Table for change in Tense of reported speech for all Tenses

Tense Change in Indirect Speech

Present Simple Tense into Past Simple 

Present Continuous Tense into Past Continuous 

Present Perfect Tense into Past Perfect 

Present Perfect Continuous into Past Perfect Continuous

Past Simple into Past Perfect 

Past Continuous into Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect into Past Perfect

Future Simple, will into would 

Future Continuous, will be into would be 

Future Perfect, will have into would have

DIRECT SPEECH	INDIRECT SPEECH
Present Tense
Present Simple changes into Past Simple
He said, “I write a letter”	He said that he wrote a letter
She said, “He goes to school daily”	He said that she went to school daily.
They said, “We love our country”	They said that they loved their country.
He said, “He does not like computer”	He said that he did not like computer.
Present Continuous changes into Past Continuous
He said, “He is listening to the music”	He said that he was listening to the music
She said, “I am washing my clothes”	She said that she was washing her clothes
They said, “we are enjoying the weather”	They said that they were not enjoying the weather
She said, “I am not laughing”	She said that she was not laughing.
Present Perfect changes into Past Perfect
She said, “He has finished his work”	She said that he had finished his work
He said, “I have started a job”	He said that he had started a job
I said, “She have eaten the meal”	I said that she had eaten the meal
They said, “We have not gone to New York	They said that they had not gone to New York
Present Perfect Continuous changes into Past Perfect Continuous
He said, “I have been studying since 3 O’clock”	He said that he had been studying since 3 O’clock
She said, “It has been raining for three days.”	She said that it been raining for three days.
I said, “She has been working in this office since 2007”	I said that she had been working in this office since 2007.
PAST TENSE
Past Simple changes into Past Perfect
He said to me, “you answered correctly”	He said to me that I had answered correctly.
John said, “they went to cinema”	John said that they had gone to cinema
He said, “I made a table”	He said that he had made a table
She said, “I didn’t buy a car”	She said that she had not bought a car.
Past Continuous changes into Past Perfect Continuous
They said, “we were enjoying the weather”	They said that they had been enjoying
He said to me, “ I was waiting for you”	He said to me that he had been waiting for me
I said, “It was raining”	I said that it had been raining
She said, “I was not laughing”	She said that she not been laughing
Past Perfect changes into Past Perfect  (Tense does not change)
She said, “She had visited a doctor”	She said that she had visited a doctor.
He said, “I had started a business”	He said that he had started a business
I said, “she had eaten the meal”	I said that she had eaten the meal
They said, “we had not gone to New York	They said they had not gone to New York.
FUTURE TENSE
Future Simple Tense Will changes into Would
He said, “I will study the book”	He said that he would study the book
She said, “I will buy a computer”	She said that she would buy a computer
Future Continuous Tense Will Be changes into Would Be
I said to him, “ I will be waiting for him”	I said to him that I would be waiting for him
She said,” I will be shifting to new home”	She said that she would be shifting to a new home
He said, “I will be working hard”	He said that he would be working hard
He said, “he will not be flying kite”	She said that he would not be flying kites
Future Perfect Tense Will Have changes into Would Have
He said, “I will have finished the work”	He said that he would have finished the work
She said, “they will have passed the examination”	She said that they would have passed the examination
He said, “I will have gone”	He said that he would have gone

Note: The tense of reported speech may not change if reported speech is a universal truth though its reporting verb belongs to past tense.

Examples

   Direct speech: He said, “Mathematics is a science”

   Indirect Speech: He said that mathematics is a science.

   Direct speech: He said, “Sun rises in east”

   Indirect Speech: He said that sun rises in east

Read Also

Introduction to Direct Indirect Speech

Fundamental Rules of Direct Indirect