Reported Speech

¿What is it?
Indirect style or indirect speech is the way in which you can tell, explain, write or say something in your own words, changi ng the verb tense
to the past. It differs from direct speech in this way, since direct speech implies that you say or write everything verbatim and exactly as it
happened
Rules:
1. You must learn that, in reported speech, verb tenses change
2. The verb tenses of modal verbs, also known as modal verbs in English, also change

Here is an exercise in report speech. Suppose you are listening to the dialogue between two people, in a direct style:
Carolina: Hi Felipe! What are you doing? I haven't seen you since the last week.
Felipe: Oh, hi Carolina! Sorry i just got back from the hospital
Carolina: Are you okay? What happened
Felipe: Well, it seems I have a bad flu. But don't worry, I'm fine now.
Carolina: I'm glad to hear that.
Now, if you want to convey to another person what they spoke using an indirect or indirect speech style, it would be as follows:

Carolina asked Felipe what he was doing. And she said she hadn't seen him since the last week
Felipe explained that he had just arrived from the hospital
Carolina wondered if he was okay. And he asked what happened
Felipe told him that he has a bad flu, but added that he is fine now
Carolina told him that she is glad to hear that Past Simple ⇨ Past Perfect
Present simple ⇨ Past Simple I drove to Paris yesterday. ⇨ He said he had driven to Paris the previous day.
I woke up in hospital. ⇨ He said he had woken up in hospital.
I’m from Spain. ⇨ He said he was from Spain I worked last Sunday. ⇨ He said he had worksed last Sunday
I love speaking in English ⇨ She said she loved speaking in English
Present Perfect ⇨ Past Perfect
I live in London. ⇨ He said he lived in London
I’ve bought a new cushion. ⇨ She said she had bought a new cushion.
Present Continuous ⇨ Past Continuous I’ve swum with sharks. ⇨ She said she had swum with sharks.
I’m resting on the sofa. ⇨ He said he was restingon the sofa I’ve swallowed my chewing gum. ⇨ He said he had swalloed his chewing gum.
You’re driving on the wrong side. ⇨ She said I was driving on the wrong side
You’re working too hard. ⇨ She told me I was working too hard
Whenever you need to tell what another person has said, you will use the indirect style or Reported Speech, which will allow you to
recreate the speech, without using the exact words that the other person used
If the statement is still true, the verb is usually kept in the present tense. How is the case:
(Direct style)
I have a headache.
Me duele la cabeza

But remember that when we use informed speech, we are usually talking about something that has already happened; and, therefore,
the original message will have to change verb tense. We have prepared a table to make it more visual for you. On the left you will see
the tense used in the direct style, and on the right you will see the tense that corresponds in the indirect style or indirect speech. Also
notice how the pronoun changes.
The verb is always behind the subject, never before.
Do not confuse said with said. Remember that said is used when we want to specify who we are addressing. It is not said He told me he was coming,
it is said He told me he was coming