What is reported speech in English?

Reported speech (or indirect speech) is how you tell someone what another person said without using their exact words. Instead of quoting, you usually shift the tense back one step, as in 'I am tired' becoming 'She said she was tired'.

Do I always have to backshift the tense?

Usually yes when the reporting verb is in the past, such as 'said' or 'told'. The common error is keeping the present tense, like 'She said she is tired' instead of 'She said she was tired'.

When do I use 'said' and when do I use 'told'?

Use 'told' with a person object, as in 'She told me she would call'. Use 'said' without a person, as in 'He said (that) he was busy'. You can also add 'that' after either verb, but it is optional.

What else changes besides the tense?

Pronouns change to match the new speaker, and time and place words shift too: 'here' becomes 'there', 'now' becomes 'then', and 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day'.

Word Order

Reported Speech: Statements in English

Level B1 Word Order

Key idea

When you report what someone said, the tense usually shifts back one step. Present becomes past, 'will' becomes 'would', and 'can' becomes 'could'. So 'I am busy' becomes "He said (that) he was busy", 'I will call' becomes "She told me she would call", and 'we can help' becomes "They said they could help". You also change pronouns and time words to fit the new speaker and moment ('here' to 'there', 'tomorrow' to 'the next day'), and the word 'that' is optional.

Examples

He said (that) he was busy. reporting 'I am busy'
She told me she would call. reporting 'I will call'
They said they could help. reporting 'we can help'

The full lesson

Everything in the video, in text.

Reported speech

what they said, one step back

Someone tells you something. You pass it on — and you accidentally break a rule almost every learner gets wrong.
🗣️
Reporting? Shift the tense one step back.

When you report what someone said, you usually move the tense one step into the past. We call it the backshift.
The one-step-back map
they said
am / is / are
will
can
have
you report
was / were
would
could
had
The original words were true at the moment they were spoken. Reporting them later, from a distance, we mark that distance by stepping the verb back in time.
He said (that) he was busy.
am → was

Start simple. He said: I am busy. Present becomes past, and I becomes he. He said he was busy.
She told me she would call.
will → would

Will steps back to would. She said: I will call. She told me she would call.
They said they could help.
can → could

Can steps back to could. They said: We can help. They said they could help.
said vs told
said
He said he was late.
no person needed
told
He told me he was late.
told + someone
Notice two small words. Said needs no person. Told needs one — you tell someone.
She said she would leave the next day.
tomorrow → the next day

Time words shift too. Tomorrow reported later becomes the next day. She said she would leave the next day.
He said he liked it there.
here → there

And place words. Here becomes there when you're reporting from somewhere else. He said he liked it there.
✗ She said she is tired. tense not shifted

✓ She said she was tired. is → was

Reporting in the past? Shift the verb back too.

Here's the classic mistake. The report happened in the past, so don't leave the verb in the present. It's not she said she is tired — step it back.
💡
Still true now? You can skip the backshift.

One nuance. If it's still true right now — a fact that hasn't changed — you can keep the present. He said he lives in Rome is fine.
"That" is optional — keep it or drop it.

And the little word that is always optional. Say it or drop it — both are correct.
Remember
- Tense → one step back
- Pronouns + time/place words shift
- "that" is optional
So: tense one step back, pronouns and time words adjusted, and that is optional. That's reported speech.

Examples

Reported speech

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