reported speech i love you

Reported Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Reported Statements

Here's how it works:

We use a 'reporting verb' like 'say' or 'tell'. ( Click here for more about using 'say' and 'tell' .) If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy. We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

• Direct speech: I like ice cream.
• Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the 'person' from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'. (As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use 'that' or not in English. I've put it in brackets () to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you use 'that' or if you don't use 'that'.)

But , if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the reported speech:

• Reported speech: She said (that) she liked ice cream.

* doesn't change.

• Direct speech: The sky is blue.
• Reported speech: She said (that) the sky is/was blue.

Click here for a mixed tense exercise about practise reported statements. Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

Reported Questions

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

• Direct speech: Where do you live?
• Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.
• Direct speech: Where is Julie?
• Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

• Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?
• Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

Click here to practise reported 'wh' questions. Click here to practise reported 'yes / no' questions. Reported Requests

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

• Direct speech: Close the window, please
• Or: Could you close the window please?
• Or: Would you mind closing the window please?
• Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

• Direct speech: Please don't be late.
• Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

• Direct speech: Sit down!
• Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

• Click here for an exercise to practise reported requests and orders.

• Click here for an exercise about using 'say' and 'tell'.
• Click here for a list of all the reported speech exercises.

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What is Reported Speech and how to use it? with Examples

Published by

Olivia Drake

Reported speech and indirect speech are two terms that refer to the same concept, which is the act of expressing what someone else has said.

On this page:

Reported speech is different from direct speech because it does not use the speaker’s exact words. Instead, the reporting verb is used to introduce the reported speech, and the tense and pronouns are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. There are two main types of reported speech: statements and questions.

1. Reported Statements: In reported statements, the reporting verb is usually “said.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and any pronouns referring to the speaker or listener are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. For example, “I am going to the store,” becomes “He said that he was going to the store.”

2. Reported Questions: In reported questions, the reporting verb is usually “asked.” The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and the word order changes from a question to a statement. For example, “What time is it?” becomes “She asked what time it was.”

It’s important to note that the tense shift in reported speech depends on the context and the time of the reported speech. Here are a few more examples:

• Direct speech: “I will call you later.”Reported speech: He said that he would call me later.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.
• Direct speech: “I love pizza.”Reported speech: They said that they loved pizza.

When do we use reported speech?

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said, thought, or written. It is often used in situations where you want to relate what someone else has said without quoting them directly.

Reported speech can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in news reports, academic writing, and everyday conversation. Some common situations where reported speech is used include:

News reports:  Journalists often use reported speech to quote what someone said in an interview or press conference.

Business and professional communication:  In professional settings, reported speech can be used to summarize what was discussed in a meeting or to report feedback from a customer.

Conversational English:  In everyday conversations, reported speech is used to relate what someone else said. For example, “She told me that she was running late.”

Narration:  In written narratives or storytelling, reported speech can be used to convey what a character said or thought.

How to make reported speech?

1. Change the pronouns and adverbs of time and place: In reported speech, you need to change the pronouns, adverbs of time and place to reflect the new speaker or point of view. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the store now,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then.

In this example, the pronoun “I” is changed to “she” and the adverb “now” is changed to “then.”

2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet me at the park the next day.

In this example, the present tense “will” is changed to the past tense “would.”

3. Change reporting verbs: In reported speech, you can use different reporting verbs such as “say,” “tell,” “ask,” or “inquire” depending on the context of the speech. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework.

In this example, the reporting verb “asked” is changed to “said” and “did” is changed to “had.”

Overall, when making reported speech, it’s important to pay attention to the verb tense and the changes in pronouns, adverbs, and reporting verbs to convey the original speaker’s message accurately.

How do I change the pronouns and adverbs in reported speech?

1. Changing Pronouns: In reported speech, the pronouns in the original statement must be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. Generally, the first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb, while the second and third person pronouns (you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs) are changed according to the object of the reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I love chocolate.” Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate.

Direct speech: “You should study harder.” Reported speech: He advised me to study harder.

Direct speech: “She is reading a book.” Reported speech: They noticed that she was reading a book.

2. Changing Adverbs: In reported speech, the adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate time or place may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech: She said she was going to the cinema that night.

Direct speech: “He is here.” Reported speech: She said he was there.

Note that the adverb “now” usually changes to “then” or is omitted altogether in reported speech, depending on the context.

It’s important to keep in mind that the changes made to pronouns and adverbs in reported speech depend on the context and the perspective of the new speaker. With practice, you can become more comfortable with making these changes in reported speech.

How do I change the tense in reported speech?

In reported speech, the tense of the reported verb usually changes to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here are some guidelines on how to change the tense in reported speech:

Present simple in direct speech changes to past simple in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I like pizza.” Reported speech: She said she liked pizza.

Present continuous in direct speech changes to past continuous in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I am studying for my exam.” Reported speech: He said he was studying for his exam.

Present perfect in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I have finished my work.” Reported speech: She said she had finished her work.

Past simple in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I visited my grandparents last weekend.” Reported speech: She said she had visited her grandparents the previous weekend.

Will in direct speech changes to would in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I will help you with your project.” Reported speech: He said he would help me with my project.

Can in direct speech changes to could in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: “I can speak French.” Reported speech: She said she could speak French.

Remember that the tense changes in reported speech depend on the tense of the verb in the direct speech, and the tense you use in reported speech should match the time frame of the new speaker’s perspective. With practice, you can become more comfortable with changing the tense in reported speech.

Do I always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech?

No, you do not always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech. However, using a reporting verb can help to clarify who is speaking and add more context to the reported speech.

In some cases, the reported speech can be introduced by phrases such as “I heard that” or “It seems that” without using a reporting verb. For example:

Direct speech: “I’m going to the cinema tonight.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She said she was going to the cinema tonight. Reported speech without a reporting verb: It seems that she’s going to the cinema tonight.

However, it’s important to note that using a reporting verb can help to make the reported speech more formal and accurate. When using reported speech in academic writing or journalism, it’s generally recommended to use a reporting verb to make the reporting more clear and credible.

Some common reporting verbs include say, tell, explain, ask, suggest, and advise. For example:

Direct speech: “I think we should invest in renewable energy.” Reported speech with a reporting verb: She suggested that they invest in renewable energy.

Overall, while using a reporting verb is not always required, it can be helpful to make the reported speech more clear and accurate

How to use reported speech to report questions and commands?

1. Reporting Questions: When reporting questions, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is the meeting?” Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was.

Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech.

2. Reporting Commands: When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “ordered” or “told” followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “Clean your room!” Reported speech: She ordered me to clean my room.

Note that the exclamation mark is not used in reported speech.

In both cases, the tense of the reported verb should be changed accordingly. For example, present simple changes to past simple, and future changes to conditional. Here are some examples:

Direct speech: “Will you go to the party with me?”Reported speech: She asked if I would go to the party with her. Direct speech: “Please bring me a glass of water.”Reported speech: She requested that I bring her a glass of water.

Remember that when using reported speech to report questions and commands, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

How to make questions in reported speech?

To make questions in reported speech, you need to use an introductory phrase such as “asked” or “wondered” followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here are the steps to make questions in reported speech:

Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb in the sentence. Common reporting verbs used to report questions include “asked,” “inquired,” “wondered,” and “wanted to know.”

Change the tense and pronouns: Next, you need to change the tense and pronouns in the sentence to reflect the shift from direct to reported speech. The tense of the verb is usually shifted back one tense (e.g. from present simple to past simple) in reported speech. The pronouns should also be changed as necessary to reflect the shift in perspective from the original speaker to the reporting speaker.

Use an appropriate question word: If the original question contained a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how), you should use the same question word in the reported question. If the original question did not contain a question word, you can use “if” or “whether” to introduce the reported question.

Change the word order: In reported speech, the word order of the question changes from the inverted form to a normal statement form. The subject usually comes before the verb, unless the original question started with a question word.

Here are some examples of reported questions:

Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?”Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had finished my homework. Direct speech: “Where are you going?”Reported speech: She wondered where I was going.

Remember that when making questions in reported speech, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

Here you can find more examples of direct and indirect questions

What is the difference between reported speech an indirect speech?

In reported or indirect speech, you are retelling or reporting what someone said using your own words. The tense of the reported speech is usually shifted back one tense from the tense used in the original statement. For example, if someone said, “I am going to the store,” in reported speech you would say, “He/she said that he/she was going to the store.”

The main difference between reported speech and indirect speech is that reported speech usually refers to spoken language, while indirect speech can refer to both spoken and written language. Additionally, indirect speech is a broader term that includes reported speech as well as other ways of expressing what someone else has said, such as paraphrasing or summarizing.

Examples of direct speech to reported

• Direct speech: “I am hungry,” she said. Reported speech: She said she was hungry.
• Direct speech: “Can you pass the salt, please?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked her to pass the salt.
• Direct speech: “I will meet you at the cinema,” he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet her at the cinema.
• Direct speech: “I have been working on this project for hours,” she said. Reported speech: She said she had been working on the project for hours.
• Direct speech: “What time does the train leave?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked what time the train left.
• Direct speech: “I love playing the piano,” she said. Reported speech: She said she loved playing the piano.
• Direct speech: “I am going to the grocery store,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to the grocery store.
• Direct speech: “Did you finish your homework?” the teacher asked. Reported speech: The teacher asked if he had finished his homework.
• Direct speech: “I want to go to the beach,” she said. Reported speech: She said she wanted to go to the beach.
• Direct speech: “Do you need help with that?” he asked. Reported speech: He asked if she needed help with that.
• Direct speech: “I can’t come to the party,” he said. Reported speech: He said he couldn’t come to the party.
• Direct speech: “Please don’t leave me,” she said. Reported speech: She begged him not to leave her.
• Direct speech: “I have never been to London before,” he said. Reported speech: He said he had never been to London before.
• Direct speech: “Where did you put my phone?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked where she had put her phone.
• Direct speech: “I’m sorry for being late,” he said. Reported speech: He apologized for being late.
• Direct speech: “I need some help with this math problem,” she said. Reported speech: She said she needed some help with the math problem.
• Direct speech: “I am going to study abroad next year,” he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to study abroad the following year.
• Direct speech: “Can you give me a ride to the airport?” she asked. Reported speech: She asked him to give her a ride to the airport.
• Direct speech: “I don’t know how to fix this,” he said. Reported speech: He said he didn’t know how to fix it.
• Direct speech: “I hate it when it rains,” she said. Reported speech: She said she hated it when it rained.

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100 Reported Speech Examples: How To Change Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of communicating what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. For example, if your friend said, “ I am going to the store ,” in reported speech, you might convey this as, “ My friend said he was going to the store. ” Reported speech is common in both spoken and written language, especially in storytelling, news reporting, and everyday conversations.

Reported Speech: Changing Pronouns

Pronouns are usually changed to match the perspective of the person reporting the speech. For example, “I” in direct speech may become “he” or “she” in reported speech, depending on the context. Here are some example sentences:

Reported Speech: Reporting Verbs

Reported speech: tense shifts.

When converting direct speech into reported speech, the verb tense is often shifted back one step in time. This is known as the “backshift” of tenses. It’s essential to adjust the tense to reflect the time elapsed between the original speech and the reporting. Here are some examples to illustrate how different tenses in direct speech are transformed in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Changing Time and Place References

Reported speech: question format.

When converting questions from direct speech into reported speech, the format changes significantly. Unlike statements, questions require rephrasing into a statement format and often involve the use of introductory verbs like ‘asked’ or ‘inquired’. Here are some examples to demonstrate how questions in direct speech are converted into statements in reported speech:

Reported Speech: Omitting Quotation Marks

Reported speech quiz.

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Reported Speech in English Grammar

What is reported speech, changing direct speech to reported speech, changing the tense (backshifting), no change of tenses, questions in reported speech, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes to time and place markers.

• Exercises – Reported Speech

Reported speech is when we repeat what another person has said but instead of using their exact words in quotation marks (direct speech), we use subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb like the ones below:

Often, we have to change the tense, pronouns and time markers in reported speech.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into reported speech, we may have to change all or some of the following:

• the pronouns
• information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page)
• the tense (backshift)

If the reporting verb is in the simple past (e.g. said, told, asked, replied … ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table below). This is known as backshifting .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the reporting verb is in the simple present (e.g. says, tells, asks, replies … ), then the tense remains unchanged.

While the tense remains unchanged, we often still have to change the verb form to match the new pronouns.

that after a reporting verb

We often omit the word that after a reporting verb, especially in spoken language and informal contexts.

When turning questions into reported speech, we follow the same rules as for declarative sentences: we change the pronouns as well as the time and place markers and backshift the tense as needed.

In addition, we also have to bear in mind the following:

• instead of that , we use a question word after the reporting verb; if there is no question word, we use whether / if instead
• questions in reported speech follow declarative sentence word order (subject + verb)
• we don’t use the auxiliary verb do/did for questions in reported speech; instead, the main verb appears in the simple past without an auxiliary verb
• put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions.

Questions in reported speech do not end in a question mark.

When turning orders, demands and requests into reported speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information.

We don’t have to pay attention to the tense – we simply use an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb.

If the imperative is negated, then we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive .

say vs. tell

The words say and tell are not interchangeable.

• say = say something
• tell = say something to someone

Head over to the vocabulary section to learn more about the difference between say and tell .

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Reported Speech

If we want to say what somebody has said, we basically have two options:

• We can use the person's exact words - in quotation marks "..." if we are writing ( direct speech ).
• We can change the person's words into our own words ( reported speech ).

In this lesson we learn about reported speech , the structure that we use when we report what another person has said, and reported speech rules.

Now we will look at:

• Reported Statements
• Time and Place
• Reported Questions
• Reported Requests
• Reported Orders And then you can check your understanding of reported speech with...
• Reported Speech Quiz

Reported speech is called "indirect speech" by some people. Other people regard reported speech simply as one form of indirect speech. Other forms are, for example:

• questions-within-questions: Can you tell me if they are expensive?
• mental processes: He believes that politics is a dirty game.

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Reported Speech in English

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other. 

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair  has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant. 

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games  (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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Reported Speech: How to Use Reported Speech | Useful Rules

One of the most common mistakes when becoming familiar with this type of grammar is not knowing the difference between direct speech and reported speech and the changes related to these types of sentences.

Reported Speech

The reported speech reproduces the words of another person by adapting certain temporal and local references of the original speech to the situation of the speaker, for example, personal pronouns, demonstratives, verb tenses, and adverbs of place or time.

It is characterized by introducing the message that is reproduced with a speaking verb followed by conjunctions that or if. The speaking verb reveals the intention of the speaker to convey what another person has said.

The most frequent speaking verbs are: say, affirm , count, explain, ask, warn, suggest, order, etc.

Direct Speech vs. Reported Speech

Both are the two different ways to transmit what someone has said.

With direct speech, the message is reproduced as we have heard it, in quotes and after a color meanwhile with reported speech the message is reproduced with our words, without commas but using that or if after the verb.

Different Types of Sentences

• Reported statements : use that before the statement and the reporting verb said or told.
• Reported questions : use reported verbs like asked, requested, or wanted to know and omit the question mark. Remember that the order in reported questions changes. In the case of yes-no questions use whether or if.
• Reported requests or commands : use to or not to before the sentence and use verbs like asked, told, ordered, urged, advised, and begged.

Changes When Using Reported Speech

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In short, the tense changes in the reported speech are made taking into account the verb in the direct speech. The tense changes are:

• Simple present -> simple past
• Present continuous -> past continuous
• Simple past -> past perfect simple
• Past continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Past perfect simple -> past perfect simple
• Past perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Present perfect -> past perfect simple
• Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Future simple -> would
• Future perfect -> would have
• Present passive -> past passive
• Present passive continuous -> past passive continuous
• Can -> could/would be able to
• May -> might
• May -> could/ would be allowed to
• Must -> must/ had to/ would have to
• Needn’t -> didn’t have to /didn’t need to /wouldn’t have to
• Shall -> would/should
• Will -> would

Place, Demonstratives, and Time Expressions

Just as there are certain changes in the verb tenses, you have to make changes in the demonstratives, pronouns , and expressions of time and place.

• Here -> there
• There -> there
• This -> that

Time Expressions

• Today -> that day
• Tomorrow -> the next day/ the following day
• Now -> at that moment/ then
• At the present -> At the time
• Present, current -> existing current
• In one hour -> one hour later
• Next year -> the following year
• Days ago -> days before
• Tonight -> that night
• In two week’s time -> two weeks later
• Ago -> before

Pronouns and Demonstratives

• I -> he, she
• Me -> him, her
• My -> his, her, the
• Mine -> his, hers
• We -> they
• Us -> them
• Our -> their, the
• Ours -> theirs
• You -> they, them, their, the
• Yours -> theirs
• This -> that, the
• These -> those, the
• This book -> that book

Reported Speech | Infographic

Other Changes in Reported Speech

Last Updated on October 25, 2023

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Reported Speech

Learn how to use  reported speech in English. Reported speech is also known as  indirect speech  and is used to tell somebody else what another person said. Using  reported speech in English can sometimes be difficult for non-native speakers as we (usually) change the verbs, pronouns and specific times.

Keep reading to understand how to use reported speech and download this free English lesson!

Let’s study reported speech !

Reported speech vs. direct speech.

When we want to tell somebody else what another person said, we can use either direct speech  or  reported speech .

When we use d irect speech, we use the same words but use quotation marks, “_”. For example:

Scott said, “I am coming to work.  I will be late because there is a lot of traffic now.”

When we use r eported speech, we usually change the verbs, specific times, and pronouns. For example:

Scott said that he was coming to work.  He said that he would be late because there was a lot of traffic at that time.

How do we use reported speech ?

Since reported speech is usually talking about the past, we usually change the verbs into the past. It is always necessary to change the verbs when the action has finished or is untrue.

We do not always change the verbs.  When you are reporting an action that is still current or true, it is not necessary to change the verb tense. For example:    

How old are you?  “ I am twenty-seven years old .” She said she is twenty-seven years old.

We usually follow the rules below.  When we are reporting speech, we are usually talking about the past; therefore, we change the verbs into the past.

Reporting Questions

We use a special form when we report questions:  

WH-Questions:    

Where is + Tom’s house ?   He asked where Tom’s house + was.

Where does Tom live?  He asked where Tom lived.

Yes/No Questions:  

Does Tom live in Miami?  She asked if Tom  lived in Miami.

Is Tom happy?  She asked if Tom was happy.

Say vs. Tell

Say Something

June:  “I love English .”

June said (that) she loved English.

Tell Someone Something

June:  “I love English.”

June told me (that) she loved English.

Modal Verbs and Reported Speech

Must, might, could, would, should , and ought to stay the same in re ported   s peech .  We usually change may to might .

Infinitives and Reported Speech

Infinitives  stay the same in reported speech:

“ I am going to the store to buy milk.”  He said he was going to the store to buy milk.

We also use infinitives when reporting orders and commands, especially when using tell .

“ Do  your homework.   Don’t use a dictionary!!”  He told me to do to my homework and not to use a dictionary.

Reporting Suggestions

When we are reporting another speakers suggestions, we can use a special form with suggest, recommend, or propose .

SUGGEST/ RECOMMEND/PROPOSE   +   (*THAT)   +    SUBJECT PRONOUN   +   **V1

SUGGEST/ RECOMMEND/PROPOSE   +   V1 + ING

“I think you should visit Viscaya.”     →  He suggested we visit Viscaya.  He suggested visiting Viscaya.

“Try to get there early to get good seats.”    →   He recommended we get there early to get good seats.

*That is often omitted in speech.

**The verb is always in the base form. We do not use third person.

Reporting Statements

A reported statement  begins with an introductory clause and is followed by the ‘information’ clause.  The speaker may choose different words, but the meaning remains unchanged.  Some formal words to introduce a reported statement or response are: declared, stated, informed, responded, replied, etc.

“I don’t agree with these new rules. I am not going to accept this change!” →  He declared that he was in disagreement with the new rules and stated that he would not accept the changes.

Free English Lesson PDF Download

Reported Speech ~ Exercises and Practice

A. Change each direct speech example into the reported speech . The first one has been done for you.

• Michelle said, “I love my Chihuahua, Daisy.”

Michelle said that she loved her Chihuahua, Daisy.

2. Republicans said, “We don’t support Obama’s plan to raise taxes.”

__________________________________________________________.

3.With her mouth full, Sarah said, “I am eating mashed potatoes.”

4. John Lee said, “This year, I will not pay my taxes.”

5. Lebron said, “I am going to win the championship next year.”

6. Patty said, “I can’t stomach another hamburger. I ate one yesterday.”

B. Rewrite the sentences/questions below using reported / indirect speech . Always change the tense, even though it is not always necessary. You can use ‘said’, ‘told me’ , or ‘asked’ .

1. Sarah:   “I am in the shower right now.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. John:   “I dropped my son off at school this morning.”

3. Samuel: “I am going to the beach with my sister this afternoon.”

4. John: “Jessica will call you later.”

5. The girls: “Who does John live with?”

6. Our classmate: “Did we have any homework last night?”

7. Sarah: “I am moving to Tokyo because I want to learn Japanese.”

8. John: “Why do you have an umbrella?”

9. The students: “Our teacher can’t find her books anywhere.”

10. Sarah and Jillian: “Is John British?”

11. Steve: “I’m going to the beach so that I can play volleyball.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

12. Ann: “Where is the bathroom?”

13. My parents: “What are you going to do with your life?”

14. Sarah: “I ate breakfast before I came to school.”

C. Your friend Megan is very nosy (she always wants to know what’s going on) so she constantly asks questions about your life and the lives of your friends. Rewrite her questions using the reported questions form. The first one has been done for you .

1. Why do you date Ryan?

She asked me why I dated Ryan.

2. How much money do you make at your new job?

________________________________________________________________________________

3. Does Ryan think I’m pretty?

4. Where is your favorite restaurant?

5. Do I look good in these jeans?

6. Can I borrow some twenty bucks?

D. Your American grandfather is telling you about how things used to be. Using the reported speech , tell your friends what he said.

“In the 1930s, people were very poor. They ate watery soup and hard bread. Many people lost their jobs. To make matters worse, a horrible drought ruined most of the farmland in the American midwest. People went to California to look for a better life. They picked strawberries in the hot California sun.”

Did you download this lesson? If not, don’t forget to download this free English lesson.

If you have any questions about English grammar, please contact us via email us or just comment below. I hope this lesson helped you understand how to use reported speech in English.

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Reported Speech - English Grammar

When we are finding out how to learn English grammar online, the way to present spoken words as reported or direct speech is an important skill to acquire. Reported speech is sometimes called indirect speech, to contrast with direct speech.

Direct Speech

Although this piece is mainly focussed on reported speech, in order to understand this fully a good knowledge of how to write direct speech is really important.

Direct speech refers to the actual words that are spoken by a person, or character, in a story . We have rules to show this.

Punctuation of Direct Speech

There are many rules and conventions of punctuating direct speech (sometimes called dialogue):

Speech Marks : The actual words spoken appear between speech marks (it does not matter whether these are single or double, as long as the writer is consistent). All other punctuation appears within the speech marks.

‘How do you feel today?’ I asked.

End of dialogue : Often, when writing direct speech, the speaker will be identified with something like he said , or cried Joan . If this comes after a piece of direct speech, then that direct speech will usually end with a comma, although it can use a question mark, ellipses or exclamation mark, but not a full stop.

Sentences: Direct speech is considered a sentence within its own right, and is punctuated accordingly.

Paragraphing: Every time there is a change of speaker there should be a new paragraph. Normally, unless just a few words are being spoken, direct speech should begin a new paragraph.

Reported Speech

However, often a writer simply wants to carry the gist, or meaning, of the actual words a person uses . This is when indirect speech comes into play. Not only is this punctuated differently (none of the rules specific to direct speech apply – reported speech is punctuated as normal prose), but sometimes the tense of verb forms can change.

In reported speech tenses, pronouns and adverbial phrases often (but not always) change. The tables and examples below illustrate this. Firstly, we look at tense.

Direct speech

‘I regularly exercise,’ he said.

He said that he exercises regularly.

Present Continuous

‘I am repairing the car,’ said John.

John said that he was repairing the car.

‘He ate his dinner,’ said Mum.

Mum said that he had eaten his dinner.

Present Perfect

‘I have been shopping,’ said my wife.

My wife told me that she had been shopping.

Past Perfect

‘I just finished the test,’ said the boy.

The boy said that he had just finished the test.

Present Perfect Continuous

They stuttered, ‘We have been waiting for your call.’

They stuttered that they had been waiting for her call.

Past Continuous

‘I was working,’ he explained.

He explained that he had been working .

‘I will be paying in my salary on Tuesday,’ he said.

He said that he  would be paying in his salary on Tuesday.

Future Continuous

‘I’ll be visiting on Thursday,’ she explained.

She explained that she would be visiting on Thursday.

Pronouns in Reported Speech

Next we will consider how pronouns can be changed when shifting from direct to reported speech. There are rules to remember. They are complex, but can soon be learned.

First Person Pronoun – we, I, me, mine, us, our

If we are talking about a third person pronoun (for example: she, it, he, their etc) then the pronoun changes.

‘I love football,’ he told me. He told me that he loves football.

If we are talking about another first person then the pronoun, then the pronoun does not change.

I said, ‘I love football.’ I said that I love football.

Second Person Pronoun – you, yours

The pronoun changes to fit with the object of the sentence.

She said to me, ‘You are my hero!’ She said to me that I was her hero. ‘You are my hero,’ she said to him. She said to him that he was her hero.

Third Person Pronoun – she, he, it, they, his, him, them, his

The pronoun is not changed when direct speech is switched to reported speech.

‘It will fall over,’ he said. He said that it would fall over.

Adverbial changes in Reported Speech

Adverb is direct speech

Adverb in reported speech

**This ** He said, ‘I like this.’

**That ** He said that he liked that.

**These ** ‘How much are these?’ he asked.

**Those ** He asked how much those were.

**Here ** ‘Here it is!’ she shouted.

**There ** She shouted that it was there.

**Now ** ‘I want it now,’ screamed the child.

**Then ** The child screamed that he wanted it then.

**Today ** ‘It will arrive today,’ said the postman.

**That day ** The postman said that it would arrive that day.

**Yesterday ** ‘I was upset yesterday,’ said Bill.

**The previous day, the day before ** Bill said that he had been upset the day before.

**Tomorrow **‘I will tell you tomorrow,’ promised Fred.

**The next day **Fred promised that he would tell me the next day.

**Ago **‘It happened long ago,’ said the T Rex.

**Before **The T Rex said that it had happened long before.

These rules can seem confusing, but a good way to practice them is to take direct speech from a book, or from a quote in a newspaper, and try putting it into reported speech. The rules in this article can then be used to check that you have the right idea.

Similar article:  Ten Top Study Tips for Passing Your English Exams

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How to use reported speech.

Learn about Reported Speech in English grammar. Clear and simple explanation of meaning and use, with examples.

Forming reported speech

• Direct speech: “I’m not playing football.” Reported later: “He said that he wasn’t playing football.”
• Direct speech: Jane: “I don’t like living here.” (Jane is referring to herself) Reported speech: Jane said (that) she didn’t like living here. (The pronoun she refers to Jane )
• Direct speech: “I like this car.” Reported speech: He said (that) he liked that car.
• Direct speech: “I went to Tokyo last week .” Reported speech: She said (that) she’d been to Tokyo the week before .

We use reported speech to tell someone what another person said:

Jim says to you:

“I don’t feel well.” “I can’t drive.” “My parents have gone on holiday.” “I’m going out now so you will have to wait until I get back.” “I’ll help you.”

Later, you tell your friend what Jim said:

Jim said (that) he didn’t feel well. He said (that) he couldn’t drive. He said (that) his parents had gone on holiday. He said (that) he was going out now so I would have to wait until he got back. He said that he would help me .

Additional points

• Direct speech: “My car is bigger than yours.”
• Reported speech: He said his car is/was bigger than mine.
• Direct speech: “The earthquake happened at half past seven.”
• Reported speech: The radio said that the earthquake  happened at half past seven.
• Direct speech: “I should go to the dentist.”
• Reported speech: He said that he should go to the dentist.

Pronunciation

See the phonemic chart for IPA symbols used below.

If we use that  in reported speech, we pronounce the weak form.

• I said that he’d do it: /ðət/

Related grammar points

Reported Questions Reporting Verbs Say and Tell

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16 comments

I give the students comic strips from the funny pages, and they have to summarize the direct speech. There are always lots of questions, and that makes especially good practice.

I ask students to tell their partner three secrets. Then, this student tells other students in the class (a good way to explain the word: gossip!). This activity helps students practice reporting but in a fun way!

I ask students to think of a fun sentence. I put them all in a line and the student at the end whispers their sentence to the one beside them, this student then reports the sentence to the following student, and so on. The last student says the sentence aloud and we see if they did it correctly… it is like the “telefono descompuesto” in Spanish.

I put students in groups of three. Two in the group are a couple quarrelling, but who will not speak to each other. The middle man/woman receives information from one and uses reported speech to relay the message(s).

I showed some slides about a fire at a petrol station and the group had to make up a conversation between two witnesses to the fire. We then wrote it as a newspaper report.

I show them some debate shows on the Internet after advising them to make notes of the main points. Then I ask them to report what different participants opined. SBS insight has nice discussions to be used for this purpose.

If you have the resources, you can play a short listening/video about an important event, news, etc. Students then have to report to the teacher what they heard.

I have students make 10 questions they would ask their favourite actor or actress. Then, they use these questions to interview another partner who pretends to be that famous person. He or she will answer those questions the same way the famous person would. Students end up reporting their answers to the teacher. In that way, they can practice reported speech in an interesting form.

I did a “Find someone who…” mingling activity with my students and then divided the group into two teams. I asked a member from the first team to report one of the replies to a question they had asked. If their reply was correctly put into reported speech, they got a point for their team. I repeated the process until I had covered all the responses from the activity. The team with the most points won the game and was rewarded with cream eggs!

Cut a dialogue into four parts. Paste it on four walls. Students work in pairs. One of them is the messenger and the other one is a receiver. The messenger runs to the walls and remembers the sentences, comes back and narrates the same to the receiver.

I prepare cards with several questions in different tenses, such as:

“What were you doing yesterday at 6?” “How long have you been studying English?” “Will you do your homework for tomorrow?”

I put my students in pairs and ask them to interview each other using the questions on the cards. Once they’ve got their answers, they change partners and share everything they’ve learnt about the previous student.

I tell students to think about what happened to them before they came to class. For example, “what did your mom, dad, husband, wife say to them? They write down the direct speech and then the reported speech.

I ask one of my students to introduce him/herself (name, age, hobbies)… and ask other students to take notes. When they are finished, I ask “What did he say?”

Hello, I’m not a teacher, I’m an ESL class student. So, I’m here to ask you guys a question about wich is still making me to be confused. I asked my teacher, ”if you say, ”I am a teacher”, should I make it a reported speech as ” she said she was a teacher?”. she answered that I needed to say ,” she said she is a teacher”. One more thing: I found a sentence in worksheet written , ”He told his birthday is next week”. Is it correct? I thought it had to be ” he told his birhday would be next week” So, is this modern English rule? Is that a difference? Can you pleeease, explain and help me to make sure to correct this hesitation.

Thanks for your questions.

1. “She said she was a teacher” and “She said she is a teacher” are both correct. Often we don’t change the tense if the fact that we are reporting is still true. So, if it is still true that she is a teacher, then she can report it with “She said she is a teacher” (see Additional point number 1 above).

2. “He told his birthday is next week”. First of all, if you use “told” then you must add a direct object, like this: “He told me his birthday is next week”.

Now, let’s look at the different ways we can use reported speech for this. If the person says “My birthday is next week” then we can report it like this: – He told me his birthday was next week – He told me his birthday is next week (it’s still true so we don’t need to change the tense)

If the person says “My birthday will be next week” then we can report it like this: – He told me his birthday would be next week.

I hope that helps!

This is what I wanted to know. Thanks a lot!

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Reported speech

Reported speech is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say. There are two main types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech.

Direct speech repeats the exact words the person used, or how we remember their words:

Barbara said, “I didn’t realise it was midnight.”

In indirect speech, the original speaker’s words are changed.

Barbara said she hadn’t realised it was midnight .

In this example, I becomes she and the verb tense reflects the fact that time has passed since the words were spoken: didn’t realise becomes hadn’t realised .

Indirect speech focuses more on the content of what someone said rather than their exact words:

“I’m sorry,” said Mark. (direct)

Mark apologised . (indirect: report of a speech act)

In a similar way, we can report what people wrote or thought:

‘I will love you forever,’ he wrote, and then posted the note through Alice’s door. (direct report of what someone wrote)

He wrote that he would love her forever , and then posted the note through Alice’s door. (indirect report of what someone wrote)

I need a new direction in life , she thought. (direct report of someone’s thoughts)

She thought that she needed a new direction in life . (indirect report of someone’s thoughts)

Reported speech: direct speech

Reported speech: indirect speech

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Speech reports consist of two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. The reporting clause includes a verb such as say, tell, ask, reply, shout , usually in the past simple, and the reported clause includes what the original speaker said.

Reported speech: punctuation

Direct speech.

In direct speech we usually put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. The words of the original speaker are enclosed in inverted commas, either single (‘…’) or double (“…”). If the reported clause comes first, we put the comma inside the inverted commas:

“ I couldn’t sleep last night, ” he said.

Rita said, ‘ I don’t need you any more. ’

If the direct speech is a question or exclamation, we use a question mark or exclamation mark, not a comma:

‘Is there a reason for this ? ’ she asked.

“I hate you ! ” he shouted.

We sometimes use a colon (:) between the reporting clause and the reported clause when the reporting clause is first:

The officer replied: ‘It is not possible to see the General. He’s busy.’

Punctuation

Indirect speech

In indirect speech it is more common for the reporting clause to come first. When the reporting clause is first, we don’t put a comma between the reporting clause and the reported clause. When the reporting clause comes after the reported clause, we use a comma to separate the two parts:

She told me they had left her without any money.

Not: She told me, they had left her without any money .

Nobody had gone in or out during the previous hour, he informed us.

We don’t use question marks or exclamation marks in indirect reports of questions and exclamations:

He asked me why I was so upset.

Not: He asked me why I was so upset?

Reported speech: reporting verbs

Say and tell.

We can use say and tell to report statements in direct speech, but say is more common. We don’t always mention the person being spoken to with say , but if we do mention them, we use a prepositional phrase with to ( to me, to Lorna ):

‘I’ll give you a ring tomorrow,’ she said .

‘Try to stay calm,’ she said to us in a low voice.

Not: ‘Try to stay calm,’ she said us in a low voice .

With tell , we always mention the person being spoken to; we use an indirect object (underlined):

‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told them .

Not: ‘Enjoy yourselves,’ he told .

In indirect speech, say and tell are both common as reporting verbs. We don’t use an indirect object with say , but we always use an indirect object (underlined) with tell :

He said he was moving to New Zealand.

Not: He said me he was moving to New Zealand .

He told me he was moving to New Zealand.

Not: He told he was moving to New Zealand .

We use say , but not tell , to report questions:

‘Are you going now?’ she said .

Not: ‘Are you going now?’ she told me .

We use say , not tell , to report greetings, congratulations and other wishes:

‘Happy birthday!’ she said .

Not: Happy birthday!’ she told me .

Everyone said good luck to me as I went into the interview.

Not: Everyone told me good luck …

Say or tell ?

Other reporting verbs

The reporting verbs in this list are more common in indirect reports, in both speaking and writing:

Simon admitted that he had forgotten to email Andrea.

Louis always maintains that there is royal blood in his family.

The builder pointed out that the roof was in very poor condition.

Most of the verbs in the list are used in direct speech reports in written texts such as novels and newspaper reports. In ordinary conversation, we don’t use them in direct speech. The reporting clause usually comes second, but can sometimes come first:

‘Who is that person?’ she asked .

‘It was my fault,’ he confessed .

‘There is no cause for alarm,’ the Minister insisted .

Verb patterns: verb + that -clause

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Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples

Are you having trouble understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech? Direct speech is when you quote someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. This can be a tricky concept to grasp, but with a little practice, you’ll be able to use both forms of speech with ease.

Direct and Indirect Speech

When someone speaks, we can report what they said in two ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is when we quote the exact words that were spoken, while indirect speech is when we report what was said without using the speaker’s exact words. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I love pizza,” said John. Indirect speech: John said that he loved pizza.

Using direct speech can make your writing more engaging and can help to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion. However, indirect speech can be useful when you want to summarize what someone said or when you don’t have the exact words that were spoken.

To change direct speech to indirect speech, you need to follow some rules. Firstly, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. Secondly, you need to change the pronouns and adverbs in the reported speech to match the new speaker. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will go to the park,” said Sarah. Indirect speech: Sarah said that she would go to the park.

It’s important to note that when you use indirect speech, you need to use reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked” to indicate who is speaking. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is it?” asked Tom. Indirect speech: Tom asked what time it was.

In summary, understanding direct and indirect speech is crucial for effective communication and writing. Direct speech can be used to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion, while indirect speech can be useful when summarizing what someone said. By following the rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech, you can accurately report what was said while maintaining clarity and readability in your writing.

Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech

When it comes to reporting speech, there are two ways to go about it: direct and indirect speech. Direct speech is when you report someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. Here are some of the key differences between direct and indirect speech:

Change of Pronouns

In direct speech, the pronouns used are those of the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the pronouns have to be changed to reflect the perspective of the reporter. For example:

• Direct speech: “I am going to the store,” said John.
• Indirect speech: John said he was going to the store.

In the above example, the pronoun “I” changes to “he” in indirect speech.

Change of Tenses

Another major difference between direct and indirect speech is the change of tenses. In direct speech, the verb tense used is the same as that used by the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the verb tense may change depending on the context. For example:

• Direct speech: “I am studying for my exams,” said Sarah.
• Indirect speech: Sarah said she was studying for her exams.

In the above example, the present continuous tense “am studying” changes to the past continuous tense “was studying” in indirect speech.

Change of Time and Place References

When reporting indirect speech, the time and place references may also change. For example:

• Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” said Tom.
• Indirect speech: Tom said he would meet you at the park the next day.

In the above example, “tomorrow” changes to “the next day” in indirect speech.

Overall, it is important to understand the differences between direct and indirect speech to report speech accurately and effectively. By following the rules of direct and indirect speech, you can convey the intended message of the original speaker.

Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

When you need to report what someone said in your own words, you can use indirect speech. To convert direct speech into indirect speech, you need to follow a few rules.

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

The first step is to remove the quotation marks that enclose the relayed text. This is because indirect speech does not use the exact words of the speaker.

Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker

To indicate that you are reporting what someone said, you need to use a reporting verb such as “said,” “asked,” “told,” or “exclaimed.” You also need to use a linker such as “that” or “whether” to connect the reporting verb to the reported speech.

For example:

• Direct speech: “I love ice cream,” said Mary.
• Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved ice cream.

Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb

When you use indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb.

• Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the store.

Step 4: Change the Pronouns

You also need to change the pronouns in the reported speech to match the subject of the reporting verb.

• Direct speech: “Are you busy now?” Tina asked me.
• Indirect speech: Tina asked whether I was busy then.

By following these rules, you can convert direct speech into indirect speech and report what someone said in your own words.

Converting Indirect Speech Into Direct Speech

Converting indirect speech into direct speech involves changing the reported speech to its original form as spoken by the speaker. Here are the steps to follow when converting indirect speech into direct speech:

• Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb used in the indirect speech. This will help you determine the tense of the direct speech.
• Change the pronouns: The next step is to change the pronouns in the indirect speech to match the person speaking in the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “She said that she was going to the store,” the direct speech would be “I am going to the store,” if you are the person speaking.
• Change the tense: Change the tense of the verbs in the indirect speech to match the tense of the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “He said that he would visit tomorrow,” the direct speech would be “He says he will visit tomorrow.”
• Remove the reporting verb and conjunction: In direct speech, there is no need for a reporting verb or conjunction. Simply remove them from the indirect speech to get the direct speech.

Here is an example to illustrate the process:

Indirect Speech: John said that he was tired and wanted to go home.

Direct Speech: “I am tired and want to go home,” John said.

By following these steps, you can easily convert indirect speech into direct speech.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and indirect speech are two ways to report what someone has said. Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by a person, while indirect speech reports the meaning of what was said. Here are some examples of both types of speech:

Direct Speech Examples

Direct speech is used when you want to report the exact words spoken by someone. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks and is often used in dialogue.

• “I am going to the store,” said Sarah.
• “It’s a beautiful day,” exclaimed John.
• “Please turn off the lights,” Mom told me.
• “I will meet you at the library,” said Tom.
• “We are going to the beach tomorrow,” announced Mary.

Indirect Speech Examples

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is used to report what someone said without using their exact words. It is often used in news reports, academic writing, and in situations where you want to paraphrase what someone said.

Here are some examples of indirect speech:

• Sarah said that she was going to the store.
• John exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.
• Mom told me to turn off the lights.
• Tom said that he would meet me at the library.
• Mary announced that they were going to the beach tomorrow.

In indirect speech, the verb tense may change to reflect the time of the reported speech. For example, “I am going to the store” becomes “Sarah said that she was going to the store.” Additionally, the pronouns and possessive adjectives may also change to reflect the speaker and the person being spoken about.

Overall, both direct and indirect speech are important tools for reporting what someone has said. By using these techniques, you can accurately convey the meaning of what was said while also adding your own interpretation and analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech refer to the ways in which we communicate what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, using quotation marks to indicate that you are quoting someone. Indirect speech, on the other hand, involves reporting what someone has said without using their exact words.

How do you convert direct speech to indirect speech?

To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb, such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.” For example, “I love ice cream,” said Mary (direct speech) can be converted to “Mary said that she loved ice cream” (indirect speech).

What is the difference between direct speech and indirect speech?

The main difference between direct speech and indirect speech is that direct speech uses the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. Direct speech is usually enclosed in quotation marks, while indirect speech is not.

What are some examples of direct and indirect speech?

Some examples of direct speech include “I am going to the store,” said John and “I love pizza,” exclaimed Sarah. Some examples of indirect speech include John said that he was going to the store and Sarah exclaimed that she loved pizza .

What are the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech?

The rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech include changing the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb and use appropriate reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.”

What is a summary of direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech are two ways of reporting what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions and introduce a reporting verb.

You might also like:

• List of Adjectives
• Predicate Adjective
• Superlative Adjectives

This website is AMNAZING

MY NAAMEE IS KISHU AND I WANTED TO TELL THERE ARE NO EXERCISES AVAILLABLEE BY YOUR WEBSITE PLEASE ADD THEM SSOON FOR OUR STUDENTS CONVIENCE IM A EIGHT GRADER LOVED YOUR EXPLABATIO

sure cries l miss my friend

he saiad,” we are all sinners”. convert into indirect speech

He said that they were all sinners.

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Indirectly saying "I love you" [closed]

I want tell to someone "I love you", but not in that manner (indirectly but to get that idea). How can I do it in a modern way?

• 9 "I love you" is a special string of words. If you actually want to tell someone "I love you", then you have to say those words, or else you didn't really do it. –  Kosmonaut Commented Apr 12, 2011 at 13:05
• 1 Don't rule out non-verbal communication; a broad smile and a long hug can "say" a lot; for the purely verbal side, I'm with Kosmonaut. –  PSU Commented Apr 12, 2011 at 13:21
• 1 @Kosmonaut: This is actually quite interesting. We do not have this performative speech act in Dutch, and hence we lack the corresponding ritual (apart from those who watch too many American television series). For starters we lack a current transitive verb to love . Among my friends, it is assumed that love grows and clichés are unromantic. I suspect that a similar ritual is somehow performed as well, but with different clues. I wonder how deeply this is rooted in cultural differences; marriage proposals do exist, of course. –  Cerberus - Reinstate Monica Commented Apr 12, 2011 at 13:43
• 1 @Kosmonaut That is not true; you can say ILY. ;-) –  avpaderno Commented Apr 12, 2011 at 13:53
• @Kosmonaut, I suppose an established couple could create a proxy phrase or word that they take to mean "I love you". I'm thinking of something like "Ditto" from the movie Ghost. –  Sam Commented Apr 12, 2011 at 14:44

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged idioms speech or ask your own question .

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Grammar Exercise: Reported Speech Exercise

Grammar exercise - reported speech, do the exercise below on reported speech and click on the button to check your answers., complete the sentences in reported speech., related materials:.

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Grammar: Reported Speech / Indirect Speech

Test your understanding of this English lesson

271 comments.

I don’t believe God created you to become a teacher. you should change your career immediately without thinking,

I don’t believe God created him at all.

I belive God created him to be a teacher. He is one of the best EngVid teachers.

the god is existed in our world and he rules everything , nothing happens without his order and he creates all of us whether you agree or not

I respect what you said ( Salma 1995) about god is exist in our world. I live in USA and the freedom of religion for every one and society that respects and is open to all beliefs and religions. From childhood, I was indoctrinated that religion is between oneself and God and our home country is for all citizens without discrimination based on religion, color, or nationality. In addition, no one should be compelled to follow any religious doctrine or sect, including those who do not follow my way of life. Self respect is of the greatest values the human could live upon.

but my respond was not for you , it was for engVid

What do you want to say ?? What do you mean by living in USA ?what do you mean by all those big words that you have written such as , Racism,Nationality, Citizens,Freedom of religion,Society and your childhood with human . We are in here to improve our English we are not talking in the United Nations please take it easy MR. Basement 3090 , We must thank all teachers for their good efforts .

LOL! Sorry,mr. Moderator, but I couldn’t help laughing. That’s the famous English sense of humour.

What’s the value added of your comment? If you don’t like it here, no-one forces you to watch the videos. :)

I’m so sorry (Salmma 1995) please accept my apologies. انا احب اهل تونس الخضراء

Firstly, I`m not sure that God exist. Secondly, Ben is a really good teacher. And finally, what`s your problem, man? If U don`t like him, just do not watch his lessons!

Thank you so much . Your lesson is useful for me. My skye is ukrit_2011

Thank you everyone.

Great explanation! Thanks.

Good explanation… %89… :)

I got 7 correct out of 9. I sometimes write like… ex. She said to me that she got a stomachache and would like to be absent from school. Is it OK?

Or should I write like ‘She told me that she got a stomachache and would like to be absent from school’?

Thank you, Benjamin :)

Excuse me, I will try to answer: the second sentence is correct. I remember simple rule: tell–somebody and say–something

Thank you, emo53 :)

to tell + someone +something to say + something + to someone a) she told me a bad news b)he said something funny to me

see you soon, Mr Emo 56

To start with, both forms (said to me that/told me that) are correct. Check out e.g. this page : http://engengenglish.blogspot.sk/2009/11/say-vs-tell.html

However, I see a mistake in both of your sentences.

If her original words were: “I HAVE GOT a stomach ache and I would like to be absent from school.” Then, we need to shift the sentence into Reported Speech as follows: She said that HAD a stomach ache and would like to be absent from school. (we never shift “would”; have got/have(to)/must -> all shift to “HAD (to)”)

If the Reported Speech were “…she got a stomach ache…,” then her original words should have been: “…I get a stomach ache…,” which is incorrect (Present Simple would be understood as a repeated/habitual action)

If her original words were: “I HAD a stomach ache (this morning) and I would like to …” Then, the sentence in Reported Speech would be as follows: “She said (to me) that / She told me that she HAD HAD a stomach ache that morning and would like to…”

Hope this is a bit clear now :)

Cheers, David

it’s helpful!!Thank you David~

Thank you, David :)

No prob guys. I just see that I have a mistake in my previous reply. Sorry about that.

It should be “She said that SHE HAD a stomach ache and would like to be absent from school.”

thanks for website)))

7 out of 9 .

Thanks Ben for this interesting lesson.

I don’t understand why is:Lili told me that she liked chocolate… the right answer(n°7) We don’t konw who is she talking to.

I thought it was the second to last.

89% , Thanks Benjamin … You’re great ,hats off for you

Everyone said thanked Engvid dude.

Thanks, got 89%.

I got 7 out 9. Great lesson! شكرًا جزيلاً

Thanks Benjamin! I got 89%

thax for clearin my doubts

9 out of 9. Thanks Benjamin!!!

thank Benjamin, your lesson is very great! I hope you will have many better lessons than this lesson.

6 Out of 9, I need to improve my listening, But alright, practice makes perfect

Thanks a million!

Thanks very much :D

I got 8 out of 9. Thank you for this lesson !!

Great and lively explanation! Thx

Thanks……I got89%

Thanks Benjamin … amazing lesson :) .. I got it easily

It’s absolutely useful lesson ! Thank you Benjamin :)

That was quite easy :) I don’t know why you have chosen “level 3-Advanced” :) ?

here are the answers I got wrong (first) and the correct one (right below)

Lili told me that she likes chocolate ice cream. Lili told me that she liked chocolate ice cream.

Will: “I enjoyed been a captain.” Will: “I enjoy being a captain.”

What I didn’t get is: what if Lili was saying something I know is still currently true? And couldn’t Will be talking to me about a passed experience? I mean: I got the point of the lesson, but is it true in all situations or it was me thinking too much and giving the correct answer to an option which was not included in this lesson?

The answer with Will is wrong, because of the form “been”.

You have a good question, though. There is debate about this. Some people say that you shouldn’t have to shift the tense back if you know it is still true. And in practice, we often do not shift it back. But if you are being tested on your grammar, it is generally considered correct to shift the tense back, even if you know she still likes chocolate. Why? Because you are talking about what she **told** you (in the past), so technically she only **liked** it in the past also. Maybe now she doesn’t. You are reporting what was, not really what is now.

Damn, that’s right!! “been”… I heared people saying it many times and never thought about grammar. Good to know about the second question: always had problems, never got why… untill now!!

I said to everyone who around me that engvid was excellent to learn English Thanks for all your lessons

7/8 I can do better ;) but thanks for the class… It’s clear to me now.

I got 9 out 9 :) Thanks !

Thank Benjamin!

Great teacher

Exelent lesson. I’ve got 100. But I have a question. Sometimes I notice that present tense is used in reported speech when in itroduction sentence there is the past. I think that is because the action is still going on but I’m not sure. Could you make a lesson on that too, please. Thank you.

how can i see the lesson videos

Our videos are on YouTube, which is blocked in Pakistan. You will need to use Tor or a proxy server.

HI Admin, I am not a new user here.so if you could kindly tell me that why my comment is wating…

your comment has appeared, sir :D

Excellent lesson!

Benjamin! Could you please make a lesson on “want SOMEONE to”, please?

My students think it is so hard and we would be so glad if you could help us.

thank you so much…. got 6/9 need to develop my listening skills :D

Thank you dear Benjamin.

I have got 7 out of 9 . Please add me anyone skype (nizamjg12) for english conversation.

Don’t forget to leave a message. Thanks

I have got 9 out of 9. The 6- th question must be — Josh said that he was sick of running that website. We change this into that.

This could be the answer, but if the person we are talking to knows what we are talking about already (which website), then we can keep it as “this”.

good lesson Benjamin, thank you so much I had learned this lesson in school time but I was forgot it, but thank you so much, Through your lesson I learned it again and revise it too

I am not sure whatever comment I write above, it’s sentence is correct or not

Hi mahidavp,

I am sorry to say but your comment has some grammatical mistakes. Nevertheless, it’s good to see you making an effort :) keep it up (y) regards abhi

Thanks a lot what a great lesson.

Thanks you so much. Hello everybody, my skype is minhtuanxd. Anyone who wants to practice English, addes my nick to improve skill english together. Tks

I really like study Grammar with native teacher

I got 100%. This website was really marvellous. Thanks EngVid Team ^_^

I like your accent,,,thanks for the lesson.

8/9 thank you Benjamin.

I was persuaded by Benji to do the quiz. And look to what happened. 8/9, disgusting, isn’t it, awful. Oh oh, today I’m feeling so, so cockney…

Thanks Benji! I got all of them correct although I was a bit sceptical about the last one.

Thanks for a good lesson. It’s very clear and the exercise is interesting.

7 out of 9 :)

Thanks for a good lesson. It’s very clear and the exercise is interesting.

Thanks goodness .. I got 8 out of 9 .. I like the way you explains the lesson

Thank you very much. great lesson from great teacher. I got 9 correct out of 9 My Skype is ahmad91abuawwad i need a partner

this is the mine: lompoabdou please add me

100% easy class though. keep it up dude

not easy dear ..all in English are new even renewed again and again…..thx to u….

How can we report something like the following sentence. He says I am a doctor. when we report it is it correct to report it as He says He is a doctor?

He said that I am a doctor. Isn’t it?

Hi There! Help me kind people))) My question is “Why people sometimes use “Do” before verbs?” example- I do play snooker.

Hello! It’s used for emphasis. Example:”You don’t understand what I am saying!” “Yes I do, I do understand what you are saying.”

9 out of 9. Good lesson. Thank you Benjamin.

9 out of 9. Good explanation! Thank you Sensei Benjamin!

i got 7 of 9

from last question understated

i got 7 out 9.Great explanation! Thanks.

It said “You got 9 correct out of 9. :D” Thank you!

I got 8 out 9 , great class . Tks Benjamin for this video.

Awesome! Thank you so much ;)

I got 8 of 9! I always was frightened of this part of grammar but know I got it well.

Thanks a lot

Thank you, Benjamin! I got 9 out of 9. Precious lesson :)

There’s no ME in the Lilly’s sentence. Is it right?

Thank you for this lesson.

Thank you so much you helped me to understand well

Thanks to help me understand it

great! thank you so much:)

Great lesson, Thanks

Oh my gosh! Who said that Benjamin wasn’t a good teacher!!? He is definitely a good teacher. I think he is an excellent teacher,first I had problem with his lessons because I had problem understanding British English. But now, I have no problem. And the subjects that he selects to teach are interesting and he does his job very well.

This lesson was very good. But I want to ask you make another one about this, please. This lesson needs “part two”. Because changing some other tenses in reported speech is not always easy.

Hi Anahita. I agree with you.

Great! Thanks a lot!!

An usefull lesson benjamin:)

i got it. no bounded 9/9

The british accent sounds so good! :D

Thanks a lot , very useful

Thanks a lot, i scored 9/9.

the explanation was good and understood every thing clearly but unfortunately I got 7 out of 9. over all it was good :)

Wow wow wow , very good lesson . i do like all your lessons

Thaaaaanks , I got 100 , it is really goooooood lesson

it was enjoyable lesson. i’m glad to get 9 correct of 9. thanks !

thats great.

Well done Benjamin Thnks :)

Great lesson, you all are terrific teachers :)

You’re a great English teacher.

great lesson…thanks a lot…

Thanx Benjamin! I got 9 out of 9 :)

Good day everyone!

Maybe you’re looking some ways to improve your speaking skills. Interacting,chatting or even good conversations with others are very effective ways to meet that objective and through voice chat everyone can make that possible. Here’s my skype: gonn53 You’re welcome!

One of my first favourite teachers here. Congrats Ben. I like your style very much

thank you for these great explanation. By the way… i don’t believe religion, only in the true God (refer to Selma)

9 of 9 thanks alot :)

Thank you for a good and useful explanation of the rules of the theme ‘Reported speech’! I learned the rules before, but it is very good to revise them doing the test.

I think it would be better – I have learned the rules before? Not – I learned the rules before.

I’m trying to improve my English through this website. It help me a lot with grammar because I don’t have much time to study at school so I learn here when I’m free anytime, wherever I am. It’s really important part of my improving. Thank

OK I my opinion the correct phrase should be : Josh said that he was sick of running (that) website. Please someone recognised the mistake?? I think that in the reported speech this change to that .

weew!! just got lucky! 10/10

very useful…thx:)

I don’t really understand all this lesson, but I’ll try it later. My score was 66 or 69 ( I don’t remember xD ) But it was 6 out 9… D:

10 on10 good lesson .wish me luck on my bac exam

Nice, 8 of 9

GREAT! 9 of 9 Good lesson Benjamin!!

Hi Benjamin,first of all I’m greatful for your explanation which is clearly.furthermore,this lesson is very useful for any english student,

Well done! I got 9 out of 9 :). Thank you very much for your efforts teacher Benjamin..

someone told me that engvid was a fantastic site so i have learned many useful topics in english also it gets better and better and prove how much amazing these teacher are :D

You are a very good teacher. Thanks to you, I got 9 right answers

jeeeeeeeez! You wouldn’t believe this, i can speak more fluent than ever

A good lesson, I have got a 89 percent.

thank you for good lesson

I got 8 out of 9 thank u BENJAMIIN and you have a nice accent

thanks teacher

I really want to say because u have tought this lesson in a easy way. U r ma eye opener….

89% , Thanks Benjamin

Engvid told me that I got 9 out of 9. That’s great!

i need a partner to speak ….here my skype id sony.hasan5

Nice teacher, I like the way he speaks and explains. Very appropriate language in my opinion. He also reminds me of the actor from series “IT crew”. The same type of people. Well done, Benjamin! Thanks a lot!

Great! The quiz said that I got 9 correct out of 9

a good lesson that gave me something else about reported speech . thank you very much Teacher Benjamin !

I GOT 9 out of 9, Thank u very much benjamin)))))

I got 9 out of 9. Thank you very much

thanking for teaching english grammer so i can save my valuable money,time

Great! thanks you so much

Isn’s this the correct sentences Josh said that he was sick of running that website.

Great!! Thank you verymuch I got 9.

You did a great job Benjamin.I very like you lesson and I always enjoy it. Thank you for remind me about indirect speech and reported speech. (:

Thanks very much. A great lesson. No Doubts. I enjoy it. God Bless you.

I got 9 correct out of 9. :D

Very useful lesson. Thank you Benjamin!

I got 8 thanks a lot Benjamine

Thank you Benjamin !

Thanks for your lessons! They are really helpful!

Thanks for your Help!

Thanks, Benjamin! You’re the best! But I have a question: Doesn’t test 6 have any mistakes? There’s ‘this’in sentence in reported speech :c

thank you benjamin

thanks Benjamin .. nice explanation. hope u should change the questions in quiz.

Hi . Thanks a lot.

Thank you . Regards

9 out of 9. Excellent lesson! Thank you very much.

got fulllll

you are fantastic! you make me laugh a lot

Benjamin, a question for you…..i have this example: ‘Open the door,’ he said. Is the comma inside the quotes like in the example or after like: ‘Open the door’,he said.

I got 9/9. thanks a lot for the difference between said and told.

I get 9 out 9 , hohow thank you soooo much

thank you very much. Your lesson has been a good review

Thank you! I got 9 out of 9. But shuildn’t “tonight” changs to “that night”? thank you in advance.

thank you,great way to explain this lesson

thank you so much for this lesson ^_^. I’ve got 9 out of 9.

You got 8 correct out of 9. :) >>>> Thanks you your for helping :D

Hi Mr. Benjamin, thank you very much. I’ve got 7 correct out of 9.

Thanks Benjamin. Good lesson. I forgot information about this topic, but with your help i recalled it.

9 correct out of 9! Thank You for this lesson!

i got 8 correct out of 9. it seems for me that i moving forward quite.. thanks Benjamin

I got 7 out of 9 I’ll improve thanks for this lesson

Thankyou! I understand quiet well now, I just have two more questions; 1. “Billy answered with the correct answer.” Was an example in the video, but I don’t see why this is reported speech? Cause ow do you make this direct speech? 2. Another example: “Billy reported to me that you had been naughty.” When do you add “to”? Only with this specific verb or cold you add it to every indirected speech?

verry good lesson, i got 8/9.???

I have problem in this sentence. Lili said “I like chocolate ice cream”.

Lili said that she liked chocolate ice cream. How is this wrong? please help :-)

thank you for thie lesson!

I’m enjoying this site. Scored 9 out of 9?

9/9 thanx Benjamin but Q7 I think the answer should be Lili said that she liked chocolate ice cream.

Am i right ?

I’ m happy because I got 8/9, good lesson. My friend told me that I’m a good student and I said, ‘My teacher is a better teacher.’

Thanks Benjamin…. An excellent lesson to me..

Thanks Benjamin,you guy did a good job

Thanks, Mr. Benjamim. I got 9 of 9! I’m very happy. With Teacher Benjamin, reported speech is much easier.

Wouldn’t you use double quotes and not single quotes? Please explain

Ops. I got 8 correct out of 9. but surely this lesson gave me some useful information

thank u alot..

woow,I got 9 out of 9,thank you Benjamin for the lesson:)

I got 5 out 9, thanks for this lesson that was very useful for me =)

The teacher said, “Gandhi ji was born in India.”

please tell me the correct Indirect way to say this sentence.

I got 10/10,so great.thank you very much.

thank you !!! I like your lessons)) If I get 7 from IELTS test, I will do something for your site)))

I got 9/9 …. you are an excellent teacher

Great lesson!

hi I have enjoyed wıth this site ıt is good to work wıth u :)

Thanks for your video

can anyone improve his English with me. My level is upper intermediate

i got 8 out of 9. Thanks lot :)

i got 8 out 0f 9. thanks sir benjamin.

i got 9 on 9 thank you it heped

I love Benjamin’s classes!!!

Thank you, Benjamin!

Seeing the comments, I’m not so terrible :D (score:8/9).

My friend told me that Benjamin was a great teacher and he’s right :) Thank you for this nice video Benjamin!

Thank’s, Benjamim!

They told me that you were the best i got 100%

what is mean “verb for reporting speech” is mean for other replace the word like “told and said”, please help me

good night i want to know about question word order to report indirect questions

Great lesson, Ben. I got 10/10. I’d like to point out that your accent is an “extra class.” Totally love it. Thanks a mill.

Guys, what about past tense? For example._____Billy said ‘I visited that city’.____ Billy said that he had visited that city. Is my reported speech proper?

Just watching this video again and redoing the quiz. I thank you Engvid for having in your staff excellent teachers like Benjamim as well as all the others. I thank you all a lot.

I got 10/10. Thank you,Benjamin.

Thanks teacher, It is a great lesson.

Thanks! A great lesson and a great teacher))

Hellow everyone, new comer is here

Thanks Benjamin.

Great. Thank you

Hi Benjamin. I listen and make the quiz of Engvid, especially off Gill and yours. At the same time I find your and Gill’s accent very beautiful. I don’t know if I can say that, but I find you also very hansom. I’m sorry.

Thanks a lot for this wonderful lesson

Sorry. I do not think that teaching English is a good profession for you. Ben look at your eyes, you have a problem with something. Anyway all ths best to you.

Yesss 100. Thanks Benjamin.

Thanks a lot Mr. Benjamin.

I am enjoying your teaching method Mr. Alex that was helpful thanks, I’ve got 9/9 on reported speech lesson

I have a 9 out of 9. Great lesson. Best regards from Poland to everyone :). I hope you guys have a great day.

I got 10 out of 10. Wonderful. Thanks to this https://directindirectspeech.com , I have successfully answered all

thank Benjamin

Thanks Benjamin!

Thank you brother!

cheers mate!

you are such a good teacher thank you for the great explanation

Thanks Benjamin I got 9/9:)

thank you Ben.

Billy said, “You are a jerk.” Doesn’t it become that Billy said I was a jerk? Or does it depend on to whom Billy said that sentence? If Billy said to me, it’d be I was?

That was amazing, I really like this quiz.

9/9 best regards,Benjamin (Kazakhstan 27 Nov2021:)

many thanks

What about the verb and time who change into indirect

POV: your teacher told you to complete the quiz and now you are scrolling through the comment section just because.

Good introductory lesson to reported speech.

hi sir, thanks for your lesson. I want to know more about question 7, “backshift rule” in this kind of grammar confused me a lot. there’s a kind of sentence does not need to use backshift after transforming, they are sentences basing on something real, at present or hobbies. in this case, Lily likes chocolate ice cream, it is a hobby or something exists at present, right?, so why don’t the answer be like: Lily told me that she likes chocolate ice cream. hope that you will respond me. why don’t you release some video to talk about these kind of grammar? I feel it’s so interesting.

I got 8 out of 9

very good class

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180 things I love about you

Saying I love you is a huge moment in any relationship. 

Until you’re faced with the question, “But why do you love me?” This is the moment to have a full curated list of all the things I love about you in your notes app. 

If your partner has a word of affirmation love language, this is your time to shine, with our reasons why I love you lists coming in pretty handy as you try to capture exactly  why you love your partner. 

What’s the best way to express your love for your partner? 

There are a million ways to say ‘I love you’ to your partner. 

While a kiss on the forehead or a gift might be the way we like to receive love, how do you know the best way to show love for your partner? 

“Understanding your partner’s primary love language is a powerful way to express your love effectively,” says Caruso. 

Even though love languages aren’t an exact science, it’s a good place to start when it comes to expressing your affection for your partner. 

Words of affirmation: “If your  partner’s love language is words of affirmation , regularly vocalize your appreciation and affection with genuine, supportive statements,” says Caruso. 

Quality time:  “For those  who value quality time , prioritize undivided attention, sharing moments together without distractions. 

Acts of service:  If your partner feels loved through  acts of service , perform thoughtful deeds that ease their burden, showing care through helpfulness. 

Gifts: For someone whose  love language is receiving gifts , give thoughtful presents that reflect your understanding of their tastes and preferences, symbolizing your love and thoughtfulness. 

Physical touch: If  physical touch is paramount, prioritize frequent, affectionate touches like holding hands, hugging, or cuddling to convey warmth and closeness.

How to answer the ‘What do you love about me’ question? 

When confronted with the ‘What do you love about me’ question from your significant other, it can be pretty daunting to know where to start. 

We all want to say the perfect response or list off a million reasons why we think they’re the one. 

“Crafting a thoughtful and heartfelt response is easier than you might think,” says Caruso. 

Even though the pressure is on in these scenarios, we think we have the secret to getting it just right. 

If you’re afraid you won’t get it quite right, Caruso has crafted some expert tips to guide you along the way: 

Don’t give a general statement  like “I love how nice you are.” Instead, pinpoint specific qualities or actions that you adore about your partner. For example, “I love how you always take the time to help your friends with their projects. It shows how caring and dedicated you are.”

Support your positive sentiments with specific examples or memories. Saying “I love your sense of humor” feels bland, while adding “like that time you made everyone laugh at dinner with your story about your travel mishap” can make your partner feel special.

Explain how your partner’s qualities or actions make you feel. You could say, “I love your creativity because it inspires me to think outside the box and makes our home so warm and inviting.”

Recognize the efforts they make towards the relationship . For instance, “I love how you always make sure we spend quality time together on weekends. It shows me how much you value our relationship.”

Comment on how they’ve influenced your growth or how you’ve grown together. “I love how you challenge me to be more patient and thoughtful. It’s helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect.”

What are ‘reasons why I love you’ to say to your partner?

When you’re in love with someone, it feels as if you could talk forever and ever about all the little things you love about them. 

You tell your postman, your therapist, and even the lady at the checkout… But when it comes to actually telling your loved one, that’s when you feel tongue-tied. Of course, it’s not because you have nothing to say, but usually because you have too much to say!

If the cat’s got your tongue, these are over 100 reasons why I love you to say to your partner, whether it’s why you fell in love with them in the first place or all those little things that make your heart skip a beat. 

Funny reasons why I love you 

You laugh at my jokes, even when they're terrible.

Your inability to wink without looking like you're having a facial spasm.

The way you dance like nobody's watching, even when everybody is.

Your impressive talent for turning any song into a cheesy love ballad about me.

Your adorable snoring that sounds like a tiny lawnmower.

The fact that you can quote entire episodes of "The Office" from memory.

Your uncanny ability to find the weirdest items at thrift stores.

The way you insist on using outdated slang to seem "hip."

Your hilarious attempts at using chopsticks that always end in defeat.

The serious face you make when trying to open a stubborn jar lid.

Your tendency to trip over nothing and then look around to see if anyone noticed.

The way you sing in the shower, complete with dramatic performances and imaginary microphones.

Your impressive collection of mismatched socks that you refuse to throw away.

The elaborate stories you come up with to explain why you're running late.

Your habit of talking to inanimate objects when you think no one's listening.

The way you pretend to be a food critic whenever we try a new restaurant.

Your terrible attempts at speaking with different accents.

The intense debates you have with the GPS when it gives you directions you don't agree with.

Your ability to turn any household chore into a ridiculous dance routine.

The way you pretend to be a ninja when you're trying to sneak a midnight snack.

Your dramatic reenactments of mundane daily events.

The fact that you still can't pronounce "specific" correctly, but refuse to admit it.

Your elaborate conspiracy theories about why the laundry always eats one sock.

The way you narrate our pet's thoughts in a silly voice.

Your insistence on using finger guns and saying "pew pew" in inappropriate situations.

Your dramatic gasps when watching reality TV shows, as if you didn't expect the drama.

How you always manage to get a bit of toothpaste on your shirt, no matter how carefully you brush.

Your habit of giving inanimate objects unnecessarily long and complex backstories.

How you always manage to step on the one creaky floorboard when trying to sneak out for work in the mornings.

Your elaborate "rock, paper, scissors" pre-game rituals.

Emotional reasons why I love you 

You’re my best friend. 

You remind me that it’s okay not to be perfect and that we’re all human. I can be totally myself around you and you still look at me like I’m the most beautiful person in the world. 

You make me believe in the power of true love every day. 

You know how to turn my bad day around.

The way that you believe in resolving arguments and moving on, rather than brushing things under the rug. 

I love how you bring out my inner child with all your little quirks. 

I love the way you encourage my self-care journey, even if it means doing face masks together. 

I love that whenever something happens in my life, good or bad, you’re the first person that I want to call. 

Your empathy and ability to understand my emotions, even when I struggle to express them.

The way you celebrate my successes as if they were your own.

How you always know when I need a hug or a shoulder to cry on.

Your ability to make me laugh, even in the toughest situations.

The depth of our conversations and how we can talk for hours without getting bored.

Your unwavering support for my dreams and ambitions.

The way you make me feel valued and appreciated every single day.

Your patience when I'm struggling or having a hard time.

The sense of calm and peace I feel when we're together, even in silence.

How you challenge me to grow and become a better version of myself.

The way you remember small details about my likes and dislikes, and how you incorporate them into our date nights. 

Your ability to see the best in me, even when I can't see it myself.

The comfort I feel knowing you'll always have my back, no matter what.

How you inspire me to be more compassionate and understanding towards others.

The way you make even mundane tasks feel special when we do them together.

Your willingness to be vulnerable with me strengthened our emotional bond.

The sense of home and belonging I feel whenever I'm with you, regardless of where we are.

The way you intuitively understand my unspoken needs and respond to them.

How you've helped me rediscover parts of myself I thought I had lost.

Your ability to find beauty in the ordinary and share that perspective with me.

The way you've broadened my worldview and helped me become more open-minded.

How you encourage me to face my fears and support me through the process.

The way you've become an integral part of my family, fitting in seamlessly.

Your ability to bring out the best in others, not just me.

How you've taught me to be more forgiving, both towards others and myself.

The way you remember and honor the important people in my life, even those who are no longer with us.

Your commitment to our shared values and how you live them out daily.

The way you've helped me heal from past hurts and trust again.

How you encourage me to pursue my passions, even when they take time away from us.

The way you've shown me what unconditional love truly means.

Your ability to find common ground with almost anyone, which has taught me so much about connecting with others.

How you've helped me become more confident in expressing my emotions.

The way you always seem to know just what to say to put things into perspective.

Your unwavering belief in our relationship, even during the toughest times.

How you've taught me to appreciate the journey, not just the destination.

The way you've helped me develop a more positive outlook on life.

Your ability to balance being my partner and maintaining your own identity.

Deep reasons why I love you 

You’re my closest confidante, partner, and true friend. I can’t imagine life without you in it. 

You love me for me.

I love how safe you make me feel.  

You always know what to say to help me feel better after a bad day. 

You inspire me to be a better person. 

I love you because you remember every anniversary and special occasion without fail. 

With you, I’m the best version of myself. 

I love how you remember all the little things, including the first time we said “I love you” and the way it made me feel. 

Your unwavering commitment to our relationship and future together.

The way we've grown together and continue to evolve as individuals and as a couple.

Your ability to challenge me intellectually and push me out of my comfort zone.

The shared values and life goals that form the foundation of our relationship.

Your resilience in facing life's challenges and how it inspires me to be stronger.

The deep emotional connection we share goes beyond words.

Your willingness to be vulnerable with me and create a safe space for open communication.

The way you complement my strengths and weaknesses creates a perfect balance.

Your ability to see the bigger picture in life and help me gain perspective.

The mutual respect we have for each other's individuality and personal growth.

Your unwavering support during my lowest moments and biggest struggles.

The way you've helped me heal from past traumas and become more whole.

Your ability to forgive and work through conflicts with grace and understanding.

The sense of purpose and direction you bring to my life.

Your commitment to our shared dreams and the future we're building together.

The way you challenge my beliefs and help me see things from different angles.

Your ability to bring out qualities in me that I didn't know I possessed.

Cute reasons why I love you 

You tell me I look beautiful when I just wake up and have morning breathe. 

I love you because you love physical affection just as much as I do. 

I love the little  love notes you leave me around the house. 

The memes you send me to cheer me up. 

For me, it’s all the little things. Everything adds up to a new reason why I love you every day. 

I love our snuggles. And that you’re not afraid to say snuggles. 

How you say I love you even in the middle of an argument. 

I love that you wake me up with a  good morning text every day, check on me during the day and always remind me how much you love me. 

I love our morning cuddles. 

I love that you act like a big child at Christmas. 

You know the secret little things that make me happy, and try to do them every day. 

I love the way you never forget to wish me a good night before you go to bed. 

I love the way you bring out the playfulness in our relationship. 

I love the playlists you make for every occasion in our relationship. 

The way you insist on holding my hand, even when we're just walking around the house.

How you always try to make me laugh by telling corny jokes, even if they're not that funny.

The excited little wiggle you do when you see your favorite food on the menu.

Your adorable concentration face when you're trying to win at a board game.

The way you always kiss the tip of my nose before saying goodbye.

I love you for watching my favorite TV shows with me, even my silly little reality shows. 

The way you come up with cute nicknames for me. 

How you always save the last bite of your favorite food for me.

Your adorable little dance moves when you're excited about something.

The way you still blush when I compliment you.

How you always remember to bring an extra jacket for me when we go out.

Sexy reasons why I love you 

The way you look at me from across the room.

How your touch sends shivers down my spine.

The confidence you exude when you walk.

Your infectious laugh lights up your whole face.

The way you bite your lip when you're deep in thought.

How you always smell amazing, even after a long day.

The graceful way you move, whether dancing or just walking.

Your voice, especially when you whisper in my ear.

The way you look in that one outfit drives me wild.

How you make even the simplest tasks look captivating.

The passion you show when talking about things you love.

Your gentle caresses make me feel cherished.

The way you carry yourself with quiet strength.

How you make me feel desired with just a glance.

Your playful side that comes out when we're alone.

The way you hold me close when we embrace.

Your thoughtfulness in creating romantic moments.

How do you know exactly where to touch to make me melt?

The subtle changes in your voice when you're feeling amorous.

Your ability to make everyday moments feel intimate.

The way you look right after waking up is all soft and warm.

How you always manage to take my breath away.

Your confidence in your own skin radiates sexiness.

The way you make me feel beautiful and desired.

How you turn even mundane activities into sensual experiences.

Small gestures that make me love you 

Bringing me a cup of coffee in bed on lazy mornings.

Sending a quick "thinking of you" text during the day.

Remembering how I like my tea and making it just right.

Picking up my favorite snack when you're at the store.

Giving me a surprise hug from behind.

Leaving a sweet note in my lunch box or on the bathroom mirror.

Offering to give me a foot rub after a long day.

Letting me choose the movie, even when it's your turn.

Saving the last piece of dessert for me.

Holding my hand while we're walking or driving.

Asking about my day and genuinely listening to the answer.

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Warming up my side of the bed before I get in.

Laughing at my jokes, even the bad ones.

Bringing me soup when I'm sick.

Remembering small details about things I've mentioned in passing.

Surprising me with flowers or my favorite treat for no special reason.

Offering to do a chore you know I dislike.

Sending me a funny meme or video that reminds you of me.

Letting me vent without trying to fix everything.

Complimenting me when I'm feeling insecure.

Making sure I get home safely and asking me to text when I do.

Offering your jacket when I'm cold.

Saving articles or posts you think I'd find interesting.

Saying "I love you" at unexpected moments.

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