1. What is Direct Speech?

Direct Speech means reporting a person’s exact words.

We put the exact words inside quotation marks (” “).

Examples

Rahul said, “I am tired.”
The teacher said, “Complete your homework.”
Priya said, “I will call you tomorrow.”

The words inside quotation marks are exactly what the person said.

Easy way to remember

Direct Speech = Exact words of the speaker

2. What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect Speech means reporting what someone said without using their exact words.

Quotation marks are not used.

Example

Direct:
Rahul said, “I am tired.”

Indirect:
Rahul said that he was tired.

The meaning remains the same, but the sentence structure changes.

Easy way to remember

Indirect Speech = Report the meaning, not the exact words

3. Direct vs Indirect Speech

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Uses exact words	Reports the meaning
Uses quotation marks	No quotation marks
Speaker’s original words remain	Pronouns may change
Tense may remain original	Tense often changes
Time/place words may remain	Time/place words may change

Example

Direct:
Ravi said, “I am busy today.”

Indirect:
Ravi said that he was busy that day.

4. Parts of Reported Speech

Consider:

Rahul said, “I am happy.”

There are two important parts:

Reporting Verb

Rahul said

Reported Speech

“I am happy.”

When we convert Direct Speech into Indirect Speech, we generally change the reported speech according to the required rules.

5. Basic Rules for Changing Direct to Indirect Speech

There are several important changes.

Rule 1: Remove Quotation Marks

Direct:

She said, “I am happy.”

Indirect:

She said that she was happy.

Quotation marks are removed.

Rule 2: Use a Suitable Connecting Word

Depending on the sentence type, we may use:

that
if
whether
wh-word such as what, where, when, why, how

Statement

He said, “I am ready.”
He said that he was ready.

Yes/No Question

She asked, “Are you ready?”
She asked if I was ready.

Wh-question

He asked, “Where do you live?”
He asked where I lived.

6. Pronoun Changes

Pronouns often change according to the speaker and the person being spoken to.

Example

Direct:

Ravi said, “I am busy.”

Indirect:

Ravi said that he was busy.

I → he

Another example:

Sita said, “I like my new phone.”

→ Sita said that she liked her new phone.

Remember

Pronouns do not change randomly. They change according to who is speaking and who is being talked about.

7. Tense Changes

When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech often moves one step back.

Common Tense Changes

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Simple	Past Simple
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Past Simple	Past Perfect
Past Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
Will	Would
Can	Could
May	Might

Examples

Present Simple → Past Simple

He said, “I work in Bhubaneswar.”
He said that he worked in Bhubaneswar.

Present Continuous → Past Continuous

She said, “I am studying.”
She said that she was studying.

Will → Would

Rahul said, “I will help you.”
Rahul said that he would help me.

8. When Does the Tense NOT Change?

The tense does not always have to change.

General Truth

The teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”

→ The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Because this is a universal truth, the present tense can remain.

Still True

She said, “I live in Cuttack.”

If she still lives in Cuttack, depending on context:

She said that she lives in Cuttack.

So, don’t change tense mechanically. Meaning and context matter.

9. Changes in Time and Place Words

Some words may change when we report speech later.

Direct	Indirect
now	then
today	that day
yesterday	the previous day
tomorrow	the next day
last week	the previous week
next week	the following week
ago	before
here	there
this	that
these	those

Example

Direct:

Amit said, “I will come here tomorrow.”

Indirect:

Amit said that he would go there the next day.

10. Direct and Indirect Speech for Statements

For ordinary statements, said that or told + object is commonly used.

With “said”

Direct: She said, “I am happy.”
Indirect: She said that she was happy.

With “told”

Direct: She said to me, “I am happy.”
Indirect: She told me that she was happy.

Important

❌ She told that she was happy.

✅ She told me that she was happy.

Tell usually needs an object.

11. Direct and Indirect Speech for Questions

Questions require a different structure.

Yes/No Questions

Use if or whether.

Direct:

He asked me, “Are you ready?”

Indirect:

He asked me if I was ready.

Important

In indirect speech, we do not keep the question word order.

❌ He asked me if was I ready.

✅ He asked me if I was ready.

Wh-Questions

Keep the question word but change the sentence into statement order.

Direct:

She asked me, “Where do you live?”

Indirect:

She asked me where I lived.

Direct:

He asked, “Why are you late?”

Indirect:

He asked why I was late.

12. Commands and Instructions

For commands, we commonly use:

told + object + to + verb

Example

Direct:

The teacher said to Rahul, “Open your book.”

Indirect:

The teacher told Rahul to open his book.

Negative Command

Use:

told + object + not to + verb

Direct:

Mother said to me, “Don’t waste your time.”

Indirect:

Mother told me not to waste my time.

13. Requests

For requests, we can use:

asked
requested
begged

Example

Direct:

She said to me, “Please help me.”

Indirect:

She asked me to help her.

Another example:

The student said to the teacher, “Please explain this topic.”

→ The student requested the teacher to explain that topic.

14. Advice

For advice, we can use:

advised + object + to + verb

Direct:

The doctor said to him, “Take rest.”

Indirect:

The doctor advised him to take rest.

Direct:

Father said to me, “Work hard.”

Indirect:

Father advised me to work hard.

15. Exclamatory Sentences

For exclamations, we may use verbs such as:

exclaimed with joy
exclaimed with surprise
exclaimed with sorrow
exclaimed with admiration

Example

Direct:

He said, “What a beautiful place!”

Indirect:

He exclaimed with admiration that it was a very beautiful place.

16. Common Mistakes

Mistake 1

❌ Rahul said that “I am busy.”

✅ Rahul said that he was busy.

Don’t use quotation marks after converting to indirect speech.

Mistake 2

❌ She told that she was tired.

✅ She told me that she was tired.

Mistake 3

❌ He asked me where did I live.

✅ He asked me where I lived.

Mistake 4

❌ Mother told me don’t go outside.

✅ Mother told me not to go outside.

17. Direct & Indirect Speech in Real Life

We use reported speech every day.

At Home

Direct:
Mother said, “Dinner is ready.”

Indirect:
Mother said that dinner was ready.

At College

Direct:
The teacher said, “Submit your assignment tomorrow.”

Indirect:
The teacher told us to submit our assignment the next day.

At Work

Direct:
The manager said, “The meeting will start at 10 AM.”

Indirect:
The manager said that the meeting would start at 10 AM.

On the Phone

Direct:
Ravi said, “I will call you later.”

Indirect:
Ravi said that he would call me later.

18. Direct & Indirect Speech in Spoken English

In everyday English, we frequently use reporting verbs:

He said…
She told me…
They asked…
My manager said…
My friend told me…
The teacher explained…

Natural Conversation

A: What did Rahul say?

B: He said that he would come tomorrow.

A: What did your manager tell you?

B: She told me to finish the report today.

This is how reported speech naturally appears in conversations.

19. Quick Memory Trick

Remember P-T-T:

P = Pronoun

Change the pronoun when necessary.

T = Tense

Move the tense back when required.

T = Time

Change time/place expressions when the context requires it.

Pronoun + Tense + Time = PTT

20. Practice Exercise

Change the following into Indirect Speech.

1. Rahul said, “I am tired.”

2. Sita said, “I will call you tomorrow.”

3. The teacher said to the students, “Open your books.”

4. He asked me, “Are you ready?”

5. She asked me, “Where do you work?”

6. Father said to me, “Work hard.”

7. Mother said to me, “Don’t waste your time.”

8. Ravi said, “I have completed my work.”

9. The manager said, “The meeting will start at 10 AM.”

10. Priya said, “What a beautiful dress!”

21. Answers

Rahul said that he was tired.
Sita said that she would call me the next day.
The teacher told the students to open their books.
He asked me if I was ready.
She asked me where I worked.
Father advised me to work hard.
Mother told me not to waste my time.
Ravi said that he had completed his work.
The manager said that the meeting would start at 10 AM.
Priya exclaimed with admiration that it was a very beautiful dress.

22. Quick Revision

Direct Speech

Exact words of the speaker.

He said, “I am busy.”

Indirect Speech

Reported meaning of the speaker.

He said that he was busy.

Remember:

Remove quotation marks.
Change pronouns when necessary.
Change tense when required.
Change time/place expressions when the context requires it.
Use that for many statements.
Use if/whether for Yes/No questions.
Keep the wh-word in Wh-questions.
Use to + verb for many commands and requests.
Use not to + verb for negative commands.
Always consider meaning and context.

FAQs

What is Direct Speech?

Direct Speech reports the speaker’s exact words using quotation marks.

What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect Speech reports what someone said without repeating their exact words.

Is Direct Speech the same as Reported Speech?

Not exactly. Reported Speech is the broader term; Indirect Speech is the common form used to report someone’s words.

Does tense always change in Indirect Speech?

No. Tense commonly changes when the reporting verb is in the past, but there are important exceptions, such as universal truths and situations that remain true.

What is the difference between “said” and “told”?

Said can be used without an object: He said that he was busy.
Told normally takes an object: He told me that he was busy.