INDIRECT OR REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT SPEECH: He said: I have lost my watch

INDIRECT SPEECH: He said (that) he had lost his watch.
STATEMENTS IN REPORTED SPEECH
a. When the introductory verb is in the present, present perfect or future tense, we can
report the direct speech without any change of tense:

Paul (phoning from the station): Im trying to get a taxi.

Ann (to Mary, who is standing beside her): Paul says he is trying to get a taxi.

b. When the introductory verb is in the past tense (which is the usual case) tenses in
reported speech follow these changes:
DIRECT SPEECH

INDIRECT SPEECH

(tense)

(tense)

Simple present

Simple past

Present continuous

Past continuous

Present perfect

Past perfect

Present perfect continuous

Past perfect continuous

Simple past

Past perfect

Future (will)

Conditional (would)

Future continuous

Conditional continuous

Conditional

Conditional

NOTE: Adverbs, pronouns, and possessive adjectives usually change as in Spanish

today
yesterday
The day before yesterday
tomorrow
The day after tomorrow
Next year/week/ month....
Last year/ week
A year/ a month....ago

That day
The day before/ the previous day
Two days before
The next day/ the following day
In two days
The following year/ month......
The previous week....
A year before/ a month before....

QUESTIONS IN REPORTED SPEECH

DIRECT QUESTION: He said: Where is she going

INDIRECT QUESTION: He asked where she was going.

a. Tenses, adverbs, pronouns, and possessive adjectives change as in statements.

What happened? she said.

She asked what had happened.

b. If the introductory verb is SAY, it must be changed to a verb of inquiry: ASK, INQUIRY,
WONDER, WANT TO KNOW, etc.)
c.

If the direct question begin with a question word (when, why, how, etc.) this word is
repeated in the indirect question.

d. If there is no question word in the direct question,, IF or WHETHER must be used in the
indirect question:

Is anyone there? he asked.

He asked if/whether anyone was there.

COMMANDS, REQUESTS AND ADVICE IN REPORTED SPEECH.

DIRECT COMMAND: He said: Lie down, Tom.
INDIRECT COMMAND: He told Tom to lie down.
a. Indirect commands, requests and advice are usually expressed by this structure:
VERB OF COMMAND / REQUEST/ADVICE + OBJECT + INFINITIVE
b. The following verbs can be used: advice, ask, beg, command, encourage, forbid,
implore, invite, order, recommend, request, tell, urge, warn, etc.
c.

Negative commands, etc., are usually reported by NOT + INFINITIVE:

Dont run too fast, boys, I said.

I warn/told the boys not to run too fast.

d. Verbs in (a) above require object + infinitive, i.e., they must be followed directly by the
person addressed without preposition. The person addressed is often not mentioned in
direct commands, requests, etc (He said: Go away!). In this case we must add a noun
or pronoun:
He told /me/her/us/the children to go away.