Tense changes (reporting verb in the past)
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| Simple present — "I play" | Simple past — he played |
| Present continuous — "I am playing" | Past continuous — he was playing |
| Present perfect — "I have played" | Past perfect — he had played |
| Simple past — "I played" | Past perfect — he had played |
| will / shall / can / may | would / should / could / might |
| must (obligation) | had to |
✗He said, "I am tired." → He said that he is tired.
✓He said that he was tired.
Reporting verb said is past, so am moves back to was.
When the tense does not change
- The reporting verb is present or future: "He says, 'I am tired'" → "He says that he is tired."
- Universal truths and habitual facts: "The teacher said, 'The sun rises in the east'" → "The teacher said that the sun rises in the east."
- Past historical facts often stay unchanged in exam answers.
Time and place words
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today / tonight | that day / that night |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| ago | before |
| this / these | that / those |
| here | there |
Questions
✗She said to me, "Are you coming?" → She asked me that was I coming.
✓She asked me if I was coming.
Yes/no questions take if/whether, drop "that", and use statement word order (subject before verb).
✓He said to me, "Where do you live?" → He asked me where I lived.
Wh-questions keep the wh-word as the connector; "do" disappears and the order becomes a statement.
Commands and requests
- "Shut the door," he said to me → He ordered/told me to shut the door.
- "Please wait," she said → She requested me to wait.
- "Don't run," the teacher said → The teacher told us not to run.
Exclamations and wishes
- "What a beautiful view!" she said → She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful view.
- "May you succeed!" father said → Father wished that I might succeed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tense always change in indirect speech?
No. It changes only when the reporting verb is in the past. If the reporting verb is present or future, or the reported statement is a universal truth, the tense stays the same.
What does 'tomorrow' become in indirect speech?
'The next day' or 'the following day', when the reporting verb is in the past.