Direct and indirect speech
When using indirect or reported speech, the form changes. Usually indirect speech is introduced by the verb said, as in I said, Bill said, or they said. Using the verb say in this tense, indicates that something was said in the past. In these cases, the main verb in the reported sentence is put in the past. If the main verb is already in a past tense, then the tense changes to another past tense; it can almost be seen as moving even further into the past.
Verb tense changes also characterize other situations using indirect speech. Note the changes shown in the chart and see the table below for examples. With indirect speech, the use of that is optional.
| Direct Speech | → | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|---|
| simple present He said, "I go to school every day." | → | simple past He said (that) he went to school every day. |
| simple past He said, "I went to school every day." | → | past perfect He said (that) he had gone to school every day. |
| present perfect He said, "I have gone to school every day." | → | past perfect He said (that) he had gone to school every day. |
| present progressive He said, "I am going to school every day." | → | past progressive He said (that) he was going to school every day. |
| past progressive He said, "I was going to school every day." | → | perfect progressive He said (that) he had been going to school every day, |
| future (will) He said, "I will go to school every day." | → | would + verb name He said (that) he would go to school every day. |
| future (going to) He said, "I am going to school every day." | → | present progressive He said (that) he is going to school every day. |
| past progressive He said (that) he was going to school every day | ||
| auxiliary + verb name He said, "Do you go to school every day?" He said, "Where do you go to school?" | → | simple past He asked me if I went to school every day.* He asked me where I went to school. |
| imperative He said, "Go to school every day." | → | infinitive He said to go to school every day. |
The situation changes if instead of the common said another part of the very to say is used. In that case the verb tenses usually remain the same. Some examples of this situation are given below.
| Direct Speech | → | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|---|
| simple present + simple present He says, "I go to school every day." | → | simple present + simple present He says (that) he goes to school every day. |
| present perfect + simple present He has said, "I go to school every day." | → | present perfect + simple present He has said (that) he goes to school every day. |
| past progressive + simple past He was saying, "I went to school every day." | → | past progressive + simple past He was saying (that) he went to school every day. |
| past progressive + past perfect He was saying (that) he had gone to school every day. | ||
| future + simple present He will say, "I go to school every day." | → | future + simple present He will say (that) he goes to school every day. |
Another situation is the one in which modal constructions are used. If the verb said is used, then the form of the modal, or another modal that has a past meaning is used.
| Direct Speech | → | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|---|
| can He said, "I can go to school every day." | → | could He said (that) he could go to school every day. |
| may He said, "I may go to school every day." | → | might He said (that) he might go to school every day. |
| might He said, "I might go to school every day." | ||
| must He said, "I must go to school every day." | → | had to He said (that) he had to go to school every day. |
| have to He said, "I have to go to school every day." | ||
| should He said, "I should go to school every day." | → | should He said (that) he should go to school every day. |
| ought to He said, "I ought to go to school every day." | → | ought to He said (that) he ought to go to school every day. |
While not all the possibilities have been listed here, there are enough to provide examples of the main rules governing the use of indirect or reported speech. For other situations, try to extrapolate from the examples here, or better still, refer to a good grammar text or reference book.
Some other verbs that can be used to introduce direct speech are ask, report, tell, announce, suggest, and inquire. They are not used interchangeably; check a grammar or usage book for further information.
Updated September 11, 2023 by Digital & Web Operations, University Relations (web_services@athabascau.ca)