{"id":8216,"date":"2026-08-11T09:08:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T09:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/reported-speech-english-guide\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T09:08:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T09:08:34","slug":"reported-speech-english-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/fr\/reported-speech-english-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"English Reported Speech: How to Report What Someone Said | \u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e\u5b8c\u6574\u6307\u5357"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chinese doesn’t shift verb tenses when reporting speech. English does. That single difference explains why reported speech \u2014 called \u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e<\/strong> in Chinese \u2014 is one of the most frustrating grammar points for Taiwanese learners. Once you understand the backshift rule and the pronoun changes, the whole system clicks into place.<\/p>\n

What Is Reported Speech? [\u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e\u662f\u4ec0\u9ebc\uff1f]<\/h2>\n

Reported speech (indirect speech) is how you tell someone what another person said, thought, or asked \u2014 without quoting them word-for-word. Direct speech uses the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks. Reported speech removes the quotes and adjusts the verb tense, pronouns, and time expressions.<\/p>\n

Direct speech (\u76f4\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e): She said, “I am tired.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Reported speech (\u9593\u63a5\u5f15\u8a9e): She said that she was tired<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Notice three things changed: the present tense “am” became “was”, the pronoun “I” became “she”, and the quotation marks are gone. Those three changes \u2014 tense, pronoun, and sometimes time words \u2014 are the whole system.<\/p>\n

\n\"English<\/p>\n

Understanding indirect speech rules opens up a new level of English fluency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tense Backshift: The Core Rule [\u6642\u614b\u5f8c\u79fb\u7684\u898f\u5247]<\/h2>\n

When the reporting verb is in the past (“said”, “told”, “asked”), English shifts the verb in the reported clause one step into the past. This is called tense backshift<\/strong> (\u6642\u614b\u5f8c\u79fb). Here is every shift you need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Direct Speech<\/th>\nReported Speech<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
am \/ is \/ are (present simple)<\/small><\/td>\nwas \/ were (past simple)<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
am\/is\/are + -ing (present continuous)<\/small><\/td>\nwas\/were + -ing (past continuous)<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
have \/ has + past participle (present perfect)<\/small><\/td>\nhad + past participle (past perfect)<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
did \/ -ed (past simple)<\/small><\/td>\nhad + past participle (past perfect)<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
will<\/td>\nwould<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
can<\/td>\ncould<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
may<\/td>\nmight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
must<\/td>\nhad to<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Practical examples:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • He said, “I work<\/strong> at a bank.” \u2192 He said that he worked<\/strong> at a bank.<\/li>\n
  • She said, “We are eating<\/strong> dinner.” \u2192 She said that they were eating<\/strong> dinner.<\/li>\n
  • He said, “I have finished<\/strong> the report.” \u2192 He said that he had finished<\/strong> the report.<\/li>\n
  • She said, “I will call<\/strong> you.” \u2192 She said that she would call<\/strong> me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n\"Colleagues<\/p>\n

    Reported speech is essential for retelling conversations at work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Pronoun and Possessive Changes [\u4ee3\u8a5e\u4eba\u7a31\u7684\u8b8a\u5316]<\/h2>\n

    The second change involves pronouns. When the speaker’s exact words include “I”, “my”, “we”, or “you”, those pronouns shift to match the new speaker’s perspective. This is where students often get confused \u2014 there is no one-size-fits-all rule. You have to think about who is speaking and who is being spoken to.<\/p>\n

    The general logic: first-person pronouns in direct speech (“I”, “my”, “me”, “we”) change to third person (“he\/she\/his\/her\/him\/they”) when the reporter is different from the original speaker.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Tom said, “I<\/strong> need more time.” \u2192 Tom said that he<\/strong> needed more time.<\/li>\n
    • Anna said, “My<\/strong> bag is in the car.” \u2192 Anna said that her<\/strong> bag was in the car.<\/li>\n
    • The team said, “We<\/strong> finished the project.” \u2192 The team said that they<\/strong> had finished the project.<\/li>\n
    • She said to me, “You<\/strong> should apply.” \u2192 She told me that I<\/strong> should apply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Notice the last one: “you” can become “I” or “he” or “she” depending on context. Read the situation, not just the rule.<\/p>\n

      \n\"English<\/p>\n

      Tense backshift \u2014 shifting the tense back by one step \u2014 is the heart of reported speech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      Time and Place Expression Changes [\u6642\u9593\u5730\u9ede\u8a5e\u7684\u8b8a\u5316]<\/h2>\n

      Direct speech is grounded in the moment \u2014 “now”, “here”, “today”. When you report it later, those time anchors no longer apply. English adjusts them too. The British Council’s grammar reference lists these standard shifts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Direct Speech<\/th>\nReported Speech<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      now<\/td>\nthen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      today<\/td>\nthat day<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      yesterday<\/td>\nthe day before \/ the previous day<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      tomorrow<\/td>\nthe next day \/ the following day<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      last week<\/td>\nthe week before \/ the previous week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      next week<\/td>\nthe following week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      here<\/td>\nthere<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      this<\/td>\nthat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      these<\/td>\nthose<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Example: She said, “I will meet you here tomorrow<\/strong>.” \u2192 She said that she would meet me there the following day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      \n\"Student<\/p>\n

      Writing out reported speech sentences is the fastest way to master the rule.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      Reported Questions [\u9593\u63a5\u7591\u554f\u53e5]<\/h2>\n

      Reported questions follow a different structure from reported statements \u2014 and they trip up even intermediate learners. There are two types.<\/p>\n

      Type 1: Yes\/No questions<\/strong> \u2014 use “if” or “whether” and switch to statement word order (subject before verb). No question mark at the end.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • He asked, “Are you ready?” \u2192 He asked if I was ready<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • She asked, “Do you want coffee?” \u2192 She asked whether I wanted<\/strong> coffee.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Type 2: Wh- questions<\/strong> \u2014 keep the question word (who, what, where, when, why, how), then use statement word order. No auxiliary verb inversion.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • He asked, “Where do you live?” \u2192 He asked where I lived<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • She asked, “What time does the meeting start?” \u2192 She asked what time the meeting started<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • He asked, “Why did you leave early?” \u2192 He asked why I had left<\/strong> early.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          The most common mistake: keeping the question word order. “He asked where did I live<\/del>” is wrong. Statement order always: where I lived<\/em>.<\/p>\n

          \n\"Two<\/p>\n

          You use reported speech every day without realizing it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          Reported Commands and Requests [\u9593\u63a5\u547d\u4ee4\u8207\u8acb\u6c42]<\/h2>\n

          Commands and requests don’t use a tense backshift \u2014 they use an infinitive structure instead. The pattern is simple:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Command<\/strong>: tell + someone + to + infinitive<\/li>\n
          • Request<\/strong>: ask + someone + to + infinitive<\/li>\n
          • Negative command<\/strong>: tell + someone + not to + infinitive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Examples:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • She said, “Close the door.” \u2192 She told him to close<\/strong> the door.<\/li>\n
            • He said, “Please send me the file.” \u2192 He asked her to send<\/strong> him the file.<\/li>\n
            • She said, “Don’t be late.” \u2192 She told them not to be<\/strong> late.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Notice: no tense backshift here. The verb just goes to the infinitive form. Commands are the simplest type of reported speech to learn \u2014 and one of the most useful in the workplace (\u9593\u63a5\u547d\u4ee4\u53e5\u5728\u8077\u5834\u82f1\u6587\u4e2d\u5f88\u5e38\u7528).<\/p>\n

              \n