A Complete Guide to Changing Direct to Indirect Speech in Every Tense

Direct and indirect speech are two common ways of reporting someone’s words.

• Direct speech quotes a person’s exact words, often within quotation marks.
• Indirect speech (or reported speech) paraphrases what someone said, typically adjusting grammar, verb tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

A key aspect of converting direct to indirect speech is tense transformation, which depends on the reporting verb and the speaking time. This guide walks through how to change direct speech into indirect speech across all 12 tenses in English, with explanations and examples.

📘 General Rule of Thumb

When the reporting verb (like said or told) is in the past tense, shift the verb in the quoted sentence one step back.

Present → Past
Past → Past Perfect
Future → Usually stays the same (but time expressions change)

Present Simple Tense

Direct Speech:
She says, “I go to the gym every day.”

Indirect Speech:
She says that she goes to the gym every day.

Explanation:
If the reporting verb is in the present, no tense change is needed—only pronouns are adjusted.

Present Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
He is saying, “I am reading a book.”

Indirect Speech:
He is saying that he is reading a book.

Explanation:
No tense change when the reporting verb is in the present. Only the subject/pronouns change.

Present Perfect Tense

Direct Speech:
They have said, “We have finished the project.”

Indirect Speech:
They have said that they have finished the project.

Explanation:
No change in tense, but pronouns shift from “we” to “they.”

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
She has been saying, “I have been working on this task.”

Indirect Speech:
She has been saying that she has been working on this task.

Explanation:
When the reporting verb is present, the tense remains unchanged.

Past Simple Tense

Direct Speech:
He said, “I went to the market yesterday.”

Indirect Speech:
He said that he had gone to the market the day before.

Explanation:
Past simple shifts to past perfect, and time expressions are updated.

Past Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
They were saying, “We were watching a movie.”

Indirect Speech:
They were saying that they had been watching a movie.

Explanation:
Past continuous shifts to past perfect continuous.

Past Perfect Tense

Direct Speech:
She had said, “I had completed the assignment.”

Indirect Speech:
She had said that she had completed the assignment.

Explanation:
No change needed—past perfect remains the same in indirect speech.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
He had been saying, “I had been studying all night.”

Indirect Speech:
He had been saying that he had been studying all night.

Explanation:
Just like past perfect, past perfect continuous remains unchanged.

Future Simple Tense

Direct Speech:
She will say, “I will call you tomorrow.”

Indirect Speech:
She will say that she will call you the next day.

Explanation:
The tense stays the same, but time expressions like tomorrow must be updated.

Future Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
They will be saying, “We will be traveling next week.”

Indirect Speech:
They will be saying that they will be traveling the following week.

Explanation:
Tense remains unchanged; only time words are updated.

Future Perfect Tense

Direct Speech:
She will have said, “I will have completed the task by then.”

Indirect Speech:
She will have said that she will have completed the task by then.

Explanation:
No tense shift; future perfect remains unchanged.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Direct Speech:
He will have been saying, “I will have been working for three hours.”

Indirect Speech:
He will have been saying that he will have been working for three hours.

Explanation:
No change in tense; only adjust time expressions if necessary.

Summary of Tense Changes (When Reporting Verb is in the Past)

✅ Additional Rules for Beginners

Pronoun Changes

Adjust pronouns to match the new subject.

Direct: “I am hungry,” said John.
Indirect: John said that he was hungry.

Time Expression Changes

Questions

Use if or whether for yes/no questions.

Direct: “Are you coming?”
Indirect: She asked if I was coming.

For WH-questions, keep the question word.

Direct: “Where do you live?”
Indirect: He asked where I lived.

Commands and Requests

Use verbs like told, asked, or ordered, followed by to + base verb.

Direct: “Close the door,” she said.
Indirect: She told me to close the door.

Direct: “Please help me,” he said.
Indirect: He asked me to help him.

🎯 Conclusion

• Direct speech quotes the original words.
• Indirect speech reports the message using different words and adjusted grammar.
• Always watch for changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
• Tense backshifting is essential when the reporting verb is in the past.