Direct speech V English language (Direct Speech), literally quoting a statement. The response is enclosed in quotation marks on both sides, and you add the words of the author to it, e.g. He says: “I swim well”.

Indirect speech in English ( Reported Speech/ Indirect Speech), conveying the content of the conversation from a third person. In this case, the accuracy of the statement is violated: you change the tense forms and word order in the sentence.

let's consider Reported Speech rule and we will learn how to correctly express the opinion of the interlocutor without lying anything.

Indirect speech in English always depends on what tense is used in the author's words. If it’s real, then you can breathe out and relax: you won’t have to change almost anything. The tense in the subordinate clause will remain the same, just watch the verb form and capricious pronouns:

Melissa says: “I am a good cook.” – Melissa says thatshe is a good cook.

Jack said:"Ilike cats.”(Present Simple) – Jack said that heliked cats.(Past Simple)

We will look at time coordination in more detail ( Sequence of Tenses) separately.

Examine the Reported Speech table. With it you will be able to express yourself grammatically correctly. And one more piece of advice - always try translate sentences into Russian, it will tell you which words will have to be replaced.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Affirmative sentences turn into complex sentences with the conjunction That (that). Please note whether it is known who we are addressing. If yes, then the verb to say needs to be changed to to tell.
They say: "Annie, we read a lot of books."	They tell Annie that they read a lot of books.
When you translate negative sentences into indirect speech in English, pay attention Special attention on the form of the verb and do not lose the part not.
Mark says: “I don’t like computer games.”	Mark says that he doesn’t like computer games.
Imperative sentences, namely orders and requests, become infinitives. In this case, in the main sentence, use the verbs to ask - to ask, to tell - to say, command, to order - to order, etc. and indicate the person to whom you are addressing.
Mother said: “Open the window.”	Mother asked me to open the window.
Questions become subordinate clauses with direct word order. a) General questions are introduced by a subordinate clause using the conjunctions if and whether
Jim asks me: “Do you watch TV?”	Jim asks me if I watch TV.
b) Special questions are attached to the main sentence with the interrogative words that are used in them.
Tony wonders: “What is your favorite food?”	Tony wonders what my favorite food is.

If the sentence you are translating into indirect speech in English has demonstrative pronouns or adverbs of time and place, then our table will help to replace them correctly:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
This - this	That - that
Here - here	There - there
Now - now	Then - then
Today - today	That day - on that day
Tomorrow - tomorrow	The next day - the next day
Yesterday - yesterday	The day before - the day before
The day after tomorrow - the day after tomorrow	Two days later - two days later
The day before yesterday - the day before yesterday	Two days before - two days before
Ago - ago	Before - before
Next month - next month	The next month, the following month – a month later
Last week - last week	The previous week - the week before

Sentences with direct speech do not pose any difficulty. We simply translate them using the tenses we see fit.

For example:

Cinderella said: "I will marry this prince."

Cinderella said: “I will marry this prince.”

The director said: “Yesterday you did a very good job.”

Director said: “Yesterday you worked very well.”

The writer says: “I write a new book every year.”

A writer says: “I write a new book every year.”

There's really nothing complicated about it.

It's a little more complicated with sentences in which we convey other people's words. Here, first of all, you need to pay attention to the words of the author, like "She says", "He asked", "The director will tell" and so on. If these words are in the present tense ( "she says"- now or usually), then when changing direct speech into indirect speech, we do not change the tense.

For example:

Mom often says that we are not very attentive.

Mother often says that we are not very careful.

The doctor says that at this time of year many people get sick.

Doctor says that many people get ill in this season.

She says he hasn't called her yet.

She says that he hasn’t called her yet.

But it is possible that the words that we want to convey using indirect speech were said earlier. And the author's words refer to the past ( "we said", "they asked", "He adviced" and so on.).

For example:

The store clerk said yesterday: “This bread is fresh.”

The seller said yesterday that this bread is fresh.

The teacher said last week: “Tomorrow we will write a test.”

The teacher said last week that tomorrow we will write a test.

And in this case "in Game" enters TIME CONSISTENCY RULE.

Since information about fresh bread and test work has been given in the past, there is a need to slightly change the tenses in the part that reads from the word "WHAT".

For example, if in a sentence with direct speech time was used Present Simple, then, having converted the sentence into indirect speech, we will use Past Simple.

He said: " I LIKE to read newspapers in the morning.” – He said that he LIKED to read newspapers in the morning.*

*Please note that when you change a sentence to indirect speech, the subject changes! He says:"I'm coming." - He says he's coming.

The entire sequence of changing times according to this principle is given in the table below:

Sequence of Tenses

TIME IN A SENTENCE WITH DIRECT SPEECH	TIME IN A SENTENCE WITH INDIRECT SPEECH
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
All Future tenses	All Future-in the Past tenses*

* Future- in the Past tenses are formed using an auxiliary verb "WOULD", which we simply use instead of the auxiliary verb "will".

For example, “will go” (Future Simple) – “would go” (Future Simple – in the Past).

For example:

He said: “My friends usually come at 5.”

He said that his friends usually came at 5.

She told her sister: “I am reading a very interesting book.”

She told her sister that she was reading a very interesting book.

Mary said to the man: “I have not decided anything yet.”

Mary said to the man that she had not decided anything yet.

I told them: “I will do this job in two days.”

I told them that I would do this job in two days.

In speech we quite often use time markers ( yesterday, today, in two days, tomorrow) or words like “here”, “there”, “this”, “that” and so on.

In English, when “translating” a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech, if the author's words stand in the past time, such words should be replaced as follows:

For example:

He said: “I will not begin now.”

He said he would not begin then.

The President said: “I didn’t know about it last week.”

The President said he hadn’t known about it the week before.

She said: “My husband will be here tomorrow.”

She said her husband would be there the next day.

Words in direct speech and indirect speech

This / these That / those

• Yesterday The day before

• Tomorrow (the) next day / the following day

• Last week/year

  The week / year before

  The previous week/year

  Next week/year

  The following week / year

  The next week / year

In indirect speech we can convey orders, commands or requests. In order to figure out how to do this in English, let's see how we do it in Russian.

She told us: "Don't stand here!"

She told us not to stand here.

The director ordered the employee: “Do it immediately!”

The director ordered the employee to do this immediately.

We asked the teacher: “Explain this rule to us again, please!”

We asked the teacher to explain this rule to us again.

As you noticed, when we “translate” a command, request or order into indirect speech, then instead of the form “Do it!” the form “to do” is used, i.e. infinitive ( indefinite form verb). In English this situation is repeated.

So, when conveying a command, request or order in indirect speech in English, we use the infinitive of the verb with the particle “to” – “to go”, “to stand”, “to read”, “to do”, etc.

For example:

She told us: "Stand there!"

She told ustostand there.

He asked his friend: “Bring me, please, that book!”

He asked his friendtobring him that book.

Teacher said to the students: “Rewrite this exercise!”

Teacher told students to rewrite that exercise. Sometimes a command, request or order is negative. Those. we tell someone not to do something. Then, when “translating” such a command into indirect speech, we will put the negative particle NOT immediately before the infinitive.

For example:

He told her: “Don’t go there anymore!”

He told her NOT TO GO there anymore.

The teacher told the student: “Don’t be late for the next lesson!”

The teacher told the student NOT TO BE late for the next lesson.

She told her boyfriend: "Leave! And don’t come again!”

She told her boyfriend to leave and NOT TO COME again.

And in order not to repeat “he told” or “she asked” all the time, use other words.

Clue:

To order

To offer

To suggest

To demand

To warn

To advise

SMALL SECRETS OF INDIRECT SPEECH. =))

Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how to convey certain sentences in indirect speech. For example, how to say in indirect speech the sentence “He said: “Hello!”, or “She said: “No!”?

Let's give you a little hint:

He said: "Hello, everybody!" – He greeted everyone.

She said to him: “No, I will not go with you!” – She refused to go with him.

They said: "Yes!" - They agreed.

Questions in indirect speech in English They convey only the content of the question of direct speech, but they themselves are not questions as such. Based on this, the word order in indirect questions is the same as in affirmative sentences, that is, the subject comes before the predicate, auxiliary verbs ( do, did) are not used, and there is no question mark at the end of such questions.

For example: He said, "When are you leaving?" – He asked me when I was leaving. (AND NOT When I was leaving?) He asked: “When are you leaving?” - He asked me when I was leaving. I said, "Where are you staying?" – I asked her where she was staying. I asked, “Where are you staying?” - I asked her where she was staying. "Where does John live"She asked me. – She asked me where John lived. "Where does John live?" she asked me. “She asked me where John lived. John asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" – John asked where I had gone the previous weekend. John asked, “Where did you go last weekend?” - John asked where I went last weekend. He asked, "Why are you staring at me?" – He asked me why I was staring at him. He asked, “Why are you looking at me?” - He asked me why I was looking at him.

General and alternative questions are introduced into a sentence by conjunctions if / whether:

"Do you speak English?" she asked him. – She asked him if he spoke English. "Do you speak English?" she asked him. – She asked him if he spoke English. "Are you British or French?" they asked me. – They asked me whether I was British or French. “Are you from Britain or France?” they asked me. – They asked me whether I was from Britain or France. "Did you come by train?" she required. – She required if I had come by train. “Did you come by train?” she asked. “She asked if I came by train.

Special questions are introduced with a question word ( when, where, why, and etc.):

"What is your name?" he asked me. – He asked what was my name. "What is your name?" he asked me. - He asked me what my name was. "How old is your mother?" he asked her. – He asked her how old her mother was. “How old is your mother?” he asked her. “He asked her how old her mother was.”

What is this - an indirect question?

First, let's compare Direct and Indirect questions. If you want to literally reflect someone’s statement or quote it, then it is better to use ordinary questions using direct speech (read more in “Types of questions in English”). But, to convey other people's words, you can use Inderect questions, which consist of two parts: the main one, where it is reported “who asked, inquired” and the secondary one - “what exactly, the question itself,” and they are connected by a conjunction or a pronoun. But that is not all. It is necessary to grasp the essence of only two rules:

Valid tense agreement rule (the entire diagram can be found in the article “Time Coordination Table”). In other words, the time used in the main part of the sentence must be sent one step back, into the past. This way we remove the quotes, and the logical chain of events is not interrupted. Please note that neither do nor does can be used in this case. For example: in the main sentence we have the verb “speak” - Present Simple - in quotation marks. According to the transition of tenses, the Present Simple changes to Past Simple: spoke.

I would also like to remind you about pronouns, which change from direct speech to indirect speech according to the same principle as in Russian.

He said: "Have youtranslated this article? -He said: « You transferred article? (Present Perfectgoes over according to rule VPast Perfect).

He asked if Ihad translated that article.- He asked if I translated the article.

Although we call such sentences questions, we do not observe the familiar violation of word order. Namely: the structure of the affirmative sentence is preserved: subject + predicate + object + etc.

She said: "Where didshe ski in summer? - She said: “Where did she ski in the summer?”

She asked whereshe had skied in summer. - She asked where she skied in the summer.

Two models of indirect questions in English

So, we know that there are several types of questions: general, special, alternative, dividing and question to the subject. In indirect speech we can construct only some of them.

1. General and alternative indirect question is constructed using the conjunctions if or whether, which in Russian sound like the particle “li”. Thus, maintaining the direct word order, we can derive the following diagram:

Subject + predicate + if (whether) + subject + predicate + minor members

Direct Speech
"Is anybody at home?" he asked. - "Is anybody home?" he asked.	He asked if anybody was at home. - He asked if there was whether is anybody home.
Past Simple - Past Perfect
She asked: “Were she at school yesterday?” - She asked: “Was she at school yesterday?”	She asked if she had been at school the day before. - She asked if there was whether she was at school yesterday.
Future Simple - Future in the Past
He said: “Will you go to the theater tomorrow?” - He asked: “Are you going to the theater tomorrow?”	He asked if I would go to the theater the next day. - He asked if I would go whether I'm going to the theater tomorrow.
My mother said: “Are you laughing at me?” - Mom said: “Are you laughing at me?”	My mother asked if I was laughing at her. - Mom asked, I laugh whether I'm over her.
He said: “Have you heard about the latest events?” - He asked: “Have you heard about the latest events?”	He asked if I had heard about the latest events. - He asked, heard whether I'm talking about the latest events.
Present Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
My friends asked: “Have you been living in this old house for a year?” - My friends asked: “Have you lived in this old house for a year?”	My friends asked if I had been living in that old house for a year. My friends asked if he lived whether I've been in that old house for a year.
Can-could
He asked: " Can you play tennis? - He asked: “Can I play tennis?”	He asked if I could play tennis. - He asked if I can whether I play tennis.
Must - had to
She said: “Must I write it today?” - She said: “Should I write this today?”	She asked if she had to write it that day. - She asked if she should whether she will write this today.

2. B special indirect question two parts are connected by interrogative words: what, why, where, which, whose (in the article “Interrogative words” you will find complete information about use and meaning). And everything else is the same as in the previous model.

Subject + predicate + question word + subject + predicate + minor members

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Simple - Past Simple
He asked: “Where is the underground?” - He asked: “Where is the metro?”	He asked where the underground was. -He asked where the metro was.
Present Continuous - Past Continuous
Mary said: “What are you playing now?” - Mary said: “What are you playing now?”	Mary asked what I was playing than. - Mary asked what I was playing.
Present Perfect - Past Perfect
She asked: “Where has he been?” - She asked: “Where was he?”	She wanted to know where he had been. She wanted to know where he was.
Past Simple - Past Perfect
His parents asked: “Whose hat have you been wearing?” - His parents asked: “Whose hat were you wearing?”	His parents asked whose hat I had been wearing. - His parents asked whose hat I was wearing.

A few more secrets! =)))) (what jokers)

must be distinguished if in subordinate clauses and If in indirect questions. So, in the first case we translate with the meaning “if”, and in the second - with the particle “whether”.

If you come home late, we will have to punish you. - If you come home late, we will be forced to punish you.

She asked me if I would come home late the next day. -She asked, I'll come whether I late Tomorrow.

short answers indirect questions in English are answered using auxiliary or modal verbs, as in direct speech, but taking into account the rule of tense agreement. And the connection of two parts in this model occurs due to the conjunction “that”, and yes/no are omitted.

“Does she live in the hostel?” - she asked. -Yes, she does (No, she doesn’t).

She asked if she lived in the hostel. -I answered that she did (she didn’t).

Direct and indirect speech - Direct and indirect speech in English
An alternative name for indirect speech in English:
Reported speech

Direct speech expresses someone's speech as it was spoken, without any changes. Direct speech in English is enclosed in quotation marks, which in English are superscripted on both sides.
Indirect speech(indirect speech) does not convey someone’s speech verbatim, but expresses the content of this speech in the form of a subordinate clause.

Rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech in declarative sentences

1. Quotation marks and commas after words introducing direct speech are omitted. In indirect speech, the conjunction that can be used, but it can also be omitted.
He said, "I know you from somewhere." - He said (that) he knew me from somewhere. He said, “I know you from somewhere.” - He said (that) he knows me somewhere.
Note: If in direct speech the verb say is used with an object (1) and the preposition to (2), indicating the person being addressed, then say will change to the verb tell without the preposition to. In other cases, no changes are made.
He said to (2) me (1), "I know you from somewhere." - He told me (that) he knew me from somewhere. He told me: “I know you from somewhere.” - He told me (that) he knows me from somewhere.
2. Personal and possessive pronouns change in meaning, depending on the context.
He said, " I(1) can bring you(2) a cup of tea." - Not said (that) he(1) could bring me(2) a cup of tea. He said, "I can bring you a cup of tea." - He said he could bring me a cup of tea.
3. If the verb that introduces indirect speech (1) is in the present or future tense, then the verb in indirect speech (2) remains in the same tense as it was in direct speech.
He says(1), "I visit Lily every Saturday". - No says(2) (that) he visits Lily every Saturday. He says: "I visit Lily every Saturday." - He says that he visits Lily every Saturday.
4. If the verb that introduces indirect speech is in the past tense, then tense agreement is observed.
Note: For a more informed understanding of this rule, it is recommended that you read the material " ".
A. If in direct speech there was a present tense (1), then in indirect speech there will be a past tense (2).
He said, "I go(1) to driving lessons every day." - He said (that) he went(2) to driving lessons every day. He said: "I go to driving lessons every day." - He said that he goes to driving lessons every day.
b. If in direct speech there was a past simple (Past Simple) (1.1) or a past continuous tense (Past Continuous) (1.2), then in indirect speech it will change to the past perfect (Past Perfect) (2.1) or past perfect continuous (Past Perfect Continuous) ) (2.2) respectively.
He said, "I did(1.1) my best." - He said (that) he had done(2.1) his best. He said, "I did my best." - He said he did everything possible.
He said, "I was trying(1.2) to help you." - He said (that) he had been trying(2.2) to help me. He said, "I tried to help you." - He said he was trying to help me.
Note: If in direct speech there is an indicator of the time of the action, then the time in indirect speech does not change, except for such indicators as:
the day before the day before
two months before five months ago
and so on. when they are used, the tense in indirect speech changes to the perfect form (Perfect).
He said, "I bought this car in 2004". He said (that) he bought this car in 2004. He said, "I bought this car in 2004." - He said that he bought this car in 2004.
the day before". He said (that) he had bought this car the day before. He said, “I bought this car the day before.” - He said that he bought this car the day before.
V. If in direct speech there was a past perfect tense (Past Perfect) (1.1) or a past perfect continuous tense (Past Perfect Continuous) (1.2), then in indirect speech it will remain so.
He said, "I had read(1.1) this book by ten o"clock in the evening". - He said (that) he had read(1.1) that book by ten o"clock in the evening. He said: “I finished reading this book by ten o’clock in the evening.” - He said that he finished reading this book by ten o’clock in the evening.
d. If in direct speech there was one of the forms of the future tense (1), then in indirect speech it will change to the corresponding form of the future in the past (2).
He said, "I will have done(1) all work by Wednesday." - He said (that) he would have done(2) all work by Wednesday. He said, "I'll finish all the work by Wednesday." - He said that he would finish all the work by Wednesday.
d. If modal verbs were used in direct speech, then those that have past forms will change and take the past form, and those that do not will remain unchanged in indirect speech.
He said, "I can show you out the Jungle." - He said (that) he could show us out the Jungle. He said, "I can take you out of the jungle." - He said he could lead us out of the jungle.
He said, "I should attend her more." - He said (that) he should attend her more. He said, "I should pay more attention to her." - He said that he should pay more attention to her.
5. If in direct speech there were adverbs of place and time, as well as demonstrative pronouns, then in indirect speech they will change to those that are suitable in meaning.
this - that this - that
these - those these - those
here - there here - there
now - then now - then
ago - before ago - before
today - that day today - on that day
tomorrow - the next day tomorrow - the next day
yesterday - the day before yesterday - the day before
the day after tomorrow - two days later
the day before tomorrow - two days before the day before yesterday - two days ago
last morning - the previous morning yesterday morning - last morning
and so on.
He said, "I will do it the day after tomorrow". - He (that) he would do it two days later. He said, "I'll do it the day after tomorrow." - He said he would do it in two days.

The rule for changing direct speech to indirect in incentive sentences

The imperative action (1), expressed by an infinitive without the particle to in direct speech, will change to an infinitive with the particle to (2) in indirect speech. That is not added in such sentences.
Note: B negative form the particle not is used before the particle to.
He asked me, " Close the window(1)." - He asked me to close the window(2). He will ask me: “Close the window.” - He asked me to close the window.
or without indicating the person
He asked, " Close the window(1)." - He asked to close the window(2). He asked: “Close the window.” - He asked to close the window.

Rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech in interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences in indirect speech are called indirect questions . The question mark is not used in such sentences except in cases where the main part of the indirect sentence is interrogative.
1. Special question (1) (about special and other types of questions - in the material ") in direct speech, when changed to indirect, become additional subordinate clause(2), which is connected to the main part with interrogative words from the question itself.
He asked me, " Who(1) has brought the letter?" - He asked me who had brought the letter(2). He asked me: "Who brought the letter?" - He asked me who brought the letter.
2. The general question (1) in direct speech is changed to a subordinate clause (2) in indirect speech and is connected to the main part with the conjunctions if/whether (2), while a comma is not used.
He asked, " Do(1) do you know her?" - He asked me if/whether (3) I knew her(2). He asked: “Do you know her?” - He asked if I knew her.
3. Short answers in indirect speech are expressed by an auxiliary (1) or modal verb(2), and the tense of these verbs changes according to the rule of tense agreement (3).
Do(1) do you know her? Do you know her?
No, I don"t(1). - I answered, I didn't(3). No, I do not know. - I answered that I don’t know.
Can(2) do you repair it? Can you fix this?
No, I can"t(2). - I answered, I couldn't(3). No I can not. - I answered that I couldn’t.
Note: In formal speech, short answers are used:
I answered in the affirmative. I answered in the affirmative.
I answered in the negative. I answered in the negative.

How often do we convey other people's words to someone else? 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 are retelling the words of other people, that is, we are using indirect speech.

In English, such sentences are formed according to certain rules. They are easy to understand and remember.

In this 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 convert direct speech to indirect speech in English

What is direct and indirect speech?

Direct speech is a verbatim statement from another person.

Such speech, whether in Russian or in English, is highlighted in writing with quotation marks. 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 about English rules? Learn how to speak English at a free lesson in Moscow.

4 steps to convert direct speech to indirect speech in English

In order to convert direct speech into indirect speech, you need to do certain things. To make it easier for you to remember them, I have divided these steps into 4 steps.

So, to convey someone's words in English (that is, convert direct speech to indirect speech), we:

1. Remove the quotes and put the word that

For example, we have a proposal:

To convey these words to someone, just like in Russian, we remove the quotation marks and put the word that - “what”.

She said that…..
She said that….

Note that that can often be omitted, especially in colloquial speech.

2. We 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. Therefore, we change “I” to another actor.

Let's return to our proposal:

She said, “I will buy a dress.”
She said, "I'll buy a dress."

Since we are conveying the girl’s words, instead of “I” we put “she”:

She said that she…..
She said that she….

3. We agree on a time

In English, we cannot use the past tense with the present or future tense 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 consistent with this past tense.

Let's take our proposal:

She said, “I will buy a dress.”
She said, "I'll buy a dress."

To harmonize the first and second parts of the sentence, we change will to would.

She said that she would buy a dress.
She said that she would buy a dress.

Let's look at the table for coordinating basic tenses when translating direct speech into indirect speech.

In the left column is the tense used in direct speech. On the right is the tense that should be used in indirect speech.

Direct speech	Indirect speech
Present Simple For example: He said, “I drive a car.” He said, “I drive a car.”	Past Simple For example: He said that he drove a car. He said he was driving a car.
Present Continuous She said, “I am working.” She said, "I'm working"	Past Continuous She said that she was working. She said she was working.
Present Perfect They said, “We have cooked dinner.” They said, “We have prepared dinner.”	Past Perfect They said that they had cooked dinner. They said that they had prepared dinner.
Future tense - will She said, “I will read the book.” She said, "I'll read the book."	Future tense - would She said that she would read the book. She said she was reading a book.
Past Simple He said, “I called you.” He said, “I called you.”	Past Perfect He said that he had called me. He said he called me.

Note: If we convey the words of a person at the present moment, that is, we say “he/she speaks,” then there is no need to coordinate tenses.

Direct speech:

She says, “I am studying.”
She says: “I’m working out.”

Indirect speech:

She says that she is studying.
She says she is studying.

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."

That is, she is currently driving.

However, when we convey her words, we will not be talking about the present moment (the one when we are talking now), but about a moment in time 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 at the time.

Look at the sign 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 replacement logically.

For example:

The man told you this while you were in the building where he works. Already at home, you tell someone about this:

If you are in the same building where he works, then there is no need to replace the word.

Now let's look at how to translate an interrogative sentence from direct speech to 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 an 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 quotation marks and put if or whether, which are translated as “li”.

The agreement 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 in place of if we put a question word.

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 would come.

Let's look at another example:

So, we have looked at the basic rules that you will need to translate direct speech into indirect speech. Now let's try to do this 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?"

Direct speech in English ( Direct Speech), literally quoting a statement. The response is enclosed in quotation marks on both sides, and you add the words of the author to it, e.g. He says: “I swim well”.

Indirect speech in English ( Reported Speech/ Indirect Speech), conveying the content of the conversation from a third person. In this case, the accuracy of the statement is violated: you change the tense forms and word order in the sentence.

let's consider Reported Speech rule and we will learn how to correctly express the opinion of the interlocutor without lying anything.

Indirect speech in English always depends on what tense is used in the author's words. If it’s real, then you can breathe out and relax: you won’t have to change almost anything. The tense in the subordinate clause will remain the same, just watch the verb form and capricious pronouns:

Melissa says: “ I am a good cook.” – Melissa says that she is a good cook.

Jack said:"I like cats.” (Present Simple) – Jack said that he liked cats. (Past Simple)

We will look at time coordination in more detail ( Sequence of Tenses) separately.

Examine the Reported Speech table. With it you will be able to express yourself grammatically correctly. And one more piece of advice - always try translate sentences into Russian, it will tell you which words will have to be replaced.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Affirmative sentences turn into complex sentences with the conjunction That (that). Please note whether it is known who we are addressing. If yes, then the verb to say needs to be changed to to tell.
They say: "Annie, we read a lot of books."	They tell Annie that they read a lot of books.
When you translate negative sentences into indirect speech in English, pay special attention to the form of the verb and do not lose the not particle.
Mark says: “I don’t like computer games.”	Mark says that he doesn’t like computer games.
Imperative sentences, namely orders and requests, become infinitives. In this case, in the main sentence, use the verbs to ask - to ask, to tell - to say, command, to order - to order, etc. and indicate the person to whom you are addressing.
Mother said: “Open the window.”	Mother asked me to open the window.
Questions become subordinate clauses with direct word order. a) General questions are introduced by a subordinate clause using the conjunctions if and whether
Jim asks me: “Do you watch TV?”	Jim asks me if I watch TV.
b) Special questions are attached to the main sentence with the interrogative words that are used in them.
Tony wonders: “What is your favorite food?”	Tony wonders what my favorite food is.

If the sentence you are translating into indirect speech in English has demonstrative pronouns or adverbs of time and place, then our table will help to replace them correctly:

To master this vast topic, all you need is Reported Speech table, list of adverbs and your brain ready for work and defense. Keep in mind that exercises to translate direct speech into indirect speech(Reported Speech Exercises) are found in every type of paper and exam you can imagine. Moreover, without this knowledge, you will get stuck and will not progress in learning English.

Direct speech in English is formatted somewhat differently, and this should be remembered, since when serious study subject, you will have to do this in writing exercises, letters or essays. At first glance, the differences are insignificant, but if you start to ignore them, it will immediately make you look like a foreigner.

Also, the transfer of the meaning of a statement from direct speech to indirect speech is quite different, and the resulting new English text is subject to certain rules, which will be discussed in a separate section.

If you need translation into direct speech in English, you will have to take diametrically opposite actions. In this case, it is necessary to be well aware of the rules for coordinating times. For example, with such an action it will be necessary to change some pronouns, and tense forms and circumstances of place to move “one step back”. It will look something like this:

Pat said that she would be ready to pass her exam next day. Pat said she would be ready to take the exam the next day.

Pat said, “I will be ready to pass my exam tomorrow.” Pat said, “Tomorrow I will be ready to take the exam.”

Tables will help you understand the rules of direct speech in English. We propose to compare the design of such sentences when transmitting colloquial statements in Russian and English:

If you look closely, you will notice that in Russian statements the period and comma are behind the quotation marks, but in English it is the other way around. If the author’s words are brought forward, then on the left side of the table there is a colon after them, and on the right half there is a comma. If the author’s words are embedded inside the statement, then it is striking that both parts of English direct speech are separated by commas.

You should also note that native speakers use so-called “inverted commas” - inverted commas - before direct speech. Usually they are double, but sometimes they are single. There is a special key on your keyboard for this.

It is very important to note that direct speech in English is conveyed literally, and examples will help you understand this:

“I’ll start learning French soon,” said Steven."I'll start studying soon French' said Stephen.

Unlike indirect speech, here we use short form verb "will", which is not recommended to do in indirect speech. When paraphrased, this sentence will look like this:

Steven said that he would start learning French soon. Stephen said that he will soon learn French.

According to the rule of tense agreement, instead of he will used here he would, but it cannot be shortened as he'd.

As an exercise for direct speech in English, you can use any of the tables presented. They will be of double benefit: you will remember how direct speech is formalized in native language, and also become experts in English written expressions. There is a little trick - try to do this exercise in Word, which has a text editing function.

As a piece of advice, we suggest using Word for writing essays and composing monologues. In most cases, the program will respond to errors and even correct some of them automatically. As for the design of direct speech, everything here works flawlessly.