English grammar lessons › Level B1 › Verbs

She said she was tired: reported speech

Report what people said and asked, with the usual tense changes and pronoun changes

What you'll be able to do

Pass on messages and tell people what others said: at work, after a phone call, or when telling a story.

The idea

When we report what someone said earlier, the tense usually moves one step back, and pronouns and time words change to fit.

Direct speech	Reported speech
"I am tired."	She said (that) she was tired.
"I will call you."	He said he would call me.
"We can help."	They said they could help.
"I saw it."	He said he had seen it. (or saw it)

Tom said that he would be late."I will be late."
She told me she was looking for a new job."I'm looking for a new job."
He asked me where I lived."Where do you live?"
They asked if we were ready."Are you ready?"

said or told?

tell needs a person: She told me …. say doesn't: She said … (or She said to me …).

When nothing changes

If what was said is still true, keeping the tense is also fine: She said she lives in Accra (she still does). The tense change is always correct, so use it when unsure.

Common mistakes

~~She said me that…~~ → She told me that… or She said that…
~~He asked me where did I live.~~ Reported questions use statement order: He asked me where I lived.
~~Last week he said he will call.~~ He hasn't called, so: he said he would call.

Practice

"I'm hungry," said Sam. → Sam said he _____ hungry.
Options: was · is been · were
Show the answer
was — Am → was in reported speech.
She _____ me that the meeting was cancelled.
Options: told · said · spoke
Show the answer
told — Tell + a person: told me.
"Where do you work?" → He asked me where _____.
Options: I worked · did I work · do I work
Show the answer
I worked — Reported questions use statement order: where I worked.
Last week, Tom promised that he _____ me, but he never did.
Options: would call · will call · calls
Show the answer
would call — Will → would when reporting a promise from the past.
"We can help," they said. → They said they _____ help.
Show the answer
could — Can → could.

In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, then practised with questions you answer by choosing or typing. It comes back for review on later days, until you can use it without help.

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More on this topic: Reported speech and reporting verbs