Sofía: Wait — didn't you tell me last month that you'd bought a waterproof case?
Ben: I did say that. I just... didn't say I'd actually use it.
Kenji: So when Ben told us his phone story, he left out the important part.
Common mistake: “Ben said that he loses his phone last week.” — Correct: “Ben said that he had lost his phone the week before.”
Reported speech retells what someone said without quoting them directly — the verb tense usually moves one step back into the past, and time/place words change too.
Direct → Reported: what moves back
Direct speech
Reported speech
Present simple: 'I am tired'
Past simple: he said he was tired
Present perfect: 'I have lost it'
Past perfect: he said he had lost it
Past simple: 'I saw it'
Past perfect: he said he had seen it
'today' / 'now'
that day / then
'tomorrow'
the next day
Question: 'Are you okay?'
he asked if I was okay (no question mark, no inversion)
statement say — report words without naming the listener
statement tell — report words directly to a specific listener
question ask + if/whether — report a yes/no inquiry
question ask + wh-word — report an information query
statement explain — give reasons or clarify details
warning warn — advise someone of potential risks or dangers
Ben said (that) he was tired.
Ben told Sofía (that) he had lost his phone.
Kenji explained that he was learning Spanish.
Abuela Carmen said (that) she would call later.
Ben said he wasn't hungry.
Sofía told him she didn't have time.
Kenji said he hadn't seen the wave coming.
Sofía asked Ben if he was okay.
Kenji asked what time the class started.
Abuela Carmen asked whether Ben had found his phone.
Did Ben say he was tired? Yes, he did.
Did Sofía tell him to hurry? No, she didn't.
Did Kenji ask where the market was? Yes, he did.
Practice
Ben said that he ___ tired. (is, was, were)
Sofía asked Ben ___ he was okay. (that, if, what)
Kenji asked ___ time the class started. (what, if, that)
In reported speech, 'I have lost it' becomes 'he said he had lost it'.
Reported questions keep the question mark and word inversion.
'Tell' needs a person as an object (tell someone), but 'say' doesn't.
"Are you okay?" Sofía asked Ben. — Report the question.
"What time does the class start?" Kenji asked. — Report the question.
Ben said he was hungry. — Write the negative form.
Did Kenji ask where the market was? (short answer, Yes)
Listening
Ben: So the wave just... took it. My phone. Gone.
Sofía: Wait, so what did he say happened?
Kenji: He said a wave had taken his phone while he was swimming.
Abuela Carmen: And did he say if he'd checked the weather first?
Kenji: He said he hadn't. He never does.
Ben: I heard that.
Reading
Sofía wrote in her journal: 'Today Ben told us he had lost his phone in the sea — again. He said a wave had taken it while he was swimming near Cartagena. When I asked if he'd checked the forecast, Kenji said Ben admitted he hadn't. Abuela Carmen just laughed and said she had warned him about swimming with his pockets full. Later, Kenji asked me if I thought Ben would buy a proper waterproof case this time. I told him I doubted it — Ben always says he will, and he never does.'
Ben said a wave had taken his phone while he was swimming.
Ben had checked the weather forecast before swimming.
Abuela Carmen said she had warned Ben before.
Sofía believes Ben will definitely buy a waterproof case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'backshift' in Reported Speech?
When the reporting verb is in the past (e.g., 'She said that...'), the tenses shift one step back into the past: Present Simple becomes Past Simple, Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous, Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect, and 'will' becomes 'would'.