Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) - French Grammar

Reported Speech (Discours indirect)

Reported speech (also called indirect speech) is the way we tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Instead of repeating the speaker's words in quotation marks, we report the content with changes in pronouns, tense and time words as needed.

When do I use reported speech?

Common situations

To tell someone else what a person said: “She said she was tired.”
To report questions someone asked: “He asked whether I had seen the email.”
To report commands, requests or advice: “The teacher asked the students to be quiet.”
To summarize a conversation or give news: “They said they would arrive at six.”

How do I form reported speech (basic ideas)?

Basic pattern for statements

Direct speech: The original words are in quotation marks.

Example: Alice said, "I am hungry."

Reported speech: Use a reporting verb (said, told, asked, etc.) and change pronouns, time words and, usually, verb tenses.
- Reported: Alice said (that) she was hungry.

Notes:
- The word "that" can be used after many reporting verbs but is often optional in spoken English: He said (that) he was tired.
- Use a reporting verb appropriate to what was said: say/tell (statements), ask (questions), order/tell/command (commands), suggest/advice/recommend (suggestions/advice).

Tense changes: sequence of tenses (backshifting)

Normal rule

When the reporting verb is in the past (He said, She told me), we usually move the tense in the reported clause one step back in time. This is called "backshifting." Here are the usual changes with examples.

- Present simple -> Past simple
- Direct: "I live in London." -> Reported: He said (that) he lived in London.

- Present continuous -> Past continuous
- Direct: "I am studying English." -> Reported: She said she was studying English.

- Present perfect -> Past perfect
- Direct: "I have seen that film." -> Reported: He said he had seen that film.

- Past simple -> Past perfect
- Direct: "I saw her yesterday." -> Reported: She said she had seen her the day before.

- Past continuous -> Past perfect continuous (had been + -ing)
- Direct: "They were playing football." -> Reported: He said they had been playing football.

- Will -> would
- Direct: "I will come tomorrow." -> Reported: She said she would come the next day.

- Be going to -> was/were going to
- Direct: "I am going to call you." -> Reported: He said he was going to call me.

- Can -> could
- Direct: "I can swim." -> Reported: She said she could swim.

- May -> might
- Direct: "I may arrive late." -> Reported: He said he might arrive late.

- Must -> had to (for obligation); for deduction it may stay must in some contexts
- Direct (obligation): "You must finish this." -> Reported: He said I had to finish it.
- Direct (deduction): "She must be at home." -> Reported (often kept): He said she must be at home. (Both forms may appear depending on meaning and speaker.)

When there is no backshift (exceptions)

If the reporting verb is in the present or present perfect, we usually do not backshift:
Direct: "I live in Rome," she says. -> Reported: She says she lives in Rome.
If the statement reports a general truth or a fact that is still true, tense may be kept:
Direct: "Water boils at 100°C," he said. -> Reported: He said water boils at 100°C.
If the original tense is already a past perfect, it does not change.

Pronoun and time-word changes

Pronouns

Pronouns normally change to match the perspective of the reporter:

"I" (speaker) becomes "he/she/they" (the original speaker) in reported speech.
Direct: John said, "I am tired." -> Reported: John said (that) he was tired.
"You" (listener) changes depending on who the reporter is reporting to:
Direct: Mary said to me, "You are my best friend." -> Reported: Mary told me I was her best friend.
Possessives change accordingly: my -> his/her, our -> their, etc.

Time and place words

Common changes when moving from direct to reported speech:

now -> then
today -> that day
tonight -> that night
tomorrow -> the next day / the following day
yesterday -> the day before / the previous day
last week -> the week before / the previous week
next week -> the following week / the week after
ago -> before / previously
this -> that
these -> those
here -> there

Examples:
- Direct: "I will see you tomorrow," she said. -> Reported: She said she would see me the next day.
- Direct: "I met him two days ago," he said. -> Reported: He said he had met him two days before.

Reporting questions

Yes/No questions

Use if or whether and keep statement order (no inversion).
Direct: "Do you like coffee?" -> Reported: She asked if I liked coffee.
Direct: "Will you help me?" -> Reported: He asked whether I would help him.

Important: Do not keep inverted word order of questions in reported speech. Wrong: She asked, "Are you okay?" -> She asked are you okay? (Incorrect)
Correct: She asked if I was okay.

Wh- questions (what, where, when, why, how, who, which, whose, whom)

Start the reported clause with the question word and use normal subject–verb order (no inversion).
Direct: "Where do you live?" -> Reported: He asked where I lived.
Direct: "What time does the train leave?" -> Reported: She asked what time the train left.
Direct: "Why did you leave early?" -> Reported: They asked why I had left early.

Reporting commands, requests and suggestions

Commands and orders (imperatives)

Use to + infinitive. For negatives, use not + to-infinitive.
Direct (positive): "Close the door!" -> Reported: He told me to close the door.
Direct (negative): "Don't be late!" -> Reported: She told us not to be late.
Strong command: "Leave at once!" -> Reported: He ordered them to leave at once.

Requests and offers

Requests: use ask + object + to-infinitive OR ask + if/whether + clause for yes/no request-questions.
Direct (request): "Please help me." -> Reported: She asked me to help her.
Direct (question used as request): "Can you open the window?" -> Reported (question form): He asked if I could open the window.
Reported as request: He asked me to open the window. (Both are possible; the second emphasizes request.)
Offers and promises use verbs like offer, promise + to-infinitive.
Direct: "I'll help you." -> Reported: He promised to help me. / He offered to help me.

Reporting verbs and common patterns

Useful reporting verbs and their structure

say (to) + (that) + clause
He said (that) he was sorry.
tell + object + (that) + clause
She told me (that) she had left.
ask + object + to-infinitive (for commands/requests)
They asked him to wait.
ask + if/whether / ask + wh-word + clause (for questions)
He asked whether I could come. / She asked where we were.
order/tell/command + object + to-infinitive
The captain ordered the sailors to stop.
advise + object + to-infinitive OR advise + that + clause
The doctor advised him to rest. / The doctor advised that he rest (or should rest).
suggest + gerund OR suggest + that + clause (often with should)
She suggested going by train. / She suggested that we should leave early.
promise / agree / refuse + to-infinitive
He refused to help. / She agreed to come.
remind + object + to-infinitive
She reminded me to call my mother.
warn + object + not + to-infinitive
They warned us not to swim there.

Special cases and important notes

No change when the reporting verb is in the present

If the reporting verb is in the present: keep the original tense.
Direct: "I live in Madrid," he says. -> Reported: He says he lives in Madrid.

When the reported information is still true

If what was said is still true or is a general truth, you may keep the original tense instead of backshifting.
Direct: "The sky is blue," she said. -> Reported: She said the sky is blue. (general truth)

Modal verbs - common changes

can -> could
will -> would
may -> might
must -> had to (for obligation); may sometimes stay must for logical deduction
shall -> should (often) or remain shall in ritual/legal contexts
should, could, would often remain unchanged

Examples:
- Direct: "I can finish it." -> Reported: He said he could finish it.
- Direct: "You must come now." -> Reported: She said I had to come then.

Conditional sentences

Backshift follows the same pattern inside conditional clauses.
Direct: "If I win the prize, I will buy a car." -> Reported: He said that if he won the prize, he would buy a car.
Direct (second conditional): "If I were rich, I would travel." -> Reported: She said that if she were rich, she would travel. (If the reporting verb is past, many speakers keep the unreal conditional as it is.)

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Forgetting to change pronouns and time words:
- Wrong: He said, "I am tired." -> He said, "I am tired." (reported unchanged)
- Right: He said that he was tired.

- Keeping question word order in reported questions (inversion):
- Wrong: She asked, "Are you OK?" -> She asked are you OK?
- Right: She asked if I was OK.

- Using the wrong verb form after verbs like ask, tell, order:
- Wrong: He told me go away.
- Right: He told me to go away.

- Not backshifting when the reporting verb is in the past (unless the statement is still true):
- Wrong: Direct: "I saw him yesterday." -> Reported: He said he saw him yesterday. (If the reporting verb is past, better: He said he had seen him the day before.)

Short quick-reference examples (direct → reported)

- "I am happy," she said. → She said (that) she was happy.
- "I have finished," he said. → He said (that) he had finished.
- "I saw her yesterday," Tom said. → Tom said (that) he had seen her the day before.
- "Will you help me?" she asked. → She asked if I would help her.
- "Where do you live?" he asked. → He asked where I lived.
- "Please help me," she said. → She asked me to help her.
- "Don't touch that!" he shouted. → He shouted at us not to touch that.
- "Let's go now," they said. → They suggested going then. / They suggested that we should go then.

Glossary

- Direct speech: The exact words a person said, usually in quotation marks. Example: He said, "I'm hungry."
- Reported speech (indirect speech): Telling someone what someone else said without exact words. Example: He said (that) he was hungry.
- Reporting verb: The verb used to report what someone said (say, tell, ask, order, suggest, etc.).
- Backshifting: Moving a verb one step back in time when the reporting verb is in the past (e.g., present simple → past simple).
- That-clause: A clause introduced by "that" used after many reporting verbs: He said (that) he was late.

Final tips

- Identify the reporting verb and its tense first (past vs present). That tells you if you usually need to backshift.
- Change pronouns and time/place words to match the new perspective.
- For questions: use if/whether for yes/no questions and begin with the wh-word for wh-questions (no inversion).
- For commands/requests: use to + infinitive (or not + to-infinitive for negative commands).
- When in doubt, compare a few examples and remember: say/tell/ask patterns are your friend.

This guide gives the rules and examples you need to form and understand reported speech in everyday English. Keep these patterns in mind and practise transforming short quotations to reported clauses until the changes become natural.