Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
When using indirect or reported speech, the form changes. Usually indirect speech is
introduced by the verb said, as in I said, Bill said, or they said. Using the verb say in this
tense, indicates that something was said in the past. In these cases, the main verb in the
reported sentence is put in the past. If the main verb is already in a past tense, then the tense
changes to another past tense; it can almost be seen as moving even further into the past.
Verb tense changes also characterize other situations using indirect speech. Note the changes
shown in the chart and see the table below for examples. With indirect speech, the use of that
is optional.
past progressive
He said (that) he was going to school every day
imperative ⇒ infinitive
He said, “Go to school every day.” He said to go to school every day.
*Note than when a Yes/No question is being asked in direct speech, then a construction with if or
whether is used. If a WH question is being asked, then use the WH to introduce the clause. Also
note that with indirect speech, these are examples of embedded questions.
The situation changes if instead of the common said another part of the very to say is used. In
that case the verb tenses usually remain the same. Some examples of this situation are given
below.
Another situation is the one in which modal constructions are used. If the verb said is used,
then the form of the modal, or another modal that has a past meaning is used.
may ⇒ might
He said, “I may go to school every day.” He said (that) he might go to school every day.
might
He said, “I might go to school every day.”
must ⇒ had to
He said, “I must go to school every day.” He said (that) he had to go to school every day.
have to
He said, “I have to go to school every day.”
should ⇒ should
He said, “I should go to school every day.” He said (that) he should go to school every day.
ought to ⇒ ought to
He said, “I ought to go to school every day.” He said (that) he ought to go to school every day.