In English we use reported speech to tell someone what another person said. In reported speech, we usually report what was said at a different time, and so we change the tense to reflect the time which we are reporting. The verb forms generally move one tense into the past.
Example Sentences :
DIRECT SPEECH : "I'm not playing football."
REPORTED LATER : He said that he wasn't playing football.
Look at the change in tense from direct speech to reported speech in these examples:
Present Simple ---> Past Simple
"I want to work abroad." ---> He said he wanted to work abroad.
Present Continuous ---> Past Continuous
"I'm teaching English in London." ---> She said she was teaching English in London.
Past Simple ---> Past Perfect
"I met a girl." ---> He said that he had met a girl.
Present Perfect ---> Past Perfect
"I've been to Australia." ---> She said she had been to Australia.
Will ---> Would
"I'll be back in May." ---> She said she would be back in May.
Can ---> Could
"I can help you." ---> He said that he could help me.
Be going to ---> Was/Were going to
"I'm going to start a business." ---> He told me he was going to start a business.
In English we use 'said' or 'told' in reported speech but they are used differently.
You can't use 'said' with an object or pronoun. eg. He said that he loved her. NOT He said her that he loved her.
You must use 'told' with an object. eg. He told her that he loved her. NOT He told that he loved her.
Notes for use of reported speech statements :
'That' is optional after say and tell.
Sometimes we need to change the pronoun:
DIRECT SPEECH : Jim: "I don't like living here." (Jim is referring to himself)
REPORTED SPEECH : Jim said (that) he didn't like living here. (the pronoun 'he' refers to Jim)
We may also need to change other words about place and time.
DIRECT SPEECH : "I went to Tokyo last week."
REPORTED SPEECH : She said (that) she'd been to Tokyo the week before.
If we report something which is still true, it is not necessary to change the verb.
DIRECT SPEECH : "My car is bigger than yours."
REPORTED SPEECH : He said his car is / was bigger than mine.
When we are reporting past tenses, and we see the events from the same viewpoint as the original speaker, it is not necessary to change the tense.
DIRECT SPEECH : "The earthquake happened at half past seven."
REPORTED SPEECH : The radio said that the earthquake happened at half past seven.
Modal verbs could, might, would, should, ought to and had better usually do not change in reported speech.
DIRECT SPEECH : "I should go to the dentist."
REPORTED SPEECH : He said that he should go to the dentist.
In English we don't have to report all the words people say. It's more important to report the main idea.
DIRECT SPEECH : "Don't forget to lock the door."
REPORTED SPEECH : She reminded them to lock the door.
The past simple and the past continuous don't have to change tense in reported speech, but they can.
If the reporting verb is in the present tense, then there is no change in tense.
eg. Dad says I can go to the party tonight if I finish my homework first.
Reporting verbs :
In English we use a variety of verbs to report what people say. The grammar structure we use after them changes.
Examples sentences :
invite / remind / warn + object + infinitive with to
offer / refuse / promise / agree / threaten + infinitive with to
admit / suggest + verb + ing
Some reporting verbs have more than one verb pattern.
After promise, agree, admit and suggest we can use that + clause.
eg. James admitted being in love with her. / James admitted that he was in love with her.
Verbs that summarize what people say:
verb + (that) : agree, complain, explain, insist, recommend, say, suggest
verb + object + (that) : warn, assure, persuade, tell
verb + gerund : deny, admit, recommend, suggest
verb + preposition + gerund : apologise, insist, object
verb + object + preposition + gerund : accuse, blame, congratulate, suspect
verb + infinitive : refuse, agree, decide, demand, offer, promise, threaten
verb + object + infinitive : tell, ask, invite, order, remind, warn
Reported speech statement example sentences | |
---|---|
Don't make fun of me, I told you that I'm a bit clumsy! | Non prendermi in giro, te l’ho detto che sono un po’ maldestra! |
When his right hand caught on fire! | Quando la sua mano destra prende fuoco! |
They say the early bird catches the worm! | Dicono che chi primo arriva meglio alloggia! |
And the vet said he just needs to rest... | E il veterinario ha detto che deve solo riposare… |
Please also say that I'm sorry I couldn't come tonight. | Per favore dì loro anche che mi dispiace di non essere potuto rimanere stasera. |
So you say we have to leave home around 10:30 or quarter to 11? | Quindi dici che Dobbiamo partire da casa attorno alle 10:30 o verso un quarto alle 11? |
I told her you were coming downstairs in a minute. | Le ho detto che stavi per scendere fra un minuto. |
Yeah, she told me she already paid all of the registration fees, etcetera. | Sì, mi ha detto che ha già pagato tutte le tasse di registrazione eccetera. |
He says he is having breakfast at a cafe. | Dice che sta facendo colazione ad un caffè. |
You told me it was empty before. | Mi hai detto che era vuota prima. |
She said they needed to cancel the meeting today! | Ha detto che dovevano cancellare il meeting di oggi! |
I said say hi to your IT manager! | Ho detto saluta il tuo IT manager! |
I was expecting you to say how nice I was! | Mi aspettavo che tu dicessi quanto sono carino! |
She said she didn't think talking to me would solve the problem! | Ha detto che non pensa che parlarmi potrebbe risolvere il problema! |
I guess you said you like seafood. | Mi sembra di averti sentito dire che ti piacciono i frutti di mare. |
She said the IT manager wasn't able to come to the office today. | Ha detto che l’IT manager non poteva venire in ufficio oggi. |
I told you I can't go anywhere tonight. | Ti ho detto che non posso andare da nessuna parte stasera. |
Hm, but I told you I was going to prepare some breakfast for us. | Hm, ma ti ho detto che avrei preparato la colazione per noi. |
Ha-ha-ha I can't believe you said my husband and I really appreciate it. | Ha ha ha non riesco a credere che hai detto mio marito ed io lo apprezziamo molto. |
Well, you said you've been bringing your cat here since he was a kitten. | Beh, hai detto che porti il tuo gatto qui da quando era un gattino. |