When studying English, each of us inevitably encounters reading literature. Most often, the main difficulty lies precisely in the retelling of what has been read, when you need to turn direct speech into indirect speech (reported / indirect speech).
We have already talked about how to convey direct speech when writing using quotation marks, and now we will deal with the oral nuances of its presentation.
You can often hear the question: "What did he answer you?" You start: "He said that..." Really, what's next?
How to correctly coordinate all grammatical aspects, choose the right time, word order, reflect the nature of the question or declarative sentence? Today we will consider and give examples to these entertaining questions.
So let's define:
Direct speech- verbatim introduction to the speech of the author of any remarks. Syntactic structures are used in agreement with the face of the speaker.
He says, " I will come." / He says: "I will come."
Indirect speech- a way to introduce someone else's speech into your own speech. In this case, the sentences are built from the third person.
He says that he will come./ He says he will come.
Speaking about the transition from direct speech to indirect speech, two important factors should be taken into account: the organization of syntax and punctuation (that is, the agreement and organization of words, the rejection of quotation marks, the introduction of auxiliary conjunctions, word order) and the coordination of tenses within the new sentence.
Syntax and punctuation of indirect speech
In the case of a sentence transition from direct speech to indirect speech, the "loss" of quotes should be taken into account. By and large, from two equivalent independent sentences, we get a complex sentence with a main and a dependent part. Usually in English language such proposals are united by the union that, although its absence in no way breaks the system:
She told me, "I like black coffee."/ direct speech
She told me that she liked black coffee./ reported speech
She told me she liked black coffee./ reported speech
Note that not only punctuation changes, but also pronouns. We will coordinate the information by analogy with the Russian language. There is a 100% coincidence here, because it is more about the logic of presenting information.
Mary asks me, "Will you come?"
Mary asks me, if I will come.
From this example, it can be seen that the you changes to I, since we are talking about me, respectively, in the presentation, as well as in the Russian language, there will be an agreement on pronouns by person.
This example is also interesting because in direct speech the sentence is a question. In English, there is a certain principle of coordinating word order in translating questions from direct speech into indirect speech. We list the main features of the organization of such proposals:
Firstly, the question mark disappears and is replaced by a simple dot.
Secondly, in indirect speech, sentences regain direct word order. This is explained very simply - there is a dot at the end.
General question introduced by unions if or whether, which translates as " whether" into Russian are not related to subjunctive conjunctions:
Brian asked me, "Will you marry me?"
Brian asked me if I would marry him.
Special questions introduced in question words:
"Why do you love me?" she said.
She said why I loved her.
We are restoring direct word order and omit the auxiliary verb in indirect speech.
Imperative sentences combined in indirect speech through a particle to. Punctuation marks (quotes and exclamation marks, if any) disappear:
Matthew asked me, "Play the piano, please."
Matthew asked me to play the piano.
Negative imperative sentences With don't introduced into indirect speech through not to:
Bobby said, "Don't smoke, Laura!"
Bobby told Laura not to smoke.
Coordination of tenses in indirect speech
Coordination of tenses can cause difficulties when the predicate of the main sentence (directly the words of the author) is used in one of the forms of the past tense. If predicate the main clause is expressed by the verb in present time, then the sentence in indirect speech retains the verb forms in all parts of the sentence:
Dan says, "You look so fine!"
Dan says I look great.
Julia asks do you come back?"
Julia asks me when I come back.
Agreement with the predicate in the past tense
The principle applies here - the predicate of the subordinate clause (what was in quotation marks) will be introduced into indirect speech in time a step earlier, that is:
present will go to Past
Future will go to Past
Past will go to past perfect
1. The action of the subordinate clause occurs simultaneously with the action of the main or expressed by the verb in the future tense. In this case, Past Simple or Past Continuous is used:
He said, "I love my wife."
He said he loved his wife.
He asked, "What are are you doing?"
He asked what I was doing.
Mike was told, "They will arrive tomorrow."
Mike was told that they would arrive the next day.
2. The action of direct speech happened before. In this case Perfect tenses are used:
Alex asked, " Did you go to the party yesterday?"
Alex asked if I had gone to the party the day before.
Please take into account the changing circumstances of the time. Yesterday, for example, according to the rules of English grammar can never be used with perfect tenses. We have replaced it with the day before while retaining the essence of the concept yesterday", A tomorrow in the first paragraph on the next day.
Do not do in indirect speech without exceptions. Tenses will not agree, but will be preserved in both sentences if there is a specific date or it is a well-known fact:
He said, "The tower was built in 1255
."
He said that the tower was built in 1255
.
We wish you interesting practice and success in coordination!
Victoria Tetkina
Direct speech and indirect speech (Reported speech) is one of the most difficult grammatical topics in the English language. The difficulty lies in the fact that in this section for each type of speech there are a large number of rules, nuances and subtleties that must be learned for a normal understanding of this language.
But you should not despair right away! Better be patient and start learning speech.
Table of direct and indirect speech
The peculiarity of translating direct speech into indirect is that it is not the formula that changes, but the time itself. That is, if we want to translate the first type of speech into the second, we need to take a “step back”.
Examples:
When translating into Russian, this is imperceptible, but in English, when transmitting someone else's statement, the time is necessarily put one step back. This is a mandatory rule for constructing indirect speech, which can be violated only in very rare cases.
Translation table:
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Examples:
- I go to the school. – Tom said he went to the school. I am going to school. Tom said that he goes to school.
- Mary is listening to the music right now. – Mary said that she was listening to the music right away. Mary is listening to music right now. Mary said that she listens to music.
- My sister has lived since the childhood in our father's house. – I said that my sister had lived since the childhood in our father`s house. My sister has been living since childhood in our father's house. – I said that my sister has been living in our father’s house since childhood.
- I went to the cinema yesterday evening. – Peter said that he had gone to the cinema the day before. Last night I went to the cinema. Peter said that he went to the cinema yesterday.
- Parents were making a birthday cake for my little brother. – My granny said that my parents had been making a birthday cake for my little brother. My parents made a birthday cake for my little brother. Grandma said that my parents were making a birthday cake for my little brother.
- Alice will do this exercise tomorrow. – The teacher said that Alice would do this exercise the following day. Alice will do this exercise tomorrow. The teacher said that Alice would do this exercise tomorrow.
Note! The connecting union that serves to combine sentences in indirect speech, it can be omitted, which is often done in colloquial speech, but it can also be used (this is a more official style).
Difference between say and tell
It can be very difficult to catch the difference between these two verbs in speech, but it is still there. They both denote the act of speaking orally. But how and with whom to talk is the very difference.
To say means just to speak (or to say something, without specifying the face); to tell is used when something is reported to a specific person.
Examples:
Examples:
- Peter said that he was a good musician. Peter said he was a good musician.
- Mila told her parents that she would study at the university. Mila told her parents that she would study at the university.
Features of the use of some verbs in direct and indirect speech
Some verbs (mostly modal) have their own characteristics when constructing indirect speech, which you need to know and be able to distinguish. They are given below with examples.
Will -> Would
Will- this is the modal verb that is used in the construction of the future tense. When translating direct speech into indirect speech, it changes and turns into Would.
Examples:
- I will be a doctor. – Her daughter said that she would be a doctor. I will be a doctor. Her daughter said she would be a doctor.
- I will go to the library tomorrow. – Mikel said that he would go to the library the following day. I will go to the library tomorrow. Michael said that he would go to the library tomorrow.
- I will not (won't) do this for me. – He said that he would not (wouldn`t) do this for me. I won't do this for you. He said he wouldn't do it for me.
Can -> Could
This modal verb denotes the physical ability to be able to do something.
Example:
- I can swim. I can swim.
- I can bake cakes and different kinds of biscuits. I can bake cakes and different types cookies.
When you change direct speech into indirect, it changes into a verb Could.
Examples:
May -> Might
This modal verb also denotes the ability to be able to do something, but not in the physical plane. They are often used in both types of speech.
Example:
- May I come in? Can I come in?
- May I borrow your pen?- Can I borrow your pen?
When translating sentences from direct speech to indirect, this verb undergoes changes and turns into Might.
Examples:
- May I come in? – She asked if she might come in. Can I come in? She asked if she could come in.
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Shall -> Should
The verb Shall, like Will, is used to construct the future tense, but it sounds very outdated, so it is rarely used in speech, especially colloquial. But sometimes when translating direct speech into indirect speech, it can be used and in this case it is converted to Should.
Examples:
- What shall we give him when we come to his party? – They wondered what they should give him when they come to his party. What will we give him when he comes to his party? They asked what they would give their friend when they came to his party.
Shall -> Would
Since this verb has the same functions as the verb Will, it can sometimes be converted into a modal verb Would and use with the future tense of indirect speech.
Examples:
- My mother said “I shall go to the shop tomorrow”. – My mother said that she would go to the shop the following day. Mom said: "I will go to the store tomorrow." Mom said that she would go to the store tomorrow.
Changing time and place indicators
In addition to time, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, various indicators of time and place also change, which determine given time. Learning how they change is simply necessary. Otherwise, when using pointers that refer to indirect speech in direct speech, or vice versa, you will look very stupid, as you have made up a grammatically incorrect sentence.
Example:
Changing time and place indicators:
Here - there / here - there;
This - that / this - that;
These - those / these - those;
Today - that day / today - that day;
Yesterday - the previous day; the day before / tomorrow - on the previous day; the day before;
Tomorrow - the next day the following day / tomorrow - the next day;
Now-then; right away; at that moment / now - then, at that moment;
Tonight - that night / tonight - that night;
Last night - the previous night / last night - the previous night;
A year ago - a year before / a year ago - for the year of this.
Examples:
Cases where times remain unchanged
Times do not always change when translating direct speech into indirect speech. Some of them may remain in their original form in someone else's speech, then the construction of direct speech and indirect speech coincides.
Interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences when translating direct speech into indirect speech also have a place to wash. Their design is a little complicated, but if you understand this topic, then there should be no problems.
General issues
General issues- this is the easiest type of questions, which is built using an auxiliary verb or modal verb if we are talking about direct speech. But when changing direct speech to indirect, some changes occur.
For example, the order of speech remains affirmative, but particles if and whether are added, that link the two parts of the sentence. They have the same meaning and denote the interrogative particle "whether". The question mark in indirect speech is not used.
Formula:
Main clause + if (whether) + secondary clause (speech order unchanged).
Examples:
- Mother asked "Is the weather nice today?" – Mother asked If (whether) the weather was nice that day. Mom asked: “Is the weather good today?” Mom asked if the weather was good today.
- Molly asked me "Will you go to the party tomorrow?" – Molly asked me if (whether) I would go to the party the following day. Molly asked "Are you going to the party tomorrow?" Molly asked if I was going to the party tomorrow.
- The teacher asked us "Have you done your homework?" – The teacher asked us if (whether) we had done our homework. The teacher asked us "Have you done your homework? The teacher asked us if we had done our homework.
- Tom asked his friend "Do you receive these letters every month?" – Tom asked his friend if (whether) he received those letters every month. Tom asked a friend "Do you get these letters every month?" Tom asked a friend if they receive letters every month.
- She asked "Can I go with you?" – She asked if (whether) she could go with us. She asked "Can I come with you?" She asked if she could come with us.
Special questions
Special questions- these are questions that involve the use of special words, thanks to which you can find out more about something. When translating a special question from direct speech into indirect speech, the order of the sentence remains affirmative, and the interrogative word will serve as a connecting union. The question mark in this type of speech is also not put.
Formula:
Main clause + question word + subordinate clause.
Examples:
- Granny asked "What is your favorite subject at school?" – Granny asked what my favorite subject at school was. Grandmother asked, “What is your favorite subject at school?” Grandma asked me what my favorite subject was at school.
- Mother asked her son "Where did you go?" – Mother asked her son where he had gone. Mom asked her son "Where did you go?" The mother asked her son where he went.
- The teacher asked the pupils "When did you come?" – The teacher asked pupils when they had gone. The teacher asked the students, "When did you come?" The teacher asked the students when they came.
- My little brother Tom asked our mother "When do the stars fall?" – My little brother Tim asked our mother when the stars fall. My little brother Tom asked our mother, "When do the stars fall?" My little brother Tom asked our mother when the stars are falling.
Imperative mood in indirect speech
The imperative mood in indirect speech also cannot be attributed to an easy topic, because here there is a special rule for each sentence.
But the general changes are:
Examples:
- Mother said "Don't (don't) do this!" – Mother told me to stop doing that. Mom said, "Stop doing it!" “Mom told me to stop doing it.
- Molly said "Tell me the truth about you". – Molly asked me to tell the truth about me. Molly said, "Tell me the whole truth about yourself." Molly asked me to tell the whole truth about me.
- She said: Stop laughing at my friend. – She asked me not to laugh at her friend. She said "Stop making fun of my friend." She asked me not to laugh at her friend.
Replacement of pronouns and adverbs
In addition to indicators of time and place, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, other parts of speech, such as pronouns and adverbs, also change.
Pronoun substitution:
I - he, she - I - he, she;
We - they - we - they;
You - she, he - you - she, he;
Me - him, her - me - him, her;
Them - us - them - us;
You - her, him - you - her, him;
Your - his, her - your - his, her;
My - his. her - mine - his, her;
Our - their - our - theirs.
Examples:
- I am a very good pupil. – She said that she was a very good pupil. I am a very good student. She said that she was a very good student.
- We are drawing this for the competition. – They said that they were drawing that for the competition. We draw this for the competition. They said they were drawing it for a competition.
- I cannot (can't) find my books. – I knew that he could not (couldn't) find his books. I can't find my books. I know that he cannot find his books.
Bypass indirect clauses
Sometimes, when translating direct speech into indirect speech, you can cheat a little and bypass indirect sentences, replacing them with similar ones in meaning. For this, there are a large number of synonymous words that can be used in this type of speech.
Examples:
- Polly said "I will not (won`t) do this work". – Polly refused to do this work. Polly said, "I won't do this job." Polly refused to do the job.
- They said "Yes, we do". – They agreed. They said yes. - They agreed.
Conclusion
Mastering the topic of translating direct speech into indirect speech is a very important moment in the study of English grammar. This part is quite difficult, and for a good assimilation it will take more than one hour of work. But trust me, it's worth it.
And in the future, in order to avoid gross or stupid mistakes and inaccuracies, you need to learn all the rules given in this article and train to translate sentences at least a couple of times a day. Don't be lazy!
In order to quickly master the construction of speech: direct and indirect, you need to practice as much as possible and not give up halfway. Only this will help to overcome this difficult section of grammar.
Good luck learning English!
To understand what indirect speech is in English grammar, you need to figure out first what direct speech is.
Direct speech is a phrase of a subject, it sounds directly from the first mouth and is written in quotation marks
Direct speech is a separate sentence, so after we open the quotes, we write the first word with a capital letter. In English, after words indicating who is speaking, a comma is placed. While in Russian we put a colon:
- He said, "I will return your book tomorrow."
He said, "I will return your book tomorrow."
Indirect speech is a way of transmitting words spoken by another person, while the transmitter transforms other people's words grammatically and in meaning so that it is clear to whom they belong, while maintaining the general content of what was said.
- He said he would return my book the next day.
He said that he would return my book the next day. Secrets of English indirect speech
Indirect speech - transformed direct
In the declarative sentences of the English language, a number of changes occur when direct speech is turned into indirect:
- After the words that introduce the phrase of the author, the comma is no longer put
- An alliance is put after the introductory words that(what), sometimes you can do without it
- If there is a verb in the introductory words to say(say) it is replaced by to tell(say) if it is followed by an addition indicating to whom the phrase is addressed
The following table with illustrative examples will help you understand the rules listed above.
The main sentences are exactly those introductory words, such as “Luke said”, “she claims”, “parents answered”, etc. They retain their tense form:
- Present Indefinite(Real Simple)
- Present Perfect(Present perfect)
- Future Indefinite(Future Simple), even as part of indirect speech
The table with examples will again help you understand this rule.
Gradually we came to important point grammar, which must be parsed to understand how indirect speech is formed in English. I mean the rules for coordinating the tenses of the English language in indirect speech. The following table conveys the principle of the transition of tenses (in the upper column - the time that is used in direct speech, in the lower column - the time to be used in indirect speech). 
Using examples, let's consider how time can change when speech is converted.
- present simple(Real Simple) -> past simple(Past Simple)
- Nick said, "I learn English." Nick said: "I'm learning English."
- Nick said that he learned English. — Nick said that he was learning English.
- present progressive(Present Continuous) -> past progressive(Past Continuous)
- Leonardo said, "I am reading the book now." Leonardo said: "I'm reading a book now."
- Leonardo said that he was reading the book then. — Leonardo said he was reading a book now
- Present Perfect(Real Perfect) -> past perfect(Past Perfect)
- Angelina said, "I have seen him this morning." Angelina said, "I saw him this morning."
- Angelina said that she had seen him that morning. Angelina said she saw him this morning
- past progressive(Past Continuous) -> past progressive/ Past Perfect Progressive(Past Perfect Continuous)
- Robert said, "I was swimming." - Robert said: "I swam."
- Robert said that he was swimming. Robert said he swam.
- Robert said that he had been swimming. — Robert said he swam
- past simple(Past Simple) -> past perfect(Past Perfect)
- Nina said, "I wrote the letters." Nina said: "I wrote letters."
- Nina said that she had written the letters. Nina said she wrote letters
- Future Simple(Future Simple) -> Future in the Past(Future in the Past)
- Kate said, "I will find the solution of this problem."
- Kate said that she would find the solution of this problem. Kate said she would find a solution to this problem
English grammar strictly regulates the use of temporary forms necessary in a particular case. The fact is that each of them has its own characteristics, through which information about the period of the action is obvious. When translating into Russian, these subtleties are not so noticeable, due to the fact that Russian grammar is different from English.
Necessary modifications in interrogative and imperative sentences
- An indirect question is different from a regular question:
- Has a direct word order, that is, a structure similar to a declarative sentence
- Doesn't require a question mark
- Doesn't need present simple And past simple in an auxiliary verb to do, which is replaced by if(whether)
- Daniel said, "Do you want to walk?"
- Daniel asked if I want to walk. Daniel asked if I wanted to go for a walk
- Rules for coordinating times between the main and subordinate clause remain the same as in narrative sentences
- Special interrogative words still remain in indirect speech, helping to create a connection between the main and subordinate clauses.
- Bob asked me, "When did you meet her?" Bob asked: “When did you see her?”
- Bob asked me when I had met her. Bob asked when I saw her
- Indirect requests and orders:
- The following introductory verbs are used
For requests:- to ask - ask
- to run - ask
- to implore - beg
For orders:
- to tell - say, command, order
- to order - order
- to allow - allow
- After the introductory part, the infinitive construction follows.
To + verb
Request:- Lisa says, "Be attentive, please!" - Lisa says: "Be careful, please!"
- Lisa asks to be attentive. Lisa will ask you to be careful.
Order:
- Jack says, "Learn English!" Jack says: "Learn English!"
- Jack tells to learn English. Jack tells me to learn English.
- If you need a negative form imperative mood, you should put a particle before the infinitive construction -not
- Kim says, "Don't talk so loudly!" Kim says, "Don't talk so loud!"
- Kim orders not to talk so loudly. Kim orders not to speak so loudly
- The following introductory verbs are used
Test exercises
How often do we convey other people's words to someone? Every day!
For example: “She told you to call her. He said he would be late. They ask if we will go with them.”
In all these sentences, we retell the words of other people, that is, we use indirect speech.
In English, such sentences are formed according to certain rules. It is easy to understand and remember them.
In the article I will tell you how to correctly translate direct speech into indirect speech in English.
From the article you will learn:
- 4 steps to translate direct speech into indirect speech in English
What is direct and indirect speech?
Direct speech (Direct speech) - verbatim statement of another person.
Such a speech, that in Russian, that in English, is highlighted in quotation marks in writing. For example:
"I won't be able to come," she said.
He replied, "I don't understand."
Indirect speech is the transmission of the words of another person.
That is, we retell to someone what someone said.
For example:
She said she couldn't come.
He said he didn't understand.
The English language has its own rules and features of translating direct speech into indirect speech.
Let's look at the main ones.
Attention: Confused in English rules? Learn in a free lesson in Moscow how to speak English.
4 steps to translate direct speech into indirect speech in English
In order to translate direct speech into indirect speech, you need to do certain actions. To make it easier for you to remember them, I divided these steps into 4 steps.
So, to convey someone's words in English (that is, translate direct speech into indirect speech), we:
1. Remove the quotes and put the word that
For example, we have a sentence:
To convey these words to someone, just as in Russian, we remove the quotes and put the word that - “what”.
She said that…..
She said that….
Note that that can often be omitted, especially in colloquial speech.
2. Change the character
In direct speech, a person usually speaks on his own behalf. But in indirect speech, we cannot speak on behalf of this person. So we change "I" to another actor.
Let's go back to our offer:
She said, “I will buy a dress.”
She said, "I'll buy a dress."
Since we are transmitting the words of a girl, we put “she” instead of “I”:
She said that she…..
She said that she….
3. We coordinate the time
In English, we cannot use the past tense with the present or future in the same sentence.
Therefore, if we say “said” (that is, we use the past tense), then the next part of the sentence must be coordinated with this past tense.
Let's take our offer:
She said, “I will buy a dress.”
She said, "I'll buy a dress."
To match the first and second parts of the sentence, change will to would.
She said that she would buy a dress.
She said she would buy a dress.
Let's look at the main tense agreement table when translating direct speech into indirect speech.
In the left column - the time that is used in direct speech. On the right - the time to be used in indirect speech.
| Direct speech |
Indirect speech |
| present simple For example: He said, "I drive a car". |
past simple For example: He said that he drove a car. |
| Present Continuous She said, “I am working.” |
Past continuous She said that she was working. |
| Present Perfect They said, "We have cooked dinner". |
past perfect They said that they had cooked dinner. |
| Future tense - will She said, “I will read the book.” |
Future tense - would She said that she would read the book. |
| past simple He said, “I called you”. |
past perfect He said that he had called me. |
Note: If we convey the words of a person at the present moment, that is, we say “he / she is talking,” then there is no need to coordinate the times.
Direct speech:
She says, “I am studying”.
She says, "I'm doing it."
Indirect speech:
She says that she is studying.
She says she does.
4. Change some words
In some cases, we must agree not only on tenses, but also on individual words.
What are these words? Let's look at a small example.
She said, “I am driving now.”
She said, "I'm driving now."
So she is currently driving.
However, when we transmit her words, we will not talk about the moment (the one when we are talking now), but about the moment in the past (the one when she was driving).
Therefore, we change now (now) to then (then).
She said that she was driving then.
She said she was driving then.
Look at the table of such words, and you yourself will understand this logic.
| Direct speech |
Indirect speech |
| this, these this, these |
that, those that, those |
| here Here |
there there |
| now Now |
then Then |
| today Today |
that day in that day |
| tomorrow Tomorrow |
the next day the next day |
| yesterday yesterday |
the day before per day |
You must use this substitution logically.
For example:
The man told you this while you were in the building where he works. Already at home, you tell someone about it:
If you are in the same building where he works, then you do not need to replace the word.
And now let's look at how to translate an interrogative sentence from direct speech into indirect speech.
Questions in indirect speech in English
Questions in indirect speech, in fact, are not questions, since the word order in them is the same as in the affirmative sentence. We do not use auxiliary verbs (do, does, did) in such sentences.
Let's look at the question in direct speech.
He asked, “Do you like this cafe?”
He asked: "Do you like this cafe?"
To ask a question in indirect speech, we remove the quotes and put if or whether, which translate as "li".
Coordination of tenses occurs in the same way as in ordinary sentences.
Our proposal will look like this:
He asked if I liked that cafe.
He asked if I liked that cafe.
She said, “Will he call back?”
She said, "Will he call back?"
She said if he would call back.
She said if he would call back.
Special questions in indirect speech
Special questions are asked with the following question words:
- what - what
- when - when
- how - how
- why - why
- where - where
- which - which
When translating such questions into indirect speech, we leave the direct word order (as in affirmative sentences), and put an interrogative word in place of if.
For example, we have a question in direct speech:
She said, "When will you come?"
She said, "When are you coming?"
In indirect speech, such a question would look like this:
She said when I would come.
She said when I come.
Let's look at another example:
So, we have analyzed the basic rules that you will need to translate direct speech into indirect speech. Now let's try to do it in practice.
Reinforcement task
Convert direct speech to indirect speech. Leave your answers in the comments.
1. She said, "I will come tomorrow".
2. He said, "I am working at my garden".
3. They said, "We play the piano".
4. He said, "Do you like the house?"
5. She asked, "When will you go to this concert?"
Consider when indirect speech is used in English. The concept of "indirect speech" refers to sentences that tell us information from the words of another person. Such sentences are almost always used in spoken English.
Past tense form
If the verb that conveys the speaker's words to us is in the past tense (i.e. said), then the part of the sentence that actually contains the speaker's words will also be in the past tense. Thus, we kind of take a “step back” from the verb form in the initial sentence
Present tense form
If the verb that conveys the words of the speaker to us is in the form of the present simple, present perfect or future tense (for example, says), then the tense form of the verb in the part of the sentence that actually contains the words of the speaker remains unchanged.
Hard Facts
If we convey someone's words containing indisputable facts, then in the part of the sentence that actually contains the words of the speaker, the present tense form is also preserved.
Pronoun change
When we convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, it is often necessary to change the pronoun so that it matches the form of the subject.
Changes in the adverb of time
It is also important to replace adverbs of time so that they coincide with the moment of speech. Therefore, when translating a sentence from direct speech into indirect speech, we replace adverbs with a suitable one in meaning.
today, tonight→ that day, that night
tomorrow→ the day after / the next day / the following day
yesterday→ the day before / the previous day
now→ then / at that time / immediately
this week→ that week
next week→ the week after / the following week
last week→ the week before / the previous week
ago→ before
here→ there
Questions in indirect speech
When we use indirect speech to convey questions, Special attention you need to pay attention to connecting conjunctions and word order in a sentence. Note that when we pass general yes or no questions, we connect the actual question with the author's words using 'if'. If we are passing questions that use question words (why, where, when, etc.), we use that question word.
