Direct and Indirect Speech: Rules and Examples for ESL Learners

When we repeat what someone has said, we can use direct speech or indirect speech (also called reported speech). Knowing how to switch between these two forms is an essential skill in English — it is used in writing, storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversation. If you have ever struggled with changing tenses or pronouns when reporting speech, this lesson will guide you step by step.

📘 What You Will Learn

• The difference between direct and indirect speech
• How tenses, pronouns, and time expressions change in reported speech
• Rules for reporting statements, questions, commands, and requests
• Common mistakes ESL learners make and how to avoid them

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What Are Direct and Indirect Speech in English Grammar?

Direct speech repeats the exact words a person said, placed inside quotation marks. Indirect speech (or reported speech) reports what someone said without using their exact words and without quotation marks. When we change direct speech to indirect speech, we usually need to change the tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

Type	Definition	Example
Direct Speech	Exact words of the speaker, in quotation marks	She said, "I am tired."
Indirect Speech	Reported words, no quotation marks, tenses may change	She said that she was tired.

Indirect Speech: Tense Changes

When the reporting verb (e.g., said, told) is in the past tense, the verbs in the reported speech must "backshift" or move one step back into the past.

The General Backshifting Rule

📘 Rule: Moving One Step Back

Every present tense form moves to its corresponding past form, and Simple Past moves to Past Perfect.

• Present Simple → Past Simple: “I'm a teacher” → She said she was a teacher.
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous: “I'm teaching” → She said she was teaching.
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect: “I've been teaching” → She said she had been teaching.
• Past Simple → Past Perfect: “I taught” → She said she had taught.

Tense Conversion Chart

Direct Speech (V)	Indirect Speech (V)
V1 / V5 (Go/Goes)	V2 (Went)
V2 (Went)	Had + V3 (Had gone)
Is / Am / Are	Was / Were
Has / Have + V3	Had + V3
Was / Were + V4	Had been + V4
Shall / Will	Should / Would
Can / May	Could / Might
Don't / Doesn't + V1	Didn't + V1

Exceptions: When the Tense Stays the Same

📗 Rule: Facts and Time Clauses

The tense does not change for Universal Truths (historical facts) or when the sentence contains a complex time clause with the simple past.

• Universal Fact: He said, “Columbus discovered America in 1492.” → He said that Columbus discovered America in 1492.
• Time Clause: She said, “I had already started the lesson when he arrived.” → She said she had already started the lesson when he arrived.

🖊 From the Teacher

I always tell my students to visualize a timeline. Direct speech is the speaker's 'now', but since we are reporting it 'later', we have to move their words one step back into the past to keep the timing accurate.

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: She said that the sun rose in the east.
Correct: She said that the sun rises in the east. (For universal truths, keep the present tense even if the reporting verb is past).

💡 Quick Tip

Don't forget to change time expressions too! For example, yesterday becomes the previous day or the day before.

Indirect Speech: Modal Auxiliary Verbs

When converting direct speech into indirect speech, modal verbs like can, may, and must often need to change to their past forms. However, some modals remain exactly the same.

Modal Conversion Rules

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Shall / Will + V1	Should / Would + V1
May / Can + V1	Might / Could + V1
Shall have / Will have	Should have / Would have
Must (Personal Necessity)	Had to
Must (Duty / Law / Truth)	No Change

Examples in Action

📘 Rule: Changing Modals

Notice how the modal shifts while the main verb (V1) remains in its base form.

• She said, “I can teach English well.” → She said she could teach English well.
• She said, “What shall we learn today?” → She asked what we should learn that day.
• She said, “May I sit here?” → She asked if she might sit there.
• She said, “I must type the letter.” → She said she had to type the letter.

Fixed Modals (No Change)

📗 Rule: Modals that Stay the Same

The past-style modals would, could, might, should, and ought to do not change because they are already at the "back" of the tense timeline.

• “I would like to help,” said Anu. → Anu said that she would like to help.
• “We ought to go,” he said. → He said that they ought to go.

🖊 From the Teacher

Students often ask about 'must'. A good trick is to ask: Is this a personal requirement? Use 'had to'. Is it a permanent rule like "We must obey the law"? Then leave it as 'must'.

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: He said he coulded help me.
Correct: He said he could help me. (Modals never take -ed endings).

💡 Quick Tip

Remember that when shall is used to make an offer or suggestion, it usually changes to should in indirect speech.

Indirect Speech: Reporting in Present and Future Tenses

While many rules in reported speech focus on changing tenses, there are important situations where the tense remains exactly the same. This occurs when the action of reporting is happening now or will happen later.

The "No Change" Rule

📘 Rule: Present and Future Reporting

If the reporting verb is in a present tense (says, has said) or a future tense (will say), the tense of the verb in the reported speech does not change. Additionally, time adverbs like "today" or "tomorrow" remain unchanged.

• Present Reporting: She says, “It’s a sunny day.” → She says that it is a sunny day.
• Present Perfect Reporting: She has said, “She will take a test.” → She has said that she will take a test.
• Future Reporting: She will say, “I’ll teach tomorrow.” → She will say that she will teach tomorrow.

Comparison of Verb Tenses

Reporting Verb	Tense in Reported Speech	Time Adverbs
Says / Has said	No Change	No Change
Will say	No Change	No Change
Said (Past)	Backshift (Past)	Must Change

🖊 From the Teacher

I always remind my students to check the reporting verb first. If you see 'says' instead of 'said', you can breathe a sigh of relief—you don't have to worry about shifting the tenses at all!

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: He says that it was a sunny day.
Correct: He says that it is a sunny day. (The reporting verb 'says' is in the present, so the result must stay in the present).

💡 Quick Tip

Even when the tense doesn't change, pronouns (I, you, he, she) almost always need to change to match the perspective of the reporter.

Indirect Speech: Universal Truths and Habits

While a past reporting verb normally triggers a tense shift, there is a major exception: Universal Truths. If the statement is a fact that remains true regardless of time, we do not change the tense.

The "Permanent Fact" Exception

📘 Rule: Habits, Truths, and Science

When the reported statement expresses a scientific fact, a mathematical truth, or a permanent habit, the verb does not change, even if the reporting verb is in the past.

• Scientific Fact: She said, “The earth revolves around the sun.” → She said that the earth revolves around the sun.
• Permanent Truth: She said, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.” → She said that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
• General Habit: He said, “I drink tea every morning.” → He said that he drinks tea every morning.

Why Tense Doesn't Change

If we were to change the tense to the past, it would imply the fact is no longer true. For example, saying "The earth revolved" would suggest it has stopped moving! To maintain a global authority on your blog, keeping these as present facts is essential.

🖊 From the Teacher

I always tell my students: think about the 'logic' of the sentence. If you use the past tense for a scientific fact, you are accidentally telling the reader that the laws of science have changed! Keep it present to keep it a fact.

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: The instructor said that two and two made four.
Correct: The instructor said that two and two make four. (Mathematical truths are eternal).

💡 Quick Tip

This rule applies to any global fact. If you are writing for a worldwide audience, using this rule shows that you recognize these truths are universal and unchanging.

Indirect Speech: Changes in Persons and Pronouns

To maintain clarity on your blog, it is essential to show how pronouns change to reflect who is speaking and who is being spoken to. This ensures your global readers can always follow the "who's who" of a conversation.

The SON Rule (Subject, Object, No Change)

📘 Rule: Personal Pronoun Shifts

The person of the pronoun in the reported speech is determined by the subject or object of the reporting verb.

• First Person (I, My, We): Changes according to the subject.
  She said, “I will show my book.” → She said that she would show her book.

• Second Person (You, Your): Changes according to the object.
  She said to me, “Will you show your book?” → She asked me if I would show my book.

• Third Person (He, She, It, They): These do not change.
  She said, “Will he show his book?” → She asked if he would show his book.

Special Pronoun Cases

📙 Rule: Universal 'We' and Demonstratives

Some pronouns follow unique logic based on whether they refer to all of mankind or specific objects.

• Universal 'We': Does not change if it refers to humanity.
  She said, “We are mortal.” → She said that we are mortal.

• 'This/These' as Pronouns: Change to it/they/them.
  He said, “I can do this.” → He told me that he could do it.

• 'This/These' as Adjectives: Change to the.
  He said, “This book belongs to Anna.” → He said that the book belonged to Anna.

🖊 From the Teacher

The SON rule is a favorite among my students. 1 = Subject, 2 = Object, 3 = No Change. It’s a simple code that works every time you're stuck on which pronoun to use!

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: He said, "I bought these." → He said he had bought these.
Correct: He said he had bought them. (In global English, we replace the specific demonstrative with a general object pronoun).

💡 Quick Tip

When reporting a conversation to a global audience, always double-check your pronouns. Clear pronouns prevent the reader from getting confused about who is doing the action!

Indirect Speech: Rules of Agreement (Time and Place)

In reported speech, we often need to change words that refer to the time and place of the original speaking event. This is because the "here and now" of the speaker becomes the "there and then" of the reporter.

Place and Direction Changes

📘 Rule: Shifting Location

Words that indicate proximity (closeness) usually shift to indicate distance when reported.

• here → there
• this → that
• these → those
• come → go

Time Conversion Reference

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
now	then
today / tonight	that day / that night
tomorrow	the following day / the next day
yesterday	the previous day / the day before
ago	before
last week / month / year	the previous week / month / year
next week / month / year	the following week / month / year
the day after tomorrow	in two days

Examples in Practice

📗 Rule: Simultaneous Changes

Remember that when you change the time or place, you must also check if the verb tense and pronouns need adjusting.

• He said, “I will visit her tomorrow.” → He said that he would visit her the following day.
• He said, “I went to the park yesterday.” → He said that he had gone to the park the day before.
• She said, “I like this town.” → She told me that she liked that town.

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: She said she had seen him yesterday.
Correct: She said she had seen him the day before. (Since the report is usually made later, 'yesterday' is no longer accurate).

💡 Quick Tip

When writing for a global audience, using "the following day" or "the previous day" is much clearer than using relative terms that might expire by the time a reader finds your blog post!

Indirect Speech: Reporting Various Sentence Types

To master reported speech, you must use the correct reporting verb and connective for each specific sentence type. Below is the master guide for global English standards.

Sentence Type Reference Guide

Sentence Type	Reporting Verbs	Connective
Assertive (Statements)	said, told, remarked	that
Interrogative (Questions)	asked, enquired, wondered	if / whether / WH-word
Imperative (Commands)	ordered, advised, requested	to / not to
Optative (Wishes/Prayers)	wished, prayed, cursed	that
Exclamatory (Emotions)	exclaimed with joy/sorrow	that

Examples in Action

• Statement: He said to me, “I will help you.” → He told me that he would help me.
• Yes/No Question: He asked, “Do you know this man?” → He asked me if I knew that man.
• WH- Question: He asked me, “What are you doing?” → He asked me what I was doing.
• Wish: They said, “May God help us!” → They prayed that God might help them.
• Command: The doctor said, “Walk a mile a day.” → The doctor advised to walk a mile a day.
• Request: She said, “Buy some bread, please.” → She asked me to buy some bread.

❌ Key Point: Sentence Structure

In all reported speech types (except imperatives), the sentence structure changes to Subject + Verb. This means questions and exclamations lose their original word order and end with a full stop (.) instead of a question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!).

💡 Quick Tip

When reporting a command, we replace the verb with an infinitive (to + V1). If the command is negative ("Don't go"), we use not to + V1 ("He told me not to go").

Indirect Speech: Special Cases (Let, Tags, and Honorifics)

Beyond standard sentences, English uses specific structures like "Let," question tags, and formal addresses. These require unique reporting verbs to maintain the correct tone in global English.

1. Reporting Sentences with "Let"

📘 Rule: Intent Matters

The transformation depends on whether "Let" is a suggestion, a request, or an assumption.

• Suggestions (Let us): Use proposed or suggested + that... should.
  He said, “Let us go to a movie.” → He suggested that they should go to a movie.

• Requests (Let + me/him): Use ordered/requested + to let OR might be allowed to.
  He said, “Let me go.” → He requested to let him go (or that he might be allowed to go).

• Assumptions (Math/Logic): Use assumed + that... might be.
  The teacher said, “Let ABC be an angle of 90°.” → The teacher assumed that ABC might be an angle of 90°.

2. Question Tags and Emphasis

When reporting question tags or emphatic words like "do," the tag is removed because the reporting verb asked already carries the questioning meaning.

• Question Tags: He said, “You are going, aren't you?” → He asked if I was going.
• Emphatic 'Do': She said, “Do come on time.” → She requested them to come on time.

3. Formal Addresses (Sir / Madam)

To maintain professional English standards, remove honorifics like "Sir" or "Madam" and add the adverb respectfully to the reporting verb.

• Tina said to the Principal, “Madam, have I passed?” → Tina asked the Principal respectfully whether she had passed.
• He said to his boss, “Sir, I will type this.” → He told his boss respectfully that he would type that.

❌ Common Mistakes

Incorrect: He asked me if I was going, wasn't I.
Correct: He asked me if I was going. (Never include the tag in the reported part).

💡 Quick Tip

When you see "Please" or "Kindly," automatically use the reporting verb requested. This keeps your global blog's tone polite and accurate.

Common Mistakes ESL Learners Make with Reported Speech

❌ Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Keeping quotation marks in indirect speech
❌ She said that "she was tired."
✅ She said that she was tired.

Mistake 2: Using "told" without an object
❌ He told that he would come.
✅ He said that he would come. / He told me that he would come.

Mistake 3: Using question word order in reported questions
❌ She asked where was he going.
✅ She asked where he was going.

Mistake 4: Using a question mark in reported questions
❌ He asked if I was ready?
✅ He asked if I was ready.

Mistake 5: Forgetting to change pronouns
❌ She said, "I am happy." → She said that I was happy.
✅ She said that she was happy.

Practice Exercises: Change to Indirect Speech

Rewrite each sentence in indirect speech. Pay attention to the tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

1. He said, "I am reading a book."
2. She said, "I will call you tomorrow."
3. The teacher said, "The Earth is round."
4. He asked, "Where do you live?"
5. She said to me, "Please close the door."
6. They said, "We have finished our homework."
7. He asked, "Did you watch the match yesterday?"
8. The doctor said, "Don't eat junk food."

Answer Key

1. He said that he was reading a book.
2. She said that she would call me the next day.
3. The teacher said that the Earth is round.
4. He asked where I lived.
5. She asked me to close the door.
6. They said that they had finished their homework.
7. He asked if I had watched the match the day before.
8. The doctor told me not to eat junk food.

🖊 From the Teacher

One of the most common errors I see in my classroom is students writing "He told that..." without an object. I always stop and draw a quick chart on the board: said on one side and told on the other. I ask students to imagine told as a verb that always needs someone to talk to — you cannot just "tell" into the air, you must tell someone. That one image has helped more of my students fix this mistake than any grammar rule I have ever written. Sometimes a simple picture is worth a thousand grammar explanations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Direct and Indirect Speech

1. What is the difference between direct and indirect speech?

Direct speech repeats the speaker's exact words inside quotation marks. Indirect speech (reported speech) reports the meaning of what was said without using the exact words or quotation marks. For example: Direct — He said, "I am tired." Indirect — He said that he was tired.

2. Do we always have to change the tense in indirect speech?

No, not always. If the reporting verb is in the present tense, or if the statement is a universal truth, you do not need to change the tense. For example: She says she is happy. (no change needed) or The teacher said the Sun rises in the east. (universal truth — tense stays the same).

3. What is the difference between "said" and "told" in reported speech?

Said is used without an object: He said that he was busy. Told always needs an object (a person): He told me that he was busy. You can never write "He told that..." without naming who was told.

4. How do we report a yes/no question in indirect speech?

Use if or whether to introduce the reported yes/no question. The word order becomes normal (subject + verb), and the question mark is removed. For example: "Are you ready?" → He asked if I was ready.

5. How do we report a command or request in indirect speech?

Use a reporting verb (such as told, asked, ordered, advised) followed by object + to-infinitive for positive commands, and not + to-infinitive for negative commands. For example: "Close the door." → She told me to close the door. / "Don't be late." → He told me not to be late.

Related Grammar Lessons

• Tenses in English: A Complete Guide
• Past Perfect Tense: Form and Usage
• Modal Verbs in English: Will, Would, Can, Could, May, Might
• Conditional Sentences: All Four Types Explained
• Pronouns in English: Types and Uses
• Reporting Verbs: Say, Tell, Ask, Order, Advise and More
• Punctuation Rules: How to Use Quotation Marks Correctly

About the Author

Dharma Poudel has completed an MA and MEd in English and has been teaching English for 20 years. He specializes in creating simple, clear grammar lessons for ESL/EFL learners at all levels. His mission is to help learners build confidence through structured explanations and interactive practice materials.