Direct speech  

Indirect speech

Present simple Past simple

›
She said, "It's cold." She said it was cold.

Present continuous Past continuous

›
She said, "I'm teaching English online." She said she was teaching English online.

Present perfect simple Past perfect simple

›
She said, "I've been on the web since 1999." She said she had been on the web since 1999.

Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I've been teaching English for › She said she had been teaching English for seven
seven years." years.

Past simple Past perfect

›
She said, "I taught online yesterday." She said she had taught online yesterday.

Past continuous Past perfect continuous

›
She said, "I was teaching earlier." She said she had been teaching earlier.

Past perfect Past perfect

She said, "The lesson had already started › NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already
when he arrived." started when he arrived.

Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

She said, "I'd already been teaching for five › NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching
minutes." for five minutes.

Direct speech   Indirect speech

would
will
› She said she would teach English online
She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."
tomorrow.

can could
›
She said, "I can teach English online." She said she could teach English online.

must had to
She said, "I must have a computer to teach › She said she had to have a computer to teach
English online." English online.

shall should
›
She said, "What shall we learn today?" She asked what we should learn today.

may might
›
She said, "May I open a new browser?" She asked if she might open a new browser.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Expressions of time if reported on a different day

this (evening) › that (evening)
today › yesterday ...
these (days) › those (days)
now › then
(a week) ago › (a week) before
 the weekend before last / the previous
last weekend ›
weekend
here › there
next (week) › the following (week)
tomorrow › the next/following day

1. Q: Tom said, 'I want to visit my friends this weekend.'

Tom said he wants to visit his friends that weekend.
Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
Tom said he wanted to visit his friends this weekend

2.Q: Jerry said, 'I'm studying English a lot at the moment.'

Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
Jerry said he was studying English a lot at the moment.
Jerry said I was studying English a lot at that moment

3.Q: They said, 'We've lived here for a long time.'

They said they have lived there for a long time.
They said they lived here for a long time.
They said they had lived there for a long time.

4.Q: He asked me, 'Have you finished reading the newspaper?'

He asked me if had I finished reading the newspaper.
He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
He asked me if I finished reading the newspaper.

5.Q: 'I get up every morning at seven o'clock.', Peter said.

Peter said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
Peter said I got up every morning at seven o'clock.
Peter said he had got up every morning at seven o'clock.
6.Q: Susan reassured me, 'I can come tonight.'
Susan told me I could come that night.
Susan told me she could come that night.
Susan told me she could come tomorrow evening.
7.Q: She said, 'I really wish I had bought that new car.'
She told me she really wished she bought that new car.
She told me she really had wished she had bought that new car.
She told me she really wished she had bought that new car.
8.Q: Jack said, 'He must be guilty!'
Jack said he must have been guilty.
Jack said he must have be guilty.
Jack said he must has been guilty.
9.Q: Cheryl asked her, 'How long have you lived here?'
Cheryl asked her how long she has lived there.
Cheryl asked her how long she lived there.
Cheryl asked her how long she had lived there.
10.Q: She said, 'I've worked here since I left my last job.'
She told me that she worked there since she had left her last job.
She told me that she had worked there since she had left her last job.
She told me that she had worked there since she left her last job