Changing time and place references
Time and place must often change when going from direct to reported speech.
| Phrase in direct speech | Equivalent in reported speech |
|---|---|
| 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. |
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.
