14.

1 Reported speech
Reported speech.

[00:00:01] We use reported speech to say what someone said in the past.

[00:00:04] To report what they said. It's used mostly to relay, to pass on information to
someone else. Let's imagine I'm having a conversation with my friend Mohamed about work.
Later, Mohammad is talking to someone else who knows me and is sharing what I said.
Mohammad will use reported speech to share what I said earlier.

[00:00:26] We use a lot of different tenses with reported speech and modal verbs can be tricky.
Let's start with the most common part of reported speech, said that.

[00:00:35] You know something is reported if you see the subject and then said that followed by
the subject again, and finally what the person said! The that in the sentence is optional, we can
also use the verb to tell.

[00:00:50] So that would be the subject plus told, plus the object pronoun for the person who
was told, plus that and the subject again. And finally what they said. Again that is optional.

[00:01:04] So I can say, she said that she was busy.

[00:01:07] Or, she told me that she was busy.

[00:01:09] We can also say, she said she was busy.

[00:01:12] She told me she was busy.

[00:01:15] I'll give you a few more examples of this essential part of reported speech.

[00:01:19] What did Mark and Lisa tell you?

[00:01:21] They told me that they were upset.

[00:01:23] Will taina go to the meeting?

[00:01:24] She said that she would go.

[00:01:26] She bought her tickets?

[00:01:27] She said she has.

[00:01:29] So all the possible options are.

[00:01:31] I said that I.

[00:01:32] I told her that I.

[00:01:34] He said that he.

[00:01:36] He told her that he.

[00:01:37] She said that she.

[00:01:39] She told her that she.

[00:01:41] I said that it.

[00:01:42] I told her that it.

[00:01:44] We said that we.

[00:01:45] We told her that we.

[00:01:47] You said that you.

[00:01:49] You told her that you.

[00:01:50] They said that they.

[00:01:52] They told her that they.

[00:01:54] Of course though, the object pronoun can change in these examples.

[00:01:58] Now, let's look at how to use different tenses in reported speech.

[00:02:02] In all the following examples, it will be my friend Mohammad reporting what I said to
someone else. So Mohammad will use he to refer to me.

[00:02:11] Present simple and continuous.

[00:02:13] I work too much.

[00:02:14] This is something I told Mohammad and now he's reporting what I said. In reported
speech, the present simple usually changes to past simple. So it becomes.

[00:02:24] He said that he worked too much.

[00:02:27] I'm working too much.

[00:02:29] This is what I said.

[00:02:31] It's the present continuous and in reported speech, it will become past continuous.

[00:02:36] He said that he was working too much.

[00:02:39] One important note. If the information you are reporting is still true when you say it,
like if I say I'm working too much, you can use a present tense in your reported speech, if it's still
true today.

[00:02:52] So he said that he works too much, or he said that he's working too much. These
mean that I continue to work too much.

[00:02:59] Past simple and continuous.

[00:03:02] I worked too much at my old job.

[00:03:04] I say this to Mohammad in the past simple. In reported speech the past simple
usually becomes past perfect. So Mohammad reports.

[00:03:13] He said that he had worked too much at his old job.

[00:03:18] I was working too much at my old job.

[00:03:20] I say this to my friend in past continuous, in reported speech past continuous usually
becomes past perfect continuous.

[00:03:28] So Mohammad reports, he told me that he had been working too much at his old job.

[00:03:33] Present perfect and past perfect.

[00:03:36] I have worked too much this week.

[00:03:38] So I said that in the present perfect, and now Mohammad reports it in the past
perfect. Present perfect changes to past perfect.

[00:03:46] He told me that he had worked too much this week.

[00:03:50] I had already worked too much when the boss asked me to stay late.

[00:03:54] Here, my original statement is in the past perfect. The past perfect does not change
in reported speech, it stays the same. So, Mo says.

[00:04:03] He said that he had already worked too much when the boss asked him to stay late.

[00:04:09] Modal verbs.

[00:04:10] We often have to use modal verbs like can, will and must in reported speech. But
they're not difficult. So here's quickly how to learn them.

[00:04:19] Will won't would wouldn't.

[00:04:21] In reported speech will changes to would.

[00:04:25] Hey Mark. I will see you at the party.

[00:04:27] Mark reports to a friend.

[00:04:28] He said that he would see me at the party.

[00:04:31] In reported speech won't changes to wouldn't.

[00:04:35] Hey Mark, I won't see you at the party.

[00:04:37] Mark reports this to a friend.

[00:04:39] He told me that he wouldn't see me at the party.

[00:04:42] In reported speech would and wouldn't don't change.

[00:04:46] Hey Mark, I would go to the party, but I'm busy.

[00:04:49] Mark reports to a friend.

[00:04:51] He said that he would go to the party, but he's busy.

[00:04:54] Can can't could couldn't.

[00:04:56] In reported speech can and can't change to could and couldn't.

[00:05:01] Hey Mark, can go to the party tonight.

[00:05:04] Mark reports to someone else.

[00:05:06] He said that he could go to the party tonight.

[00:05:09] In reported speech could and couldn't stay the same.

[00:05:12] Hey Mark, I could go if someone gave me a ride.

[00:05:15] Mark says, he told me that he could go if someone gave him a ride.

[00:05:19] Shall and should.

[00:05:21] In reported speech shall becomes would.

[00:05:24] Hey Mark, I shall go to the party tonight. See you there.

[00:05:28] Mark says, he said that he would go to the party tonight.

[00:05:31] In reported speech, should stays the same.

[00:05:34] Hey Mark, I should go to the party, but I'm not.

[00:05:37] Mark reports.

[00:05:38] He told me that he should go, but he's not.

[00:05:41] Might and must.

[00:05:43] In reported speech might does not change.

[00:05:46] Hey Mark, I might go to the party.

[00:05:48] Mark says, he said that he might go to the party.

[00:05:51] In reported speech must stays the same, too.

[00:05:55] Hey Mark. I must go to the party or I'll get yelled at.

[00:05:58] Mark reports.

[00:05:59] He told me that he must go to the party or he'd get yelled at.

[00:06:03] Reporting verbs.

[00:06:04] If you don't want to always report exactly what someone said word for word. There
are very nice reporting. That you can use instead, depending on the situation. Some of these
are.

[00:06:15] Offer decide threaten deny and explain.

[00:06:19] Here's my original statement.

[00:06:21] It was my decision to leave early.

[00:06:23] Here's our reported speech using one of these verbs.

[00:06:27] He decided to leave early.

[00:06:28] Original statement.

[00:06:30] If you ask me one more time, I will hurt you!

[00:06:32] Reported speech.

[00:06:33] He threatened to hurt me if I asked one more time.