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Indirect Speech for all Tenses - Rules

The verb in the first part of the sentence (e.g., he said, she said) is
called a reporting verb. The second part of the sentence,
enclosed in inverted commas or quotation marks, is called a
reported speech. For converting direct speech into indirect
speech, the tense of the reported speech is changed. See the
following example.

Direct speech: He said, “I am writing a letter”.

Indirect speech: He said that he was writing a letter.

  Rules for Change of Tense in Indirect Speech

  If the reporting verb (first part) of the sentence is in present

or future tense, the tense of the reported speech is not changed
while converting direct speech into indirect speech.

Example.
Direct speech: He says, “Sara is going to school”.
Indirect speech: He says that Sara is going to school.
(Tense not changed)

  If the reporting verb (first part) of the sentence is in past

tense, the tense of the reported speech is changed for
converting direct speech into indirect speech.

Example.
Direct speech: He said, “Sara is going to school”.
Indirect speech: He said that Sara was going to school.
(Tense changed)

  Rules for change of tense and examples are as follows:

Present simple tense into Past simple tense.

Present continuous tense into Past continuous tense.
Present perfect tense into Past perfect tense.
Present perfect continuous tense into Past perfect
continuous tense.

Past simple tense into Past perfect tense.

Past continuous tense into Past perfect continuous tense.
Past perfect tense remains unchanged.
Past perfect continuous tense remains unchanged.

Future simple tense: will into would.

Future continuous tense: will be into would be.
Future perfect tense: will have into would have.
Future perfect continuous tense: will have been into
would have been.

Note. The simple tenses are also known as indefinite tenses.

Similarly, the continuous tenses are also known as progressive
tenses.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

PRESENT TENSE

PRESENT SIMPLE changes into PAST SIMPLE

He said, “I write a letter”. He said that he wrote a

letter.

She said, “I teach kids”. She said that she taught kids.

They said, “We play football”. They said that they played
football.

You said, “I eat an apple”. You said that you ate an

apple.

She said, “I work in a She said that she worked in a

hospital”. hospital.

He said, “I do not like coffee”. He said he did not like

coffee.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST

CONTINUOUS

He said, “I am waiting for a He said that he was waiting

bus”. for a bus.

She said, “I am drinking She said that he was drinking

water”. water.

They said, “We are They said that they were

decorating the room”. decorating the room.

He said, “I am enjoying the He said that he was enjoying

music”. the music.

You said, “ David is driving a You said that David was

car”. driving a car.

He said, “I am not going to He said that he was not

college”. going to college.

PRESENT PERFECT changes into PAST PERFECT

She said, “I have bought a She said that she had bought
camera”. a camera.

He said, “I have finished the He said that he had finished

work”. the work.

They said, “We have spent all They said that they had
the money”. spent all the money.

You said, “David has passed You said that David had
the exam”. passed the exam.

They said, “We have started They said that they had
a business”. started a business.

He said, “I have not received He said that he had not

the letter”. received the letter.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS changes into PAST

PERFECT CONTINUOUS

He said, “I have been living in He said that he had been

London since 2018”. living in London since 2018.

She said, “I have been She said that she had been
teaching students for five teaching students for five
years”. years.

They said, “We have been They said that they had been
working in a factory for working in a factory for five
three years”. years.

The engineer said, “I have The engineer said that he

been repairing a machine had been repairing a
since 10 AM”. machine since 10 AM.

You said, “It has been raining You said that it had been
for three hours”. raining for three hours.

He said, “The patient has not He said that the patient had
been taking medicine for not been taking medicine for
three days”. three days.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

PAST TENSE

PAST SIMPLE changes into PAST PERFECT

He said, “I saw a joker” He said that he had seen a

joker.

She said, “I broke the glass”. She said that she had broken
the glass.

They said, “We won a prize”. They said that they had won
a prize.

You said, “I bought a car”. You said that you had

bought a car.

He said, “I did not enjoy the He said that he had not

party”. enjoyed the party.

PAST CONTINUOUS changes into PAST PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

He said, “I was writing a He said that he had been

story”. writing a story.

She said, “I was washing the She said that she had been
shirts”. washing the shirts.

They said, “We were They said that they had been
watching a movie”. watching a movie.

She said, “I was not making a She said that she had not
noise”. been making a noise.

PAST PERFECT remains the same.

He said, “I had resolved the He said that he had resolved

issue”. the issue.

She said, “I had completed She said that she had

the task”. completed the task.

David said, “I had gone to David said that he had gone

school”. to school.

She said, “I had not received She said that she had not
the letter. received the letter.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS remains the same.

He said, “I had been using He said that he had been

the same car since 2005. using the same car since
2005.

She said, “I had been reading She said that she had been
a book since 10 AM”. reading a book since 10 AM.

They said, “We had been They said that they had been
helping poor people for helping poor people for
three years. three years.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

FUTURE TENSE

FUTURE SIMPLE: will changes into would be

He said, “I will buy a camera”. He said that he would buy a

camera.

He said, “I will go to London”. He said that he would go to

London.

She said, “I will wear a new She said that she would
dress”. wear a new dress.

They said, “We will celebrate They said that they would
the birthday of our son”. celebrate the birthday of
their son.

You said, “I will not waste my You said that you would not
time”. waste your time.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS: will be changes into would be

He said to me, “I will be He said to me that he would

waiting for you”. be waiting for me.

She said, “I will be cleaning She said that she would be

the room. cleaning the room.

The kids said, “We will be The kids said that they
playing with toys”. would be playing with toys.

He said, “The patient will not He said that the patient

be feeling well”. would not be feeling well.

FUTURE PERFECT: will have changes into would have

He said, “I will have started a He said that he would have

new job. started a new job.

She said, “I will have cooked She said that she would have
some food”. cooked some food.

They said, “We will have They said that they would
succeeded in our mission”. have succeeded in their
mission.

He said, “David will have He said that David would

spoken the truth”. have spoken the truth.

They said, “We will not have They that they would not
finished the work. have finished the work.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS: will have been changes

into would have been

He said, “David will have He said that David would

been living in America since have been living in America
10th April”. since 10th April.

She said, “I will have been She said that she would have
listening to the music since 9 been listening to the music
AM. since 9 AM.

They said, “We will have They said that they would
been going to college since have been going to college
Monday”. since Monday.

You said, “I will not have You said that you would not
been using my camera for have been using your
seven days”. camera for seven days.

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