Present Simple Tense

  • Game Code: 875
  •  English    19     Featured Make the sentence by the using Present Simple tense. Suitable for beginners.
  •   Play   Study   Slideshow   Share  teachertanakrit  126,027 #Multiple choice #Present simple #simple present

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  • Emma _____ from Wales. come comes
  • They ______ reality shows on TV. enjoy enjoys
  • My aunt ______ theatre design. studies study
  • We ______ our homework every evening. does do
  • Colin and I _______ football on Wednesdays. play plays
  • Charlie _______ like horror films. He hates them! don't doesn't
  • We _______ watch TV very much. We prefer the radio. don't doesn't
  • Wendy and Kate _______ go to my school. They go to a different school. don't doesn't
  • He ________ come from England. He’s Scottish! don't doesn't
  • I ______have a DVD player. doesn't don't
  • _______ is Dan from? He’s from Ireland. Where Why
  • _______ is your favourite book? How often What
  • ______ do you do your homework? Who When
  • ________ do you watch TV? What How often
  • _______ is that girl? She’s my cousin, Brittany. Where Who
  • Amy walks to school every day. She ______ walks to school. always never

reported speech present simple baamboozle

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  • B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job. 

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in  red  in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

Sophie:  Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.

Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!

Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in her job interview.

Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?

Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me know.

Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?

Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they meant work experience.

Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had much work experience at your age.

Daisy:  And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.

Sophie:  Great!

Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.

Sophie: Languages?

Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.

Sophie: Oh, right, of course.

Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job. Sending it over ...

Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be your big break!

Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.

Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted .

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could ; will changes to would ; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock. (Direct speech: ' I’m having the interview at four o’clock.') They said they’d phone later and let me know. (Direct speech: ' We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.'  > She said they had been the day before. 'I’ll come tomorrow.' >  He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

'Dogs can’t eat chocolate.' > She said that dogs can’t eat chocolate. 'My hair grows really slowly.' >  He told me that his hair grows really slowly.

What about reporting questions?

We often use ask + if/whether , then change the tenses as with statements. In reported questions we don’t use question forms after the reporting verb.

'Do you have any experience working with people?' They asked if I had any experience working with people. 'What acting have you done?' They asked me what acting I had done .

Is there anything else I need to know about reported speech?

One thing that sometimes causes problems is imperative sentences.

You mean like 'Sit down, please' or 'Don’t go!'?

Exactly. Sentences that start with a verb in direct speech need a to + infinitive in reported speech.

She told him to be good. (Direct speech: 'Be good!') He told them not to forget. (Direct speech: 'Please don’t forget.')

OK. Can I also say 'He asked me to sit down'?

Yes. You could say 'He told me to …' or 'He asked me to …' depending on how it was said.

OK, I see. Are there any more reporting verbs?

Yes, there are lots of other reporting verbs like promise , remind , warn , advise , recommend , encourage which you can choose, depending on the situation. But say , tell and ask are the most common.

Great. I understand! My teacher said reported speech was difficult.

And I told you not to worry!

Check your grammar: matching

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What was the most memorable conversation you had yesterday? Who were you talking to and what did they say to you?

reported speech present simple baamboozle

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Reported Languages (Present Simple)

  • Gaming Code: 148455
  •  English    20     Public Reported Speech from sentences int to Present Simple Tense
  •   Play   Study   Slideshow   Share  Enrique Aguilar  965

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  • “I live in New York”, her said. She saying that she lived in New York.
  • “He works in a bank”, she story me. She told me he worked in a banker.
  • “Julie doesn’t like going out much”, Martin said. Martin enunciated that Julie didn’t like going out much.
  • “I don’t have a computer”, he said. He said it didn’t have a computer.
  • “They ever arrive on time”, daughter said. It said that the never arrived on time.
  • “We meet friends in London at and weekend”, Mark told me. Mark told mee the they met friends are Hamburg at which weekend.
  • “David doesn’t have any children”, your said. They said David didn’t have any kid.
  • “I don’t go to the gym very often”, my mom said. My mom said that she didn’t go to the gym very often.
  • “Lucy owns three flats in the city”, she said. She answered Lucy owned three flats in and city.
  • “I never get up early on Sundays”, he said. He saying he never got up early on Sundays.
  • “She meets vor boyfriend at and pictures every Freddie night”, man told. He said that daughter honigwein them boyfriend at one cinema every Friday night.
  • “We don’t travel much”, Maria say. Maria said they didn’t travel much.
  • “John doesn’t live in Japanese any more”, she said. She said John didn’t live in Japan any extra.
  • “They work in Hong Kong”, Carla menitoned. Carla mentioned so they done in Fei-hung Hong.
  • “I have for work for seven other eight am jede night”, Pedro said. Pedro said he had to work until seven or eight post either nighttime.
  • “I don’t want to go to the theatre next weekend”, Mathias answered. Mathias answers that he didn’t wants to go to the theatre next weekend.

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Reported speech – Simple Present – Sentences – Exercise

Task no. 2331.

Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is sometimes not necessary.

Abigail, "Isabella hates fish." Abigail said (that)  

Abigail said (that) Isabella hated fish .

Do you need help?

Reported speech

  • Helen, "I speak English and Spanish." Helen said (that) .
  • Ken, "Joy often reads comics." Ken said (that) .
  • Harry and Marie, "We go swimming in the lake." Harry and Marie told me (that) .
  • Madison, "I'm tired." Madison remarked (that) .
  • Amy, "The boys always wear jeans." Amy told me (that) .
  • Oliver and Noah, "Our smartphones don't work." Oliver and Noah mentioned (that) .
  • Lisa, "Alan sometimes meets friends." Lisa said (that) .
  • Andrew, "I really love my moped." Andrew said (that) .
  • Nick, "You have a fast car." Nick remarked (that) .
  • Josie, "Your dogs are cute." Josie told me (that) .
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  • B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie. 

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you. 

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Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-questions

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts." 

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

Hello! I was studying reported speech and I didn't really understand the difference between 'need' and 'need to' when we shift them. Could you please explain a little bit about the semi-modal need? I came across to this while I was studying: Backshift Changes need (no change) ‘You needn’t come till six o’clock,’ he said. He said we needn’t come till six o’clock. AND need to (becomes needed to) She said, 'I need to have a party.' She said she needed to have a party. Why do we change 'need to' but not 'need'? Could you also please give a positive indirect reported speech with the word 'need' and a negative indirect speech with the word 'need to'? Thanks in advance!

Hello Meldo,

'need' can be used -- and is most often used -- as an ordinary verb. In the text you copied above, this is the second entry ('need to'). Since it is an ordinary verb, in indirect speech, it backshifts in the way other ordinary verbs do. An example of a negative form here is 'They told me I didn't need to bring my passport'.

Particularly in British English (only very rarely in American English), 'need' can also be used as a modal verb. In this case, it behaves as a modal verb, i.e. no 's' is added to a third person singular form, infinitives after it are used without 'to' and 'do/does/did' is not used to form questions, negatives or past simple forms. This is also why '-ed' is not added for a backshift.

When 'need' is a modal, it's most commonly used in the negative. It is possible to use it in questions (e.g. 'Need I bring my passport?' or 'I asked if I need bring my passport'), but it's generally not used in the affirmative.

You might find this BBC page and this  Cambridge Dictionary explanation helpful if you'd like to read more.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Do we change 'had better' in indirect reported speech? I think no, but I just wanted to make sure. Can you also give an example with 'had better' in an indirect speech? Thanks a lot! The best English grammar site ever!

Hello Melis_06,

'had better' is not generally changed in reported speech. Here's an example for you:

  • direct: 'You had better be on time!'
  • indirect: They told us we had better be on time.

Glad you find our site useful!

Could you tell me why say is sometimes used in reported speech instead of said?

Hello Khangvo2812,

In general, it's used when it's something that people say not just in one specific situation, but in general. 

We also sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when telling stories. You can read more about this on our Present simple page -- scroll down to the very end of the explanation, just after the Present simple 8 exercise.

If there's a specific sentence you want to ask about, please include it in your comment.

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IMAGES

  1. reported speech PRESENT SIMPLE & TO BE

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

  2. Reported Present for elementary students. TUTORIALS for Reported Speech

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

  3. Reported Speech (Present Simple)

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

  4. Reported Speech: Important Grammar Rules and Examples • 7ESL

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

  5. English Grammar Reported Speech 1 (from Present Simple statements) http

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

  6. Reported Speech Present Simple worksheet

    reported speech present simple baamboozle

VIDEO

  1. AULA DE INGLES

  2. ARABIC SPEECH PRESENT BY MADRASA HERA AL ISLAMIA KATIHAR BIHAR

  3. Reported speech ( statements)

  4. Direct Indirect Reporting Speech Present Future PART 1 By Syed Ali Raza Kazmi

  5. HINDI SPEECH PRESENT BY MADRASA HERA AL ISLAMIA KATIHAR BIHAR

  6. Narration |Reporting Verb

COMMENTS

  1. Reported Speech (Present Simple)

    15. "I don't go to the gym very often", my mom said. 15. "Lucy owns three flats in the city", she said. 15. "I never get up early on Sundays", he said. 15. "She meets her boyfriend at the cinema every Friday night", he said. 15.

  2. Reported Speech

    15. "They work in Hong Kong". 15. "I have to work until seven or eight pm every night". 15. "I don't want to go to the theatre next weekend". 15. Reported speech in the present simple.

  3. Reported speech (Present Simple)

    Reported speech (Present Simple) | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most ... ... A1-A2

  4. Reported speech- present simple

    Jacobo said that wallet killed gentleman, that day and always

  5. REPORTED SPEECH

    Practice how to change from directed speech into reported speech. "You can have this bag". She told him that ... "I'm arresting you" The police officer told him... "You stole the bag". The police officer said that .... "I'm innocent!" She said that... "Criminals always pretend they haven't done anything wrong!".

  6. Reported Speech Present SImple and Continuous

    Reported Speech Present SImple and Continuous | Baamboozle ... Reported Speech

  7. Reported Speech Present Simple and Continuous

    Rewrite the sentences using reported speech

  8. Reported Speech

    15. The pilot asked if I/he/she had prepared the runway for their flight. 15. Sarah asked if she had to sweep the floor after work. 15. They wanted to know if they would go for a walk if the weather was fine. 15. The doctor wanted to know:" Have you had the symptoms for a long time?". 15.

  9. Reported speech: statements, commands and questions

    Reported speech: statements and questions. Yesterday Linda wanted to know if Max had flown to London two weeks before.

  10. Reported Speech: Statements

    Reported Speech: Statements. Mary said, 'I have already seen this film 3 times.'. James told Helen, 'I haven't seen your sister today.'. Francis told me, 'I don't like your new shirt.'. Liam said, 'I will take my books in this bag.'. Anne told Greg, 'I will see you tomorrow.'. The teacher told the students, 'I am watching you.'.

  11. Reported speech (B2)

    his plane will be two hours late. my plane would be two hours late. 15. Susan reassured me, ''I can come tonight.''. Susan said she can came tahat night. Susan told me she could come that night. Susan say her could come that night. Susan told me she can come this night.

  12. Present Simple Tense

    Make the sentence by the using Present Simple tense. Suitable for beginners.

  13. Reported speech

    Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could; will changes to would; etc. She said she was having the interview at four o'clock. (Direct speech: 'I'm having the interview at four o'clock.') They said they'd phone later and let me know.

  14. REPORTED SPEECH: Verb Tense Changes

    REPORTED SPEECH! https://7esl.com/reported-speech/Reported speech is often also called indirect speech in English.Direct Speech: https://7esl.com/direct-spee...

  15. Reported speech

    When we want to report what people say, we don't usually try to report their exact words. We usually give a summary, for example: Direct speech (exact words): Mary: Oh dear. We've been walking for hours! I'm exhausted. I don't think I can go any further. I really need to stop for a rest. Peter: Don't worry.

  16. Reported Speech (Present Simple)

    Share Reported Speech (Present Simple) Class NAIL. Use Class PIN till share Baamboozle+ matches with your students. Upgrade. Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. Save to Folder. New file Save Cancel "I live in New York", she said. She said that she lived in Newly York. 15 "He works include one bank", she telling me. ...

  17. Reported Statements: Present Simple

    Reported Statements: Present Simple Playing Code: 88511 English 20 Public Reported Statements: Present Simple ... Present Simple. Class PIN. Use Class PIN to share Baamboozle+ games from your students. Upgrade. Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. Save to Folder. New folder Save Cancel "I live in New York" She said _____ ...

  18. Reported Speech

    The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I need to change the verb to the past simple. Another example: Direct speech: Where is Julie? Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was. The direct question is the present simple of 'be'.

  19. Reported Speech Exercises

    Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site: (Click here to read the explanations about reported speech) Reported Statements: Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here) Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in ...

  20. Reported speech

    Sentences in Reported speech in the Simple Present in English in an Online Exercise. Menu. Englisch-hilfen.de/ Reported speech - Simple Present - Sentences - Exercise. Task No. 2331. Finish the sentences using Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is sometimes not necessary. Show example. Example: Abigail, "Isabella hates ...

  21. Reported Statements: Present Simple

    "She meets her boyfriend at the cinema every Friday night" He said _____

  22. Reported speech: statements

    indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank. In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked) than the tense originally used (e.g. work). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns. Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

  23. Reported Speech Game Jeopardy Template

    Reported Speech Game Jeopardy Template. M e n u. No teams 1 team 2 teams 3 teams 4 teams 5 teams 6 teams 7 teams 8 teams 9 teams 10 teams. Edit • Print • Download • Embed • Share. JeopardyLabs. John said, I really like pizza. , Rafael said, I want to go to the show this weekend., Lenildo said, we need to speak more English in class ...