Reported speech, or indirect speech, is a vital part of English communication. It allows us to share what someone has said without using their exact words. This article provides 100+ examples of reported speech across various sentence types to help you understand and use it effectively.
Read our awesome article Reported Speech: Rules, Examples and Exercises to understand the rules and practice this grammar point.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| “I am learning Spanish.” | She said that she was learning Spanish. |
| “We will visit Paris next summer.” | They said that they would visit Paris the following summer. |
| “I need some help.” | He said that he needed some help. |
| “The project is almost done.” | She mentioned that the project was almost done. |
| “I love this book.” | He said that he loved that book. |
| “Are you coming?” | She asked if I was coming. |
| “Did you finish the homework?” | He asked whether I had finished the homework. |
| “Will you join us?” | They asked if I would join them. |
| “Is she at home?” | He asked if she was at home. |
| “Have you ever been to London?” | She asked if I had ever been to London. |
| “Where are you going?” | She asked where I was going. |
| “What is your favorite color?” | He asked what my favorite color was. |
| “Who did you meet yesterday?” | She asked who I had met the previous day. |
| “Why are they late?” | He asked why they were late. |
| “When will the meeting start?” | She asked when the meeting would start. |
| “Close the door.” | He told me to close the door. |
| “Please bring me a glass of water.” | She asked me to bring her a glass of water. |
| “Don’t touch that!” | He told me not to touch that. |
| “Call me tomorrow.” | She told me to call her the next day. |
| “Finish your work by noon.” | He told me to finish my work by noon. |
| “I like ice cream.” | He said that he liked ice cream. |
| “We live in New York.” | They said that they lived in New York. |
| “I am reading a book.” | She said that she was reading a book. |
| “They are watching a movie.” | He said that they were watching a movie. |
| “I have finished my work.” | She said that she had finished her work. |
| “We have been to Italy.” | They said that they had been to Italy. |
| “I saw him yesterday.” | She said that she had seen him the previous day. |
| “We visited Paris last summer.” | They said that they had visited Paris the previous summer. |
| “I’ll call you tomorrow because I’m busy today.” | She said she would call me the next day because she was busy that day. |
| “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had.” | He said that was the best pizza he had ever had. |
| “Why didn’t you come to the party?” | She asked why I hadn’t come to the party. |
| “Can you help me with this task?” | He asked if I could help him with that task. |
| “The train is arriving soon.” | They said that the train was arriving soon. |
| “I won’t be at home tonight.” | She said that she wouldn’t be at home that night. |
| “Where have you been all day?” | He asked where I had been all day. |
| “Let’s go to the park.” | She suggested going to the park. |
| “Don’t forget to lock the door.” | He reminded me not to forget to lock the door. |
| “How does this machine work?” | She asked how that machine worked. |
| “We’re planning a vacation.” | They said that they were planning a vacation. |
| “You must finish the report today.” | He said that I had to finish the report that day. |
| “She has already left for work.” | They said that she had already left for work. |
| “You can borrow my book.” | He said that I could borrow his book. |
| “It’s too late to go out now.” | She said that it was too late to go out then. |
| “I’ll let you know when I arrive.” | He said that he would let me know when he arrived. |
| “We’re going to watch a movie tonight.” | They said that they were going to watch a movie that night. |
| “I can’t come to the meeting.” | She said that she couldn’t come to the meeting. |
| “This is the best solution we’ve found.” | They said that was the best solution they had found. |
| “Why are you so upset?” | He asked why I was so upset. |
| “Who will be attending the conference?” | She asked who would be attending the conference. |
| “Do you like this restaurant?” | He asked if I liked that restaurant. |
| “When are you leaving for the airport?” | She asked when I was leaving for the airport. |
| “I didn’t understand the question.” | He said that he hadn’t understood the question. |
| “We will make a decision by next week.” | They said that they would make a decision by the following week. |
| “You should try this dish; it’s delicious.” | She said that I should try that dish as it was delicious. |
| “We are meeting at 6 p.m.” | He said that they were meeting at 6 p.m. |
| “I forgot to bring the keys.” | She said that she had forgotten to bring the keys. |
| “Can you tell me the way to the station?” | He asked if I could tell him the way to the station. |
| “I have been working all day.” | She said that she had been working all day. |
| “This is my favorite place in the city.” | He said that that was his favorite place in the city. |
| “Why didn’t you reply to my email?” | She asked why I hadn’t replied to her email. |
| “We’ll see you at the party.” | They said that they would see me at the party. |
| “I am feeling much better now.” | He said that he was feeling much better then. |
| “How long have you been waiting here?” | She asked how long I had been waiting there. |
| “I need to go to the doctor.” | He said that he needed to go to the doctor. |
| “She doesn’t like coffee.” | They said that she didn’t like coffee. |
| “The exam was harder than I expected.” | She said that the exam had been harder than she had expected. |
| “He can play the guitar very well.” | They said that he could play the guitar very well. |
| “Where did you buy this jacket?” | She asked where I had bought that jacket. |
| “We are planning a trip to the mountains.” | They said that they were planning a trip to the mountains. |
| “I’ve never seen such a beautiful view.” | He said that he had never seen such a beautiful view. |
| “Why are you always late for work?” | She asked why I was always late for work. |
| “The movie will start at 8 p.m.” | He said that the movie would start at 8 p.m. |
| “You must complete the form before 5 p.m.” | They said that I had to complete the form before 5 p.m. |
| “She is studying in the library right now.” | He said that she was studying in the library right then. |
| “I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning.” | She said that she would give me a call the next morning. |
| “This car is faster than mine.” | He said that that car was faster than his. |
| “We were having dinner when the power went out.” | They said that they had been having dinner when the power had gone out. |
| “I’m sure he’ll win the race.” | She said that she was sure he would win the race. |
| “Don’t forget to check the mailbox.” | He reminded me not to forget to check the mailbox. |
| “How did you solve this problem?” | She asked how I had solved that problem. |
| “He won’t be able to join us tonight.” | They said that he wouldn’t be able to join them that night. |
| “This cake tastes amazing!” | She said that that cake tasted amazing. |
| “Why are you leaving so early?” | He asked why I was leaving so early. |
| “She hasn’t called me back yet.” | They said that she hadn’t called them back yet. |
| “We’re thinking of moving to a new city.” | She said that they were thinking of moving to a new city. |
| “You should apologize to her.” | He said that I should apologize to her. |
| “What time does the train arrive?” | She asked what time the train arrived. |
| “We have already submitted the report.” | They said that they had already submitted the report. |
| “I can’t believe it’s snowing in April!” | He said that he couldn’t believe it was snowing in April. |
| “The hotel is fully booked this weekend.” | She said that the hotel was fully booked that weekend. |
| “Why didn’t they tell us earlier?” | He asked why they hadn’t told them earlier. |
| “We’ll meet you at the station.” | They said that they would meet me at the station. |
| “I hope you’ll enjoy the concert.” | She said that she hoped I would enjoy the concert. |
| “This phone is much better than my old one.” | He said that that phone was much better than his old one. |
| “She was very kind to help us.” | They said that she had been very kind to help them. |
| “Do you know where the library is?” | She asked if I knew where the library was. |
| “I’m reading a fascinating book right now.” | He said that he was reading a fascinating book right then. |
| “We visited Paris last summer.” | They said that they had visited Paris the previous summer. |
| “Can you help me carry these boxes?” | He asked if I could help him carry those boxes. |
| “She doesn’t want to go to the party.” | They said that she didn’t want to go to the party. |
| “I’ve been waiting here for hours.” | She said that she had been waiting there for hours. |
| “Why didn’t you call me yesterday?” | He asked why I hadn’t called him the day before. |
| “The weather will be sunny tomorrow.” | They said that the weather would be sunny the next day. |
| “I must finish this project by Monday.” | She said that she had to finish that project by Monday. |
| “We are going to start the meeting soon.” | They said that they were going to start the meeting soon. |
| “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” | He assured me not to worry and that everything would be fine. |
| “How often do you visit your grandparents?” | She asked how often I visited my grandparents. |
| “I didn’t understand the instructions.” | He said that he hadn’t understood the instructions. |
| “She will arrive at 8 p.m. tonight.” | They said that she would arrive at 8 p.m. that night. |
| “I need to buy some groceries today.” | He said that he needed to buy some groceries that day. |
| “We are planning a surprise party for her.” | She said that they were planning a surprise party for her. |
| “This city has changed a lot over the years.” | He said that that city had changed a lot over the years. |
| “Why are you acting so strangely?” | She asked why I was acting so strangely. |
| “I hope to see you soon.” | He said that he hoped to see me soon. |
| “Can they fix the car by tomorrow?” | She asked if they could fix the car by the next day. |
| “We haven’t seen each other in ages.” | They said that they hadn’t seen each other in ages. |
| “The train is arriving late again.” | He said that the train was arriving late again. |
| “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” | She said that she would let me know when she was ready. |
| “This restaurant serves delicious food.” | They said that that restaurant served delicious food. |
| “Where are you going for your vacation?” | He asked where I was going for my vacation. |
| “I didn’t think the test would be so hard.” | She said that she hadn’t thought the test would be so hard. |
| “We’ll need more chairs for the meeting.” | They said that they would need more chairs for the meeting. |
| “You should try this new café.” | He said that I should try that new café. |
| “I’ve already told you the answer.” | She said that she had already told me the answer. |
| “Why can’t you come to the party?” | He asked why I couldn’t come to the party. |
| “The children are playing in the garden.” | She said that the children were playing in the garden. |
| “We have to leave early tomorrow morning.” | They said that they had to leave early the next morning. |
| “This is the best movie I’ve ever seen.” | He said that that was the best movie he had ever seen. |
| “She wasn’t feeling well yesterday.” | They said that she hadn’t been feeling well the day before. |
| “Can I borrow your book for a week?” | He asked if he could borrow my book for a week. |
| “I always enjoy spending time with my family.” | She said that she always enjoyed spending time with her family. |
| “The package hasn’t arrived yet.” | They said that the package hadn’t arrived yet. |
| “I’m not sure if I’ll attend the meeting.” | He said that he wasn’t sure if he would attend the meeting. |
| “Why didn’t you answer my call last night?” | She asked why I hadn’t answered her call the night before. |
| “We’ll wait for you at the entrance.” | They said that they would wait for me at the entrance. |
| “The cake tastes delicious!” | He said that the cake tasted delicious. |
| “I can’t come to the party tonight.” | She said that she couldn’t come to the party that night. |
| “Where did you buy that beautiful dress?” | He asked where I had bought that beautiful dress. |
| “The students were studying when the bell rang.” | They said that the students had been studying when the bell had rung. |
| “I’ll call you as soon as I get home.” | She said that she would call me as soon as she got home. |
| “This is the book I was telling you about.” | He said that that was the book he had been telling me about. |
| “We’ll finish the project by next week.” | They said that they would finish the project by the following week. |
