Time/place references change when using reported speech
Example
- "I will see you here tomorrow", she said.
She said that she would see me there the next day.
The most common of these changes are shown below:
| Today | |
that day |
|
"I saw him today", she said. |
She said that she had seen him that day. | |
| Yesterday | |
the day before |
|
"I saw him yesterday", she said. |
She said that she had seen him the day before. | |
| The day before yesterday | |
two days before |
|
"I met her the day before yesterday", he said. |
He said that he had met her two days before. | |
| Tomorrow | |
the next/following day |
|
"I'll see you tomorrow", he said |
He said that he would see me the next day. | |
| The day after tomorrow | |
in two days time/ two days later |
|
"We'll come the day after tomorrow", they said. |
They said that they would come in two days time/ two days later. | |
| Next week/month/year | |
the following week/month/year |
|
"I have an appointment next week", she said. |
She said that she had an appointment the following week. | |
| Last week/month/year | |
the previous/week/month/year |
|
"I was on holiday last week", he told us. |
He told us that he had been on holiday the previous week. | |
| ago | |
before |
|
"I saw her a week ago," he said. |
He said he had seen her a week before. | |
| this (for time) | |
that |
|
"I'm getting a new car this week", she said. |
She said she was getting a new car that week. | |
| this/that (adjectives) | |
the |
|
"Do you like this shirt?" he asked |
He asked if I liked the shirt. | |
| here | |
there |
|
He said, "I live here". |
He told me he lived there. |
Other changes:
In general, personal pronouns change to the third person singular or plural, except when the speaker reports his own words:
- I/me/my/mine, you/your/yours him/his/her/hers
- we/us/our/ours, you/your/yours they/their/theirs:
- He said: "I like your new car." He told her that he liked her new car.
- I said: "I'm going to my friend's house." I said that I was going to my friend's house.