PE-62: Reported Speech: Statements and Backshift
How to tell somebody what somebody else said — the backshift rule that moves every verb one step into the past.
PE-62: Reported Speech: Statements and Backshift
Afsona says: "I am tired." An hour later you tell me about it. In Uzbek you can simply repeat her words: "Charchadim, dedi." English does something different — it pulls the whole sentence one step into the past: "She said she was tired." That move is called backshift, and it is the heart of reported speech.
In this lesson you will learn
- say and tell — which one takes a person
- The backshift table: every tense moves one step back
- What happens to pronouns, times and places
- When you do not need to backshift
1. say or tell?
They are not interchangeable, and the rule is mechanical: tell needs a person straight after it; say does not.
tell + person
- He told me he was busy. ✓
- She told us the truth. ✓
He told he was busy.✗
say (no person)
- He said he was busy. ✓
- He said to me that… ✓
He said me he was busy.✗
2. The backshift table
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple — "I work" | Past Simple — he worked |
| Present Cont. — "I am working" | Past Cont. — he was working |
| Past Simple — "I worked" | Past Perfect — he had worked |
| Present Perfect — "I have worked" | Past Perfect — he had worked |
| will — "I will come" | would come |
| can — "I can swim" | could swim |
| must — "I must go" | had to go |
| may — "I may be late" | might be late |
"I am learning Korean." → She said she was learning Korean.
"Koreys tilini oʻrganyapman." → U koreys tilini oʻrganayotganini aytdi.
"I will help you." → He said he would help me.
"Senga yordam beraman." → U menga yordam berishini aytdi.
Note that would, could, should, might and the Past Perfect cannot go back any further — they stay as they are.
3. Pronouns, times and places also move
Reported speech is spoken from a different position, so the words that point at people, times and places must be adjusted too.
1Pronouns
I → he/she · my → his/her · we → they
2Time
now → then · today → that day · tomorrow → the next day · yesterday → the day before
3Place
here → there · this → that · these → those
4that
Optional: He said (that) he was busy.
"I saw your brother here yesterday." → She said she had seen my brother there the day before.
"Akangni kecha shu yerda koʻrdim." → U akamni bir kun oldin oʻsha yerda koʻrganini aytdi.
4. When you do NOT backshift
- The reporting verb is in the present: He says he is tired.
- The statement is still true: She said she lives in Nukus. (she still does — lived is also fine)
- It is a permanent fact: The teacher said water boils at 100°.
- You are repeating something just said: Sorry, what did you say? — I said I'm hungry.
5. Common mistakes
He said me that he was tired.
He told me that he was tired. / He said that he was tired.
She said she will call me later.
She said she would call me later.
He said he is a doctor. (reporting later)
He said he was a doctor.
She told that she had finished.
She told me that she had finished.
He said he must to leave early.
He said he had to leave early.
Practice
1 Report it: Jasur: "I am waiting for my sister."
Show answer
Jasur said (that) he was waiting for his sister.
Present Continuous → Past Continuous, and my → his.
2 Report it: Afsona: "I have finished my homework."
Show answer
Afsona said she had finished her homework.
Present Perfect → Past Perfect.
3 say or tell: He ___ me the news, but he didn't ___ anything about the exam.
Show answer
told … say. Told because a person (me) follows; say because nothing but the object follows.
4 Report it: Sherbek: "I will see you here tomorrow."
Show answer
Sherbek said he would see me there the next day.
Four changes: will → would, you → me, here → there, tomorrow → the next day.
5 Does this need backshift? The teacher said: "The Earth goes round the Sun."
Show answer
No. It is a permanent fact, so The teacher said the Earth goes round the Sun is correct (though went is also accepted).
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Reported speechoʻzlashtirilgan gap
- Direct speechkoʻchirma gap
- Backshiftzamonni orqaga surish
- To reportyetkazmoq, xabar bermoq
- Statementdarak gap
- The next dayertasi kuni
- The day beforebir kun oldin
- Permanent factdoimiy haqiqat
- To adjustmoslashtirmoq
- Truthhaqiqat
🎯 Remember this
- tell + person · say without a person — never
said me. - Backshift: every tense moves one step back; will → would, can → could, must → had to.
- Pronouns, times and places shift too: here → there, tomorrow → the next day.
- that is optional.
- No backshift needed for permanent facts or things still true.