the library"

She said ________________________________________________________

20. "I'm coming"

She said ________________________________________________________
 Reported Statements: Past Simple

Change the direct speech into reported speech.

1. "I went to the cinema yesterday."

She said ________________________________________________________

2. "Jane left the party early."

She told me _____________________________________________________

3. "I didn't go out at the weekend."

She said ________________________________________________________

4. "He didn't like chocolate as a child."

She said ________________________________________________________

5. "They visited Japan."

She said ________________________________________________________

6. "She didn't buy the dress."

He told me _____________________________________________________

7. "I travelled through India and Pakistan."

She told me _____________________________________________________

8. "He met his girlfriend in a café."

She said ________________________________________________________

9. "David didn't arrive until 10 o'clock."

She said ________________________________________________________

10. "We went to the park to have a picnic."

She told me _____________________________________________________
11. "We ate Chinese food, then we walked home."
She told me _____________________________________________________

12. "She forgot to bring the CDs."

He told me _____________________________________________________

13. "I didn't like the food in the restaurant."

She said ________________________________________________________

14. "He didn't take a shower."

She said ________________________________________________________

15. "I worked until six."

She said ________________________________________________________

16. "We went to Paris for the weekend."

She said ________________________________________________________

17. "The plane left at seven."

She said ________________________________________________________

18. "I came to London in 2004."

She said ________________________________________________________

19. "Lucy didn't go to university."

She told me _____________________________________________________

20. "John never studied German."

She said ________________________________________________________
 Reported Statements: Present Perfect

Change the direct speech to reported speech.

1. "I've never been to Brazil."

She said ________________________________________________________

2. "She has visited Paris three times."

She said ________________________________________________________

3. "He has read 'War and Peace'."

She said ________________________________________________________

4. "I haven't seen Julie for ages."

She said ________________________________________________________

5. "He hasn't been to school this week."

She said ________________________________________________________

6. "We haven't seen 'The Lord of the Rings'."

She said ________________________________________________________

7. "They've eaten in a lot of different restaurants."

She said ________________________________________________________

8. "I've never tried skateboarding."

She said ________________________________________________________

9. "Lucy has drunk six cups of coffee today."

She said ________________________________________________________

10. "Mr Black has written three books."

She said ________________________________________________________
11. "It hasn't rained much this year."
She said ________________________________________________________

12. "She has never swum in the sea."

She said ________________________________________________________

13. "He has studied Latin."

She said ________________________________________________________

14. "I've been sick all week."

She said ________________________________________________________

15. "Robert has been to China five times."

She said ________________________________________________________

16. "I haven't met Richard before."

She said ________________________________________________________

17. "Julie has never studied music."

She said ________________________________________________________

18. "He has eaten too much chocolate."

She said ________________________________________________________

19. "We haven't seen the new play."

She said ________________________________________________________

20. "I haven't tried the new restaurant yet."

She said ________________________________________________________
 Reported Statements: Future Simple

Change the direct speech into reported speech.

1. "I'll go to the cinema later."

She said ________________________________________________________

2. "We'll meet the children at six."

She said ________________________________________________________

3. "She'll be late."
She said ________________________________________________________

4. "Lucy will definitely come."

She said ________________________________________________________

5. "I will stop smoking on Tuesday."

She told us _____________________________________________________

6. "John won't do it."

She said ________________________________________________________

7. "They won't be able to arrive early."

She said ________________________________________________________

8. "I won't come with you."

She said ________________________________________________________

9. "He won't remember to buy milk."

She said ________________________________________________________

10. "It won't rain later, I'm sure."

She said ________________________________________________________
11. "The Conservatives will win the next election."
She said ________________________________________________________

12. "That girl will never pass the exam."

She told us _____________________________________________________

13. "John will arrive before David."

She said ________________________________________________________

14. "It will be cold tonight."

She said ________________________________________________________

15. "Jenny will cook dinner."

She said ________________________________________________________

16. "We want to get married next year."

She said ________________________________________________________

17. "I won't be able to afford a new car."

She said ________________________________________________________

18. "She won't want to attend the meeting."

She said ________________________________________________________

19. "Richard won't drink coffee."

She said ________________________________________________________

20. "I won't vote at the next election."

She said ________________________________________________________
 Reported Statements Mixed Exercise

Change this direct speech into reported speech.

1. "He works in a bank"

She said ___________________________________________________________

2. "We went out last night"

She told me ________________________________________________________

3. "I'm coming!"
She said ___________________________________________________________

4. "I was waiting for the bus when he arrived"

She told me ________________________________________________________

5. "I'd never been there before"

She said ___________________________________________________________

6. "I didn't go to the party"

She told me ________________________________________________________

7. "Lucy'll come later"

She said ___________________________________________________________

8. "He hasn't eaten breakfast"

She told me ________________________________________________________

9. "I can help you tomorrow"

She said ___________________________________________________________

10. "You should go to bed early"

She told me ________________________________________________________
11. "I don't like chocolate"
She told me ________________________________________________________

12. "I won't see you tomorrow"

She said ___________________________________________________________

13. "She's living in Paris for a few months"

She said ___________________________________________________________

14. "I visited my parents at the weekend"

She told me ________________________________________________________

15. "She hasn't eaten sushi before"

She said ___________________________________________________________

16. "I hadn't travelled by underground before I came to London"

She said ___________________________________________________________

17. "They would help if they could"

She said ___________________________________________________________

18. "I'll do the washing-up later"

She told me ________________________________________________________

19. "He could read when he was three"

She said ___________________________________________________________

20. "I was sleeping when Julie called"

She said ___________________________________________________________
 Reported Yes / No Questions: Present Simple

Change the direct questions into reported questions.

1. "Is John at home?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

2. "Am I late?"
She asked me if __________________________________________________

3. "Is it cold outside?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

4. "Are they in Paris?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

5. "Is the bus stop near the shopping centre?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

6. "Is the milk fresh?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

7. "Are you a doctor?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

8. "Are James and Lucy from France?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

9. "Is my brother in the garden?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

10. "Is the weather good in Shanghai in the summer?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________
11. "Does Julie drink tea?"
She asked me if __________________________________________________

12. "Do you like chocolate?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

13. "Do they own a flat?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

14. "Does David go to the cinema often?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

15. "Do the children study Chinese?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

16. "Do they go on holiday every summer?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

17. "Does your sister live in Stockholm?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

18. "Do I talk too much?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

19. "Does Jennifer want a new job?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________

20. "Does it rain a lot in London?"

She asked me if __________________________________________________
 Reported 'Wh' Questions: Present Simple

Change the direct questions into reported questions.

1. "Where is the post office?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

2. "Why is Julie sad?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

3. "What's for dinner?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

4. "Who is the woman in the red dress?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

5. "How is your grandmother?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

6. "When is the party?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

7. "How much is the rent on your flat?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

8. "Where are the glasses?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

9. "How is the weather in Chicago?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

10. "Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________
11. "Where do you usually go swimming?"
She asked me ___________________________________________________

12. "What does Luke do at the weekend?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

13. "Where do your parents live?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

14. "Who do you go running with?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

15. "When does Lucy get up?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

16. "How much TV do you watch?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

17. "How many books do they own?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

18. "Where does John work?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

19. "What do the children study on Fridays?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________

20. "Why do you study English?"

She asked me ___________________________________________________
 Reported Questions

Change these direct questions into reported speech:

1. "Where is he?"
She asked me ______________________________________________________

2. "What are you doing?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

3. "Why did you go out last night?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

4. "Who was that beautiful woman?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

5. "How is your mother?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

6. "What are you going to do at the weekend?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

7. "Where will you live after graduation?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

8. "What were you doing when I saw you?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

9. "How was the journey?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

10. "How often do you go to the cinema?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________
11. "Do you live in London?"
She asked me ______________________________________________________

12. "Did he arrive on time?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

13. "Have you been to Paris?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

14. "Can you help me?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

15. "Are you working tonight?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

16. "Will you come later?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

17. "Do you like coffee?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

18. "Is this the road to the station?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

19. "Did you do your homework?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

20. "Have you studied reported speech before?"

She asked me ______________________________________________________
 Reported Requests and Orders

Change the direct speech into reported speech.

1. "Please help me carry this"

She asked me ______________________________________________________

2. "Please come early"

She ______________________________________________________________

3. "Please buy some milk"

She ______________________________________________________________

4. "Could you please open the window?"

She ______________________________________________________________

5. "Could you bring the book tonight?"

She ______________________________________________________________

6. "Can you help me with my homework, please?"

She ______________________________________________________________

7. "Would you bring me a cup of coffee, please?"

She ______________________________________________________________

8. "Would you mind passing the salt?"

She ______________________________________________________________

9. "Would you mind lending me a pencil?"

She ______________________________________________________________

10. "I was wondering if you could possibly tell me the time?"
She ______________________________________________________________
11. "Do your homework!"
She told me ________________________________________________________

12. "Go to bed!"

She ______________________________________________________________

13. "Don't be late!"

She ______________________________________________________________

14. "Don't smoke!"

She ______________________________________________________________

15. "Tidy your room!"

She ______________________________________________________________

16. "Wait here!"

She ______________________________________________________________

17. "Don't do that!"

She ______________________________________________________________

18. "Eat your dinner!"

She ______________________________________________________________

19. "Don't make a mess!"

She ______________________________________________________________

20. "Do the washing-up!"

She ______________________________________________________________
 Mixed Reported Speech 1 (Statements, Questions, Requests and Orders)

Change the direct speech into reported speech. Choose the past simple of 'ask', 'say' or 'tell'.

1. "Don't do it!"
She ______________________________________________________________

2. "I'm leaving tomorrow"

She ______________________________________________________________

3. "Please get me a cup of tea"

She ______________________________________________________________

4. "She got married last year"

She ______________________________________________________________

5. "Be quick!"
She ______________________________________________________________

6. "Could you explain number four, please?"

She ______________________________________________________________

7. "Where do you live?"

She ______________________________________________________________

8. "We went to the cinema and then to a Chinese restaurant"

She ______________________________________________________________

9. "I'll come and help you at twelve"

She ______________________________________________________________

10. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

She ______________________________________________________________
11. "Don't go!"
She ______________________________________________________________

12. "Do you work in London?"

She ______________________________________________________________

13. "Could you tell me where the post office is?"

She ______________________________________________________________

14. "Come here!"

She ______________________________________________________________

15. "I've never been to Wales"

She ______________________________________________________________

16. "Have you ever seen 'Lord of the Rings'?"

She ______________________________________________________________

17. "I don't like mushrooms"

She ______________________________________________________________

18. "Don't be silly!"

She ______________________________________________________________

19. "Would you mind waiting a moment please?"

She ______________________________________________________________

20. "How often do you play sport?"

She ______________________________________________________________
 Mixed Reported Speech 2 (Statements, Questions, Requests and Orders)

Change the direct speech into reported speech. Choose the past simple of 'ask', 'say' or 'tell'.

1. "Come quickly!"
She ______________________________________________________________

2. "Did you arrive before seven?"

She ______________________________________________________________

3. "How was your holiday?"

She ______________________________________________________________

4. "I would have visited the hospital, if I had known you were sick"
She ______________________________________________________________

5. "Don't touch!"
She ______________________________________________________________

6. "Do you usually cook at home?"

She ______________________________________________________________

7. "They had never been to Scotland until last year"

She ______________________________________________________________

8. "Make sure you arrive early!"

She ______________________________________________________________

9. "I should have studied harder for the exam"

She ______________________________________________________________

10. "Would you mind telling me how to get to the art gallery, please?"
She ______________________________________________________________
11. "Please don't forget my book"
She ______________________________________________________________

12. "Make sure you arrive at six!"

She ______________________________________________________________

13. "Remember to study hard!"

She ______________________________________________________________

14. "Where do you want to eat tonight?"

She ______________________________________________________________

15. "I usually drink coffee in the mornings"

She ______________________________________________________________

16. "Do you like studying English?"

She ______________________________________________________________

17. "I'll come and help you on Saturday"

She ______________________________________________________________

18. "Please buy some bread on your way home"

She ______________________________________________________________

19. "Please give this to John"

She ______________________________________________________________

20. "Could you give me the glass on the table, please?"

She ______________________________________________________________