Direct and Indirect Speech
Learn the rules • Understand the changes • Practise systematically
1. Let us understand with an example
Riya is talking to her friend.
These are Riya's exact words. This is called Direct Speech.
We can also report what Riya said without using her exact words:
This is called Indirect Speech or Reported Speech.
Riya said, “I am preparing for my English test.”
Riya said that she was preparing for her English test.
2 What is Direct Speech?
When we report the exact words spoken by a person, we use Direct Speech.
The exact words of the teacher are placed inside inverted commas (“ ”).
Parts of Direct Speech
- The teacher said → Reporting clause
- Complete your homework → Reported speech
- “ ” → Inverted commas
3 What is Indirect Speech?
When we report what someone said without using their exact words, we use Indirect Speech.
The quotation marks are removed and the sentence may undergo changes in pronouns, tense, time words and sentence structure.
4 Direct → Indirect: The Main Changes
When changing Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, check these things:
| No. | What to Check | What Happens? |
|---|---|---|
| ① | Inverted commas | Remove “ ”. |
| ② | Pronouns | Change them according to the speaker and listener. |
| ③ | Tense | The tense may change when the reporting verb is in the past. |
| ④ | Time and place words | Words such as today, tomorrow, now, here may change. |
| ⑤ | Reporting verb | said, said to, asked etc. may change according to the type of sentence. |
| ⑥ | Sentence structure | Questions, commands, requests and exclamations follow different patterns. |
5 Rule 1 — Statements
For ordinary statements, we generally use that.
Direct:
Rohan said, “I am tired.”
Indirect:
Rohan said that he was tired.
Change into Indirect Speech:
- Meena said, “I like Science.”
- Rahul said, “I am ready.”
- The teacher said, “The students are working hard.”
- Father said, “I will return soon.”
- Riya said, “I have finished my project.”
6 Rule 2 — Change of Pronouns
Pronouns change according to who is speaking and who is being spoken to.
Direct:
Aman said, “I have completed my homework.”
Indirect:
Aman said that he had completed
his homework.
Common Changes
| Direct | Possible Indirect |
|---|---|
| I | he / she |
| we | they |
| my | his / her |
| our | their |
| me | him / her |
| us | them |
| you | I / we / he / she / they |
- Sita said, “I am happy.”
- Mohan said, “I have lost my pen.”
- Riya said, “We are preparing our project.”
- Arjun said, “I will help my brother.”
- The boys said, “We have completed our work.”
7 Rule 3 — Change of Tense
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech generally changes.
Tense Conversion
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | Simple Past |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Simple Past | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
Examples
Simple Present → Simple Past
He said, “I play cricket.”
He said that he played cricket.
Present Continuous → Past Continuous
She said, “I am reading.”
She said that she was reading.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect
Ravi said, “I have finished the work.”
Ravi said that he had finished the work.
Simple Past → Past Perfect
She said, “I visited Delhi.”
She said that she had visited Delhi.
- The teacher said, “The students work hard.”
- Riya said, “I am studying Mathematics.”
- Mohan said, “I have completed the project.”
- Anu said, “I visited the museum.”
- Father said, “I will help you.”
8 Important Exception — Universal Truth
A universal truth normally does not change its tense, even when the reporting verb is in the past.
Direct:
The teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
Indirect:
The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
❌ The teacher said that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
9 Rule 4 — No Tense Change with Present/Future Reporting Verb
When the reporting verb is in the present or future, the tense normally remains unchanged.
Direct:
Riya says, “I am preparing for the test.”
Indirect:
Riya says that she is preparing for the test.
Direct:
Father will say, “I am busy.”
Indirect:
Father will say that he is busy.
- The teacher says, “The students are ready.”
- Riya says, “I like reading.”
- Mother says, “I have finished my work.”
- The coach will say, “The players are ready.”
- Father says, “I will return soon.”
10 Rule 5 — Change of Time and Place Words
Some words change when the situation changes.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day |
| yesterday | the previous day |
| ago | before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| last week | the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
Direct:
Ravi said, “I will finish this work tomorrow.”
Indirect:
Ravi said that he would finish
that work the next day.
- She said, “I will meet you tomorrow.”
- He said, “I completed the work yesterday.”
- Riya said, “I am busy now.”
- Aman said, “I will come here tomorrow.”
- The teacher said, “Complete these questions today.”
11 Rule 6 — Said and Told
Use told when the person spoken to is mentioned.
Direct:
Mother said to me, “Work hard.”
Indirect:
Mother told me to work hard.
Direct:
Ravi said to his friend, “I am busy.”
Indirect:
Ravi told his friend that he was busy.
❌ He told that he was tired.
✔ He said that he was tired.
✔ He told me that he was tired.
12 Rule 7 — Yes/No Questions
For questions that can be answered with Yes or No, use if or whether.
Direct:
The teacher said to Ravi, “Are you ready?”
Indirect:
The teacher asked Ravi if he was ready.
- said to → asked
- if/whether is used.
- Question mark is removed.
- The sentence changes into statement order.
- Mother said to me, “Are you hungry?”
- The teacher said to Riya, “Have you completed your work?”
- Rahul said to me, “Do you play cricket?”
- Father said to Aman, “Did you finish your homework?”
- The coach said to the players, “Are you ready?”
13 Rule 8 — Wh-Questions
If a question begins with what, where, when, why, who, how, the question word is retained.
Direct:
The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?”
Indirect:
The teacher asked me why I was late.
Direct question:
Why are you late?
Indirect speech:
why you were late.
The sentence follows statement order, not question order.
- The teacher said to Rohan, “Where do you live?”
- Mother said to me, “Why are you crying?”
- The coach said to the player, “How did you get injured?”
- Riya said to Neha, “When will you return?”
- Father said to me, “What are you doing?”
14 Rule 9 — Commands and Orders
For commands and orders, use verbs such as:
Direct:
The teacher said to the students, “Open your books.”
Indirect:
The teacher told the students to open
their books.
Negative Command
Direct:
Mother said to me, “Do not waste food.”
Indirect:
Mother told me not to waste food.
- The teacher said to the students, “Maintain silence.”
- The coach said to the players, “Run faster.”
- Father said to me, “Complete your homework.”
- The librarian said to the students, “Do not make noise.”
- Mother said to Riya, “Do not waste water.”
15 Rule 10 — Requests
For polite requests, use:
Direct:
Riya said to me, “Please help me.”
Indirect:
Riya requested me to help her.
- The student said to the teacher, “Please explain this question.”
- Rahul said to me, “Please lend me your pen.”
- Mother said to the doctor, “Please help my son.”
- The old man said to the boy, “Please help me cross the road.”
- The student said to the librarian, “Please issue this book.”
16 Rule 11 — Advice
For advice, use advised or urged.
Direct:
The doctor said to me, “Take regular exercise.”
Indirect:
The doctor advised me to take
regular exercise.
Negative Advice
Direct:
The doctor said, “Do not eat junk food.”
Indirect:
The doctor advised me not to eat junk food.
- The teacher said to me, “Work harder.”
- Father said to Rahul, “Save your money.”
- The doctor said to the patient, “Drink more water.”
- Mother said to me, “Do not stay up late.”
- The coach said to the players, “Practise every day.”
17 Rule 12 — Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences express joy, sorrow, surprise, admiration, etc.
Use suitable reporting verbs such as:
Direct:
Riya said, “What a beautiful painting!”
Indirect:
Riya exclaimed with admiration that
it was a very beautiful painting.
Direct:
He said, “Hurrah! We have won the match!”
Indirect:
He exclaimed with joy that
they had won the match.
- She said, “What a beautiful flower!”
- The boy said, “Hurrah! We have won!”
- He said, “Alas! I have lost my wallet.”
- Riya said, “How wonderful the performance is!”
- The students said, “Wow! Our team has won!”
18. Quick Revision Chart
| Type | Reporting Verb | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | said, told | that + statement |
| Yes/No Question | asked | if/whether + statement |
| Wh-Question | asked | wh-word + statement |
| Command | ordered/told | object + to + verb |
| Negative Command | told/ordered | object + not to + verb |
| Request | requested/asked | object + to + verb |
| Advice | advised | object + to + verb |
| Exclamation | exclaimed | that + statement |
19. The 5-Step Formula
When converting Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, remember:
What type of sentence is it?
Remove inverted commas and change punctuation.
Change the reporting verb if necessary.
Check pronouns, tense and time/place words.
Put the sentence into the correct structure.
Direct Speech → Type → Reporting Verb → Pronoun → Tense → Time/Place → Final Sentence
This sequence makes Direct and Indirect Speech much easier to handle.
