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What is Reported Speech and how to use it? with Examples

Reported speech and indirect speech are two terms that refer to the same concept, which is the act of expressing what someone else has said. Reported speech is different from direct speech because it does not use the speaker's exact words. Instead, the reporting verb is used to introduce the reported speech, and the tense and pronouns are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. There are two main types of reported speech: statements and questions. 1. Reported Statements: In reported statements, the reporting verb is usually "said." The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and any pronouns referring to the speaker or listener are changed to reflect the shift in perspective. For example, "I am going to the store," becomes "He said that he was going to the store." 2. Reported Questions: In reported questions, the reporting verb is usually "asked." The tense in the reported speech changes from the present simple to the past simple, and the word order changes from a question to a statement. For example, "What time is it?" becomes "She asked what time it was." It's important to note that the tense shift in reported speech depends on the context and the time of the reported speech. Here are a few more examples: ●  Direct speech: "I will call you later." Reported speech: He said that he would call me later. ●  Direct speech: "Did you finish your homework?" Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework. ●  Direct speech: "I love pizza." Reported speech: They said that they loved pizza.

When do we use reported speech?

Reported speech is used to report what someone else has said, thought, or written. It is often used in situations where you want to relate what someone else has said without quoting them directly. Reported speech can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in news reports, academic writing, and everyday conversation. Some common situations where reported speech is used include: News reports: Journalists often use reported speech to quote what someone said in an interview or press conference. Business and professional communication: In professional settings, reported speech can be used to summarize what was discussed in a meeting or to report feedback from a customer. Conversational English: In everyday conversations, reported speech is used to relate what someone else said. For example, "She told me that she was running late." Narration: In written narratives or storytelling, reported speech can be used to convey what a character said or thought.

How to make reported speech?

1. Change the pronouns and adverbs of time and place: In reported speech, you need to change the pronouns, adverbs of time and place to reflect the new speaker or point of view. Here's an example: Direct speech: "I'm going to the store now," she said. Reported speech: She said she was going to the store then. In this example, the pronoun "I" is changed to "she" and the adverb "now" is changed to "then." 2. Change the tense: In reported speech, you usually need to change the tense of the verb to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here's an example: Direct speech: "I will meet you at the park tomorrow," he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet me at the park the next day. In this example, the present tense "will" is changed to the past tense "would." 3. Change reporting verbs: In reported speech, you can use different reporting verbs such as "say," "tell," "ask," or "inquire" depending on the context of the speech. Here's an example: Direct speech: "Did you finish your homework?" she asked. Reported speech: She asked if I had finished my homework. In this example, the reporting verb "asked" is changed to "said" and "did" is changed to "had." Overall, when making reported speech, it's important to pay attention to the verb tense and the changes in pronouns, adverbs, and reporting verbs to convey the original speaker's message accurately.

How do I change the pronouns and adverbs in reported speech?

1. Changing Pronouns: In reported speech, the pronouns in the original statement must be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. Generally, the first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) are changed according to the subject of the reporting verb, while the second and third person pronouns (you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs) are changed according to the object of the reporting verb. For example: Direct speech: "I love chocolate." Reported speech: She said she loved chocolate. Direct speech: "You should study harder." Reported speech: He advised me to study harder. Direct speech: "She is reading a book." Reported speech: They noticed that she was reading a book. 2. Changing Adverbs: In reported speech, the adverbs and adverbial phrases that indicate time or place may need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the new speaker. For example: Direct speech: "I'm going to the cinema tonight." Reported speech: She said she was going to the cinema that night. Direct speech: "He is here." Reported speech: She said he was there. Note that the adverb "now" usually changes to "then" or is omitted altogether in reported speech, depending on the context. It's important to keep in mind that the changes made to pronouns and adverbs in reported speech depend on the context and the perspective of the new speaker. With practice, you can become more comfortable with making these changes in reported speech.

How do I change the tense in reported speech?

In reported speech, the tense of the reported verb usually changes to reflect the change from direct to indirect speech. Here are some guidelines on how to change the tense in reported speech: Present simple in direct speech changes to past simple in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I like pizza." Reported speech: She said she liked pizza. Present continuous in direct speech changes to past continuous in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I am studying for my exam." Reported speech: He said he was studying for his exam. Present perfect in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I have finished my work." Reported speech: She said she had finished her work. Past simple in direct speech changes to past perfect in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I visited my grandparents last weekend." Reported speech: She said she had visited her grandparents the previous weekend. Will in direct speech changes to would in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I will help you with your project." Reported speech: He said he would help me with my project. Can in direct speech changes to could in reported speech. For example: Direct speech: "I can speak French." Reported speech: She said she could speak French. Remember that the tense changes in reported speech depend on the tense of the verb in the direct speech, and the tense you use in reported speech should match the time frame of the new speaker's perspective. With practice, you can become more comfortable with changing the tense in reported speech.

Do I always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech?

No, you do not always need to use a reporting verb in reported speech. However, using a reporting verb can help to clarify who is speaking and add more context to the reported speech. In some cases, the reported speech can be introduced by phrases such as "I heard that" or "It seems that" without using a reporting verb. For example: Direct speech: "I'm going to the cinema tonight." Reported speech with a reporting verb: She said she was going to the cinema tonight. Reported speech without a reporting verb: It seems that she's going to the cinema tonight. However, it's important to note that using a reporting verb can help to make the reported speech more formal and accurate. When using reported speech in academic writing or journalism, it's generally recommended to use a reporting verb to make the reporting more clear and credible. Some common reporting verbs include say, tell, explain, ask, suggest, and advise. For example: Direct speech: "I think we should invest in renewable energy." Reported speech with a reporting verb: She suggested that they invest in renewable energy. Overall, while using a reporting verb is not always required, it can be helpful to make the reported speech more clear and accurate.

How to use reported speech to report questions and commands?

1. Reporting Questions: When reporting questions, you need to use an introductory phrase such as "asked" or "wondered" followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here's an example: Direct speech: "What time is the meeting?" Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was. Note that the question mark is not used in reported speech. 2. Reporting Commands: When reporting commands, you need to use an introductory phrase such as "ordered" or "told" followed by the person, to + infinitive, and any additional information. Here's an example: Direct speech: "Clean your room!" Reported speech: She ordered me to clean my room. Note that the exclamation mark is not used in reported speech. In both cases, the tense of the reported verb should be changed accordingly. For example, present simple changes to past simple, and future changes to conditional. Here are some examples: Direct speech: "Will you go to the party with me?" Reported speech: She asked if I would go to the party with her. Direct speech: "Please bring me a glass of water." Reported speech: She requested that I bring her a glass of water. Remember that when using reported speech to report questions and commands, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately.

How to make questions in reported speech?

To make questions in reported speech, you need to use an introductory phrase such as "asked" or "wondered" followed by the question word (if applicable), subject, and verb. You also need to change the word order to make it a statement. Here are the steps to make questions in reported speech: Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb in the sentence. Common reporting verbs used to report questions include "asked," "inquired," "wondered," and "wanted to know." Change the tense and pronouns: Next, you need to change the tense and pronouns in the sentence to reflect the shift from direct to reported speech. The tense of the verb is usually shifted back one tense (e.g. from present simple to past simple) in reported speech. The pronouns should also be changed as necessary to reflect the shift in perspective from the original speaker to the reporting speaker. Use an appropriate question word: If the original question contained a question word (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how), you should use the same question word in the reported question. If the original question did not contain a question word, you can use "if" or "whether" to introduce the reported question. Change the word order: In reported speech, the word order of the question changes from the inverted form to a normal statement form. The subject usually comes before the verb, unless the original question started with a question word. Here are some examples of reported questions: Direct speech: "What time is the meeting?" Reported speech: She asked what time the meeting was. Direct speech: "Did you finish your homework?" Reported speech: He wanted to know if I had finished my homework. Direct speech: "Where are you going?" Reported speech: She wondered where I was going. Remember that when making questions in reported speech, the introductory phrases and verb tenses are important to convey the intended meaning accurately. Here you can find more examples of direct and indirect questions

What is the difference between reported speech an indirect speech?

In reported or indirect speech, you are retelling or reporting what someone said using your own words. The tense of the reported speech is usually shifted back one tense from the tense used in the original statement. For example, if someone said, "I am going to the store," in reported speech you would say, "He/she said that he/she was going to the store." The main difference between reported speech and indirect speech is that reported speech usually refers to spoken language, while indirect speech can refer to both spoken and written language. Additionally, indirect speech is a broader term that includes reported speech as well as other ways of expressing what someone else has said, such as paraphrasing or summarizing.

Examples of direct speech to reported

1. Direct speech: "I am hungry," she said. Reported speech: She said she was hungry. 2. Direct speech: "Can you pass the salt, please?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked her to pass the salt. 3. Direct speech: "I will meet you at the cinema," he said. Reported speech: He said he would meet her at the cinema. 4. Direct speech: "I have been working on this project for hours," she said. Reported speech: She said she had been working on the project for hours. 5. Direct speech: "What time does the train leave?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked what time the train left. 6. Direct speech: "I love playing the piano," she said. Reported speech: She said she loved playing the piano. 7. Direct speech: "I am going to the grocery store," he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to the grocery store. 8. Direct speech: "Did you finish your homework?" the teacher asked. Reported speech: The teacher asked if he had finished his homework. 9. Direct speech: "I want to go to the beach," she said. Reported speech: She said she wanted to go to the beach. 10. Direct speech: "Do you need help with that?" he asked. Reported speech: He asked if she needed help with that. 11. Direct speech: "I can't come to the party," he said. Reported speech: He said he couldn't come to the party. 12. Direct speech: "Please don't leave me," she said. Reported speech: She begged him not to leave her. 13. Direct speech: "I have never been to London before," he said. Reported speech: He said he had never been to London before. 14. Direct speech: "Where did you put my phone?" she asked. Reported speech: She asked where she had put her phone. 15. Direct speech: "I'm sorry for being late," he said. Reported speech: He apologized for being late. 16. Direct speech: "I need some help with this math problem," she said. Reported speech: She said she needed some help with the math problem. 17. Direct speech: "I am going to study abroad next year," he said. Reported speech: He said he was going to study abroad the following year. 18. Direct speech: "Can you give me a ride to the airport?" she asked. Reported speech: She asked him to give her a ride to the airport. 19. Direct speech: "I don't know how to fix this," he said. Reported speech: He said he didn't know how to fix it. 20. Direct speech: "I hate it when it rains," she said. Reported speech: She said she hated it when it rained.

What is Direct and Indirect Speech?

Direct and indirect speech are two different ways of reporting spoken or written language. Let's delve into the details and provide some examples. Click here to read more

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He Said, She Said: Mastering Reported Speech in English (Both Direct and Indirect)

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other. 

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair  has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant. 

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games  (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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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!

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The Reported Speech

Table of Contents

What is reported speech.

Reported speech is when you tell somebody what you or another person said before. When reporting a speech, some changes are necessary.

For example, the statement:

• Jane said she was waiting for her mom .

is a reported speech, whereas:

• Jane said, “I’m waiting for my mom.”

is a direct speech.

Reported speech is also referred to as indirect speech or indirect discourse .

Before explaining how to report a discourse, let us first distinguish between direct speech and reported speech .

Direct speech vs reported speech

1. We use direct speech to quote a speaker’s exact words. We put their words within quotation marks. We add a reporting verb such as “he said” or “she asked” before or after the quote.

• He said, “I am happy.”

2. Reported speech is a way of reporting what someone said without using quotation marks. We do not necessarily report the speaker”‘s exact words. Some changes are necessary: the time expressions, the tense of the verbs, and the demonstratives.

• He said that he was happy.

More examples:

Different types of reported speech

When you use reported speech, you either report:

• Requests/commands
• Other types

A. Reporting statements

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

• place and time expression

1- Pronouns

In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.

She says, “My dad likes roast chicken.” => She says that her dad likes roast chicken.

• If the sentence starts in the present, there is no backshift of tenses in reported speech.
• If the sentence starts in the past, there is often a backshift of tenses in reported speech.

No backshift

Do not change the tense if the introductory clause (i.e., the reporting verb) is in the present tense (e. g. He says ). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular).

• He says, “I write poems.” => He says that he writes English.

You must change the tense if the introductory clause (i.e., the reporting verb) is in the past tense (e. g. He said ).

• He said, “I am happy.”=> He said that he was happy.

Examples of the main changes in verb tense :

3. Modal verbs

The modal verbs could, should, would, might, needn’t, ought to, and used to do not normally change.

• He said: “She might be right.” => He said that she might be right.
• He told her: “You needn’t see a doctor.” => He told her that she needn’t see a doctor.

Other modal verbs such as can, shall, will, must, and ma y change:

4- Place, demonstratives, and time expressions

Place, demonstratives, and time expressions change if the context of the reported statement (i.e. the location and/or the period of time) is different from that of the direct speech.

In the following table, you will find the different changes of place; demonstratives, and time expressions.

B. Reporting Questions

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

• The pronouns
• The place and time expressions
• The tenses (backshift)

Also, note that you have to:

• transform the question into an indirect question
• use the question word ( where, when, what, how ) or if / whether

>> EXERCISE ON REPORTING QUESTIONS <<

C. Reporting requests/commands

When transforming requests and commands, check whether you have to change:

• place and time expressions
• She said, “Sit down.” – She asked me to sit down.
• She said, “don’t be lazy” – She asked me not to be lazy

D. Other transformations

• Expressions of advice with must , should, and ought are usually reported using advise / urge . Example: “You must read this book.” He advised/urged me to read that book.
• The expression let’s is usually reported using suggest . In this case, there are two possibilities for reported speech: gerund or statement with should . Example : “Let’s go to the cinema.” 1. He suggested going to the cinema. 2. He suggested that we should go to the cinema.

Main clauses connected with and/but

If two complete main clauses are connected with and or but , put that after the conjunction.

• He said, “I saw her but she didn’t see me.=> He said that he had seen her but that she hadn’t seen him.

If the subject is dropped in the second main clause (the conjunction is followed by a verb), do not use that .

• She said, “I am a nurse and work in a hospital.=> He said that she was a nurse and worked in a hospital.

punctuation rules of the reported speech

Direct speech:

We normally add a comma between the reporting verbs (e.g., she/he said, reported, he replied, etc.) and the reported clause in direct speech. The original speaker”s words are put between inverted commas, either single (“…”) or double (“…”).

• She said, “I wasn’t ready for the competition”.

Note that we insert the comma within the inverted commas if the reported clause comes first:

• “I wasn’t ready for the competition,” she said.

Indirect speech:

In indirect speech, we don’t put a comma between the reporting verb and the reported clause and we omit the inverted quotes.

• She said that she hadn’t been ready for the competition.

In reported questions and exclamations, we remove the question mark and the exclamation mark.

• She asked him why he looked sad?
• She asked him why he looked sad.

Can we omit that in the reported speech?

Yes, we can omit that after reporting verbs such as he said , he replied , she suggested , etc.

• He said that he could do it. – He said he could do it.
• She replied that she was fed up with his misbehavior. – She replied she was fed up with his misbehavior.

List of reporting verbs

Reported speech requires a reporting verb such as “he said”, she “replied”, etc.

Here is a list of some common reporting verbs:

• Cry (meaning shout)
• Demonstrate
• Hypothesize
• Posit the view that
• Question the view that
• Want to know

In reported speech, we put the words of a speaker in a subordinate clause introduced by a reporting verb such as – “ he said ” and “ she asked “- with the required person and tense adjustments.

Related pages

• Reported speech exercise (mixed)
• Reported speech exercise (questions)
• Reported speech exercise (requests and commands)
• Reported speech lesson

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StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

A Comprehensive Guide To Reported Speech In English

There are times when someone tells you something and you’ll have to report what they said to someone else.

How can you do this in English?

You’ll need to know how to use what's called reported speech in English and this is what you’ll learn in this blog post.

What Is Reported Speech In English?

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a way of retelling what someone else has said without repeating their exact words. 

For example, let’s say you have a friend called Jon and one called Mary. Mary has organised a house party and has invited you and Jon. 

Jon, however, is not feeling well. He says to you, “Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today.” 

A few days after the party, you meet Sarah. She’s another one of your friends and she was at the party too, but she arrived late – a moment before you left. You only had time to say hello to each other. 

She asks you, “I saw you at the party but I didn’t see Jon. Where was he?”

When Sarah asks you, “Where was Jon?” you can say, 

“Jon said, ‘Sorry but I cannot come to the party. I spent all day working outside under the rain and I feel ill today’.”

However, it would be more natural to use indirect speech in this case. So you would say, “Jon said he couldn’t come to the party. He had spent all day working outside under the rain and he felt ill that day .” 

Did you notice how the sentence changes in reported speech?

Here’s what happened:

• “I” became “he”
• “Cannot” became “couldn’t”
• “Spent” became “had spent”
• “I feel ill today” became “he felt ill on that day” 

Let’s take a closer look at how we form reported speech.

How To Form Reported Speech In English

To form reported speech, you might have to make a few changes to the original sentence that was spoken (or written). 

You may have to change pronouns, verb tenses, place and time expressions and, in the case of questions, the word order.

There are certain patterns to learn for reporting promises, agreements, orders, offers, requests, advice and suggestions.

Let’s have a look at all these cases one by one.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Verb Tenses

In general, when we use reported speech, the present tenses become past tenses.  

We do this because we are often reporting someone else’s words at a different time (Jon’s words were spoken 3 days before you reported them to Sarah).

Here’s an example:

Jenny (on Saturday evening) says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”(present tenses)

Matt (on Sunday morning) talks to James and says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home. (past tenses)

So this is how different verb tenses change:

Simple Present → Simple Past

DIRECT: I need money.

INDIRECT: She said she needed money.

Present Progressive → Past Progressive

DIRECT: My French is improving.

INDIRECT: He said his French was improving.

Present Perfect → Past Perfect

DIRECT: This has been an amazing holiday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it had been an amazing holiday.

What if there is a past simple form of the verb in direct speech? Well, in this case, it can stay the same in reported speech or you can change it to past perfect .

Past Simple → Past Simple Or Past Perfect

DIRECT: I didn’t go to work.

INDIRECT: Mary said that she didn’t go to work / Mary said that she hadn’t gone to work 

Past Perfect Tenses Do Not Change

DIRECT: I arrived late because I had missed the bus.

INDIRECT: He said he arrived (or had arrived) late because he had missed the bus.

Modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “will” also change in reported speech.

Will → Would

DIRECT: The exam will be difficult.

INDIRECT: They said that the exam would be difficult.

Can → Could

DIRECT: I can’t be there.

INDIRECT: He told me he couldn’t be there.

May → Might

DIRECT: We may go there another time.

INDIRECT: They said they might go there another time.

However, past modal verbs don’t change (would, must, could, should, etc.) don’t change in reported speech.

DIRECT: It would be nice if we could go to Paris.

INDIRECT: He said it would be nice if we could go to Paris.

Here are some other examples:

So, in summary, 

• am/is → were
• do/does → did
• have/has → had
• had done → had done
• will → would
• can → could
• may → might
• could → could
• would → would
• like/love/buy/see → liked/loved/bought/saw or had liked/ had loved/had bought/had seen.

You make these verb tense shifts when you report the original words at a different time from when they were spoken. However, it is often also possible to keep the original speaker’s tenses when the situation is still the same.

For example, 

1. DIRECT: I am feeling sick.

   INDIRECT: She said she is feeling sick.

2. DIRECT: We have to leave now.

   INDIRECT: They said they have to leave now.

3. DIRECT: I will call you later.

   INDIRECT: He said he will call me later.

4. DIRECT: She is not coming to the party.

   INDIRECT: He said she is not coming to the party.

5. DIRECT: They are working on a new project.

   INDIRECT: She said they are working on a new project.

What about conditional sentences? How do they change in reported speech?

Sentences with “if” and “would” are usually unchanged.

DIRECT: It would be best if we went there early.

INDIRECT: He said it would be best if they went there early.

But conditional sentences used to describe unreal situations (e.g. second conditional or third conditional sentences) can change like this:

DIRECT: If I had more money I would buy a new car.

INDIRECT: She said if she had had more money, she would have bought a new car OR She said if she had more money, she would buy a new car.

Reported Speech In English: Changing Pronouns

In reported speech, because you’re reporting someone else’s words, there’s a change of speaker so this may mean a change of pronoun.

An example:

Jenny says,  “I don't like this place. I want to go home now.”

Matt says, “Jenny said that she didn't like the place, and she wanted to go home.” 

In this example, Jenny says “I” to refer to herself but Matt, talking about what Jenny said, uses “she”.

So the sentence in reported speech becomes:

• Jenny said that she didn’t like . . . ( not Jenny said that I didn’t like . . .)

Some other examples:

1 . DIRECT: I have been studying for hours.

   INDIRECT: He said he had been studying for hours.

2. DIRECT: I don’t like that movie.

   INDIRECT: She said she didn’t like that movie.

3. DIRECT: He doesn't like coffee.

   INDIRECT: She said he doesn't like coffee.

4. DIRECT: We have a new car.

   INDIRECT: They told me they had a new car.

5. DIRECT: We are going on vacation next week.

    INDIRECT: They said they are going on vacation next week.

Reported Speech In English: Place And Time Expressions

When you’re reporting someone’s words, there is often a change of place and time.  This may mean that you will need to change or remove words that are used to refer to places and time like “here,” “this,” “now,” “today,” “next,” “last,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and so on. 

Check the differences in the following sentences:

DIRECT: I'll be back next month.

INDIRECT: She said she would be back the next month , but I never saw her again.

DIRECT: Emma got her degree last Tuesday.

INDIRECT: He said Emma had got her degree the Tuesday before.

DIRECT: I had an argument with my mother-in-law yesterday .

INDIRECT: He said he’d had an argument with his mother-in-law the day before .

DIRECT: We're going to have an amazing party tomorrow.

INDIRECT: They said they were going to have an amazing party the next day.

DIRECT: Meet me here at 10 am.

INDIRECT: He told me to meet him there at 10 am.

DIRECT: This restaurant is really good.

INDIRECT: She said that the restaurant was really good.

DIRECT: I'm going to the gym now.

INDIRECT: He said he was going to the gym at that time.

DIRECT: Today is my birthday.

INDIRECT: She told me that it was her birthday that day .

DIRECT: I'm leaving for Europe next week.

INDIRECT: She said she was leaving for Europe the following week.

Reported Speech In English: Word Order In Questions

What if you have to report a question? For example, how would you report the following questions?

• Where’s Mark?
• When are you going to visit your grandmother?
• What do I need to buy for the celebration?
• Where are your best friend and his wife staying?
• Do you like coffee?
• Can you sing?
• Who’s your best friend?
• What time do you usually wake up?
• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Do you ever read nonfiction books?

In reported questions, the subject normally comes before the verb and auxiliary “do” is not used.

So, here is what happens when you're reporting a question:

DIRECT: Where’s Mark?

INDIRECT: I asked where Mark was. 

DIRECT: When are you going to visit your grandmother?

INDIRECT: He wanted to know when I was going to visit my grandmother.

DIRECT: What do I need to buy for the celebration?

INDIRECT: She asked what she needed to buy for the celebration.

DIRECT: Where are your best friend and his wife staying?

INDIRECT: I asked where his best friend and his wife were staying.

DIRECT: Do you like coffee?

INDIRECT: I asked if she liked coffee.

DIRECT: Can you sing?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I could sing.

DIRECT: Who’s your best friend?

INDIRECT: They asked me who my best friend was. 

DIRECT: What time do you usually wake up?

INDIRECT: She asked me what time I usually wake up.

DIRECT: What would you do if you won the lottery?

INDIRECT: He asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.

DIRECT: Do you ever read nonfiction books?

INDIRECT: She asked me if I ever read nonfiction books.

You might have noticed that question marks are not used in reported questions and you don’t use “say” or “tell” either.

Promises, Agreements, Orders, Offers, Requests & Advice

When you’re reporting these, you can use the following verbs + an infinitive:

Here are some examples:

DIRECT SPEECH: I’ll always love you.

PROMISE IN INDIRECT SPEECH: She promised to love me.

DIRECT SPEECH: OK, let’s go to the pub.

INDIRECT SPEECH: He agreed to come to the pub with me.

DIRECT SPEECH: Sit down!

INDIRECT SPEECH: They told me to sit down OR they ordered me to sit down.

DIRECT SPEECH: I can go to the post office for you.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She offered to go to the post office.

DIRECT SPEECH: Could I please have the documentation by tomorrow evening?

INDIRECT SPEECH: She requested to have the documentation by the following evening.

DIRECT SPEECH: You should think twice before giving him your phone number.

INDIRECT SPEECH: She advised me to think twice before giving him my phone number.

Reported Speech In English

All right! I hope you have a much clearer idea about what reported speech is and how it’s used. 

And the good news is that both direct and indirect speech structures are commonly used in stories, so why not try the StoryLearning method ? 

You'll notice this grammatical pattern repeatedly in the context of short stories in English.

Not only will this help you acquire it naturally, but you will also have a fun learning experience by immersing yourself in an interesting and inspiring narrative.

Have a wonderful time learning through books in English !

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Reported speech

Speech can be direct and indirect, or reported. 

When you express your thought orally or in writing, it is direct speech. We usually put it in quotes.

When you communicate what someone else said, it is reported speech.

Reported statements

Sue: "I am hungry."

Sue says (that)  she is hungry.

To transfer a positive or a negative sentence to reported speech, we need two parts:

• the main part (she says that... / he claims that... / they deny that...),
• the dependent part which is the transformed direct speech.

Pay attention

In the reported speech, we must replace the pronouns. Otherwise, we won't keep the meaning.

Mary: "I am glad to help you!"

Mary says she is glad to help me . BUT NOT Mary says I am glad to help you.

You should also be careful with  time indicators (today, now, next week etc.) not to lose the idea of the original direct statement.

The word  that  can be used or left out, both options are correct.

Backshift of tenses in reported speech

When we have a sentence that consists of the main and the dependent part we need to be careful with the verb tenses. The tense in the main part affects the tense in the dependent part. This is called backshifting.

If the main part is in the present simple (e.g., "she says...", "he tells me..."), the dependent part remains unchanged.

John: "I have just got up."

John says he has just got up. "Says" is the present simple → no backshifting

If the main part is in the  past simple, we have to do the backshifting. Its basic principle is that the past simple in the main part "pushes" the tense of the dependent part one step back in time. This way we balance both parts of the sentence.

You can view the topic ' reported statements ' with an explanation and exercises.

Reported questions

If the direct question began with a question word (when, what, how, why and so on), then in the reported speech:

• the sentence changes from question to positive, with a direct word order
• we need to do the backshifting if we have the past simple in the main part

"Why did you leave the door open?" → She asked me why I had left the door open.

"Where have you been?" → She asked me where I had been.

If the direct question didn't have a question word (it was a yes/no question), we add the word "if" to transform it into reported speech. The rules of backshifting are the same.

"Will it rain tomorrow?" → They wanted to know if it would rain the next day.

"Can I lend your pen for a second?" → I asked if I could lend his pen for a second.

You can also view the topic ' reported questions ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

Reported requests and demands

If we want to transform somebody's demand or request into reported speech, we say:

• tell somebody to do something — for reported commands
• ask somebody to do something — for reported requests

If the imperative was negative (don't go, don't do), we put "not" before "to":  tell somebody not to do something.

"Do not cross the red line, please!" → The officer told us not to cross the red line.

"Could you put the flowers in the vase, please?" → She asked me to put the flowers in the vase.

You can also view the topic ' reported requests & demands ' for a detailed explanation and exercises.

Reported Speech (Part 1) – Statements

What is reported speech?

“Reported speech” is when we talk about what somebody else said – for example:

Direct Speech: “I’ve been to London three times.”

Reported Speech: She said she’d been to London three times.

We often use “reported speech” when talking about a conversation that happened in the past. There are some changes to the verbs with reported speech; read the table to find out how each verb tense changes:

Be careful: “said” and “told” have a small difference.

After “told,” we need to include a person:

• She said she wanted to go home.
• She told me she wanted to go home.
• She told John that she wanted to go home.
• She told she wanted to go home.
• She said me that she wanted to go home.

Reported Speech (Part 1) Quiz

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• Transcription

Reported or indirect speech: the essentials

You need to know the names and forms of the tenses in English to understand this guide properly.  If you would like to review the names and forms of the tenses, click here now .  The guide will open in an new tab so when you are done, simply close it to come back here.

There are many times in using a language when we do not want to say what we think or what we intend but we want to say what someone else said, intended or suggested.  To do that we report someone else's words to our listener(s). We do not, however, usually do this by repeating the exact words that someone else has said or written.  We do it, instead, by reporting, indirectly the meaning of what they said or wrote.  Reported speech is often called indirect speech because the message is not given directly to the person who is hearing or reading the words.  For example, consider:     John asked me to remind you to tell Peter about the meeting on Thursday. In this we have four people:

• John: the message giver
• Me: the message hearer
• You: another message hearer
• Peter: the intended recipient of the message

John and Peter are not directly connected (and may never meet or have met) so this is indirect communication.

We cannot reconstruct the exact words that John used at the outset but we can guess it was something like:     "Please remind Mary to tell Peter about the meeting on Thursday " It could, however, have been different and been:     "Mary needs to make sure Peter doesn't forget about the meeting on Thursday.  Can you mention that to her?"     "If Mary doesn't tell Peter about the meeting on Thursday, there will be hell to pay and we'll all get the sack" For the purposes of this guide, however, we'll try to stay with the most likely and simple scenario that the reporter is passing on what has been said without changing it too much.

Because reporting what someone says usually comes at a different time and often in a different place from the original words, we make changes to the grammar of the language to make it clear that we are not repeating verbatim what someone said, simply passing on the message as accurately as we can.

Consider these pairs:

On the left we have the direct speech – the words uttered.  On the right we have reported or indirect speech – how the message is passed on.

On the face of it, there's nothing terribly difficult about this idea.  The tense shifts back one (from, e.g., was to had been, from can to could, from am coming to was coming.  At the same time, I changes to he or she and tomorrow to the next day and so on.  Here's a list of the important changes in English.

It is not the case that we always use the grammar of the language like this because we can report something in a very different way.  For example, we can report:     "That's an idiotic idea!" as:     She said that it was an idiotic idea or as:     She wasn't very impressed by my idea in which the reporter has deliberately toned down what was said for his or her own purposes. For teaching purposes, this raises interesting questions, but the grammatical and other rules we use in reported speech are something worth learning because most people do not routinely do this.

Of course, not all changes are always appropriate (but using the changes will usually be correct). If we are reporting something virtually simultaneously, then we often don't change the tense or time expressions.  If we are reporting something in the same place, then we don't change the place expressions.

So we might get:     A: I'm going there now.     B: What did he say?     C: He said he's going there now.

If an utterance remains true, we often don't change the tense so we get, e.g.,     I'm from South Africa = He said he's from South Africa     I love the countryside = She said she loves the countryside and no changes are necessary because the fact remains true whenever and wherever it is reported.

Try this matching exercise .

Did you notice the changes, particularly with time and place expressions but also with the verb come (which changed to go )?

There is nothing very difficult about the form of reported speech changes (providing a learner is already familiar with the tense forms of English).  However:

• Because of the common sense issues touched on above, you need to make sure that the language is very clearly set in a time-and-place context.
• It is almost impossible to practise the form changes in class by getting students to report each others' utterances because time and place remain static.  You need to spread the practice over time and place to be authentic.
• You need to make sure that learners are aware of the common sense issues and don't slavishly transform every utterance.
• Languages deal with the issues differently.  Some, for example, reserve a subjunctive tense for reported speech and some hardly make any changes at all.

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English EFL

Reported speech.

2 hours 10 mins

Reported speech is also known as Indirect speech.

When do we use it? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example "I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the first person said.

In reported speech the tenses, word-order and pronouns may be different from those in the original sentence.It isn’t always necessary to change the tense. If something is still true now – he still works in Italy – we can use the present simple in the reported sentence.

Distinction must be made between direct speech and reported speech.

Direct and indirect speech

Tense changes in reported speech, changing time and place in reported speech, reported questions, reporting verbs, reporting orders and requests, reporting hopes, intentions and promises.

• B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: questions

Do you know how to report a question that somebody asked? 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 asked.

direct speech: 'Do you work from home?' he said. indirect speech: He asked me if I worked from home. direct speech: 'Who did you see?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me who I'd seen. direct speech: 'Could you write that down for me?' she asked. indirect speech: She asked me to write it down.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'Do you like working in sales?' he asked. indirect speech: He asked me if I liked working in sales.

In indirect speech, we change the question structure (e.g. Do you like ) to a statement structure (e.g. I like ).

We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done , today → that day ). You can learn about these changes on the Reported speech 1 – statements page.

Yes / no questions

In yes / no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

'Are you going to the Helsinki conference?' He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference. 'Have you finished the project yet?' She asked us whether we'd finished the project yet.

Questions with a question word

In what , where , why , who , when or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.

'What time does the train leave?' He asked me what time the train left. 'Where did he go?' She asked where he went.

Reporting verbs

The most common reporting verb for questions is ask , but we can also use verbs like enquire , want to know or wonder .

'Did you bring your passports?' She wanted to know if they'd brought their passports. 'When could you get this done by?' He wondered when we could get it done by.

Offers, requests and suggestions

If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.

'Would you like me to help you?' He offered to help me. 'Can you hold this for me, please?' She asked me to hold it. 'Why don't we check with Joel?' She suggested checking with Joel.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 2: 2

Language level

Hello, dear teachers and team!

Could you please help me with the following: 

• She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"

  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ? 

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 

2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"?

Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here? 

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?  

I'm very very grateful for your precious help and thank you very much for your answering this post in advance!!! 

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello howtosay_.

1. She asked me "Does the Earth turn around the Sun?"  Does it have to be: "She asked me if the Earth TURNED around the Sun" ?

No, you can use the present here as well. The verb for this context would be 'go' rather than 'turn':

She asked me if the earth goes around the sun.

She asked me if the earth went around the sun.

Do we have to change the question into the past form here as well? 2. She asked: "Was coffee originally green"? Is "She asked me if the coffee HAD BEEN originally  green" correct option? Can I leave WAS in an inderect speech here?

You can use either 'had been' or 'was' here. The adverb 'originally' removes any ambiguity.

3. Is "She asked me if I knew if the Sun IS a star" or  "She asked me if I knew if the Sun WAS / HAD BEEN a star" (if any)  correct?

You can use 'is' or 'was' here but not 'had been' as that would suggest the sun is not a star any more.

The LearnEnglish Team

She offered me to encourage studying English. She asked us if we could give her a hand.

He said, "I wished she had gone."

How to change this sentence into indirect speech?

Hello bhutuljee,

'He said that he wished she had gone.'

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

He said, "I wish she went."

How to change the above sentence into indirect speech?

Hi bhutuljee,

It would be: "He said that he wished she had gone."

LearnEnglish team

He said , "She wished John would succeed."

This is the third sentence you've asked us to transform in this way. While we try to offer as much help as we can, we are not a service for giving answers to questions which may be from tests or homework so we do limit these kinds of answers. Perhaps having read the information on the page above you can try to transform the sentence yourself and we will tell you if you have done it correctly or not.

Hi, I hope my comment finds you well and fine. 1- reported question of "where did he go?"

Isn't it: She asked where he had gone?

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

2- how can I report poilte questions with( can I, May I) For example: She asked me" Can I borrow some money?"

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

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Reported Speech: How to Use Reported Speech | Useful Rules

One of the most common mistakes when becoming familiar with this type of grammar is not knowing the difference between direct speech and reported speech and the changes related to these types of sentences.

Reported Speech

The reported speech reproduces the words of another person by adapting certain temporal and local references of the original speech to the situation of the speaker, for example, personal pronouns, demonstratives, verb tenses, and adverbs of place or time.

It is characterized by introducing the message that is reproduced with a speaking verb followed by conjunctions that or if. The speaking verb reveals the intention of the speaker to convey what another person has said.

The most frequent speaking verbs are: say, affirm , count, explain, ask, warn, suggest, order, etc.

Direct Speech vs. Reported Speech

Both are the two different ways to transmit what someone has said.

With direct speech, the message is reproduced as we have heard it, in quotes and after a color meanwhile with reported speech the message is reproduced with our words, without commas but using that or if after the verb.

Different Types of Sentences

• Reported statements : use that before the statement and the reporting verb said or told.
• Reported questions : use reported verbs like asked, requested, or wanted to know and omit the question mark. Remember that the order in reported questions changes. In the case of yes-no questions use whether or if.
• Reported requests or commands : use to or not to before the sentence and use verbs like asked, told, ordered, urged, advised, and begged.

Changes When Using Reported Speech

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

In short, the tense changes in the reported speech are made taking into account the verb in the direct speech. The tense changes are:

• Simple present -> simple past
• Present continuous -> past continuous
• Simple past -> past perfect simple
• Past continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Past perfect simple -> past perfect simple
• Past perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Present perfect -> past perfect simple
• Present perfect continuous -> past perfect continuous
• Future simple -> would
• Future perfect -> would have
• Present passive -> past passive
• Present passive continuous -> past passive continuous
• Can -> could/would be able to
• May -> might
• May -> could/ would be allowed to
• Must -> must/ had to/ would have to
• Needn’t -> didn’t have to /didn’t need to /wouldn’t have to
• Shall -> would/should
• Will -> would

Place, Demonstratives, and Time Expressions

Just as there are certain changes in the verb tenses, you have to make changes in the demonstratives, pronouns , and expressions of time and place.

• Here -> there
• There -> there
• This -> that

Time Expressions

• Today -> that day
• Tomorrow -> the next day/ the following day
• Now -> at that moment/ then
• At the present -> At the time
• Present, current -> existing current
• In one hour -> one hour later
• Next year -> the following year
• Days ago -> days before
• Tonight -> that night
• In two week’s time -> two weeks later
• Ago -> before

Pronouns and Demonstratives

• I -> he, she
• Me -> him, her
• My -> his, her, the
• Mine -> his, hers
• We -> they
• Us -> them
• Our -> their, the
• Ours -> theirs
• You -> they, them, their, the
• Yours -> theirs
• This -> that, the
• These -> those, the
• This book -> that book

Reported Speech | Infographic

Other Changes in Reported Speech

Last Updated on October 25, 2023

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Time and Place in Reported Speech

When we report something, we may need to make changes to:

• time (now, tomorrow)
• place (here, this room)

If we report something around the same time, then we probably do not need to make any changes to time words . But if we report something at a different time, we need to change time words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It was hot yesterday ." → He said that it had been hot the day before .
• He said: "We are going to swim tomorrow ." → He said they were going to swim the next day .

Here is a list of common time words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Place words

If we are in the same place when we report something, then we do not need to make any changes to place words . But if we are in a different place when we report something, then we need to change the place words. Look at these example sentences:

• He said: "It is cold in here ." → He said that it was cold in there .
• He said: "How much is this book ?" → He asked how much the book was.

Here are some common place words, showing how you change them for reported speech:

Contributor: Josef Essberger

Reported speech - 1

Reported speech - 2

Reported speech - 3

Worksheets - handouts

Reported speech

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Reported statements - worksheet
• Worksheet - reported questions
• Reported yes/no questions
• Worksheet - reported speech
• Reported speech - exercises pdf
• Indirect speech - exercises
• Reported speech - exercises
• Mixed reported speech 1
• Mixed reported speech 2
• Reported speech 1 
• Reported speech 2  
• Reported speech 3 
• Reported speech 4
• Reported speech 5
• Reported wh- questions
• Reported speech - worksheet 
• Reported commands
• Reported questions
• Reported speech 1
• Reported speech 2
• Reported requests and orders
• Reported speech exercise
• Reported questions - worksheet
• Indirect speech - worksheet
• Worksheets pdf - print
• Grammar worksheets - handouts

Grammar - lessons

• Reported speech - grammar notes
• How to use reported speech - lesson
• Tense changes - grammar

Reported Speech Quiz for English Learners

Making the necessary changes in reported speech

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• Tom said he wants to visit his friends that weekend.
• Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.
• Tom said he wanted to visit his friends this weekend.

 Make sure to change both the pronoun and the time indicator (this to that) in reported speech . 

• Jerry said he was studying English a lot at that moment.
• Jerry said he was studying English a lot at the moment.
• Jerry said I was studying English a lot at that moment.

 Change 'the moment' to 'that moment' in reported speech. 

• They said they have lived there for a long time.
• They said they lived here for a long time.
• They said they had lived there for a long time.

 Move the present perfect tense into the past perfect tense in the reported speech. 

• He asked me if had I finished reading the newspaper.
• He asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
• He asked me if I finished reading the newspaper.

 Change questions from their inverted question structure back to standard sentence structure in the reported speech. 

• Peter said he got up every morning at seven o'clock.
• Peter said I got up every morning at seven o'clock.
• Peter said he had got up every morning at seven o'clock.

Make sure to change pronouns when using reported speech . 

• Susan told me I could come that night.
• Susan told me she could come that night.
• Susan told me she could come tomorrow evening.

 Change 'tonight' to the 'that night' in the reported speech. 

• She told me she really wished she bought that new car.
• She told me she really had wished she had bought that new car.
• She told me she really wished she had bought that new car.

 The past perfect remains the past perfect in reported speech. 

• Jack said he must have been guilty.
• Jack said he must have be guilty.
• Jack said he must has been guilty.

 Use the past modal verb of probability when reporting 'must'. 

• Cheryl asked her how long she has lived there.
• Cheryl asked her how long she lived there.
• Cheryl asked her how long she had lived there.

 Change the present perfect to the past perfect in reported speech . 

• He told me he had to get going. Otherwise, he was going to be late.
• He told me he had to get going. Otherwise, I was going to be late.
• He told me he has to get going. Otherwise, he was going to be late.

 'Had to' can be used as the past of the modal verb 'must'.

• Lenny sang, 'I want to get away, I want to fly away.'
• Lenny sang he wanted to get away, he wanted to fly away.
• Lenny sings he wanted to get away, he wanted to fly away.
• Lenny sang he wanted to get away, he wants to fly away.

 Change the present simple to the past simple as well as pronouns when using reported speech. 

You understand the changes necessary when using reported speech. Well done! Follow up by studying and practicing some more advanced level grammar forms.  

 Good try! You obviously understand reported speech, but are having some difficulty with some of the minor changes necessary. Keep practicing and you will mast reported speech soon. 

 You still need to practice reported speech. Remember that the tense of the original statement moves one step back in reported speech. In other words, the present simple becomes the past simple. Keep working and you'll understand and be able to use the form soon. 

• Indirect Speech in the English Language
• Using Reported Speech: ESL Lesson Plan
• Reporting Verbs for English Language Learners
• Essential Basic English Lessons
• How to Teach Reported Speech
• Parallelism in Writing for English Learners
• A Short Guide to Punctuation
• Advanced English Grammar Review Quiz
• How Many Verb Tenses Are There in English?
• Sentence Type Basics for English Learners
• Learn to Order Events for Narrative Writing Assignments
• Past Perfect Worksheets
• Various Future Forms for English Learners
• Rhetorical Questions for English Learners
• Indirect Speech Definition and Examples
• How to Write a Business Report for English Learners

'Say' or 'Tell' Exercise 1

Perfect english grammar.

Review say and tell here Download this quiz in PDF here See all reported speech exercises here

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Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Introduzione.

Quando riferiamo ciò che ha detto qualcuno, non riportiamo le stesse parole tra virgolette (discorso diretto) ma ci serviamo del discorso indiretto. Il discorso indiretto viene introdotto da determinate locuzioni.

La proposizione enunciativa

Nel trasformare in discorso indiretto una proposizione enunciativa dobbiamo considerare i punti seguenti:

• modifica dei pronomi Esempio: He said, “ I saw a famous TV presenter.” Lui disse: ''Ho visto una famosa presentatrice televisiva'.' He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter. Lui disse di aver visto una famosa presentatrice televisiva.
• modifica delle indicazioni di luogo e di tempo (vedi tabella in basso) Esempio: He said, “I saw a famous TV presenter here yesterday ”. Lui disse: ''Ieri ho visto qui una famosa presentatrice televisiva''. He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter there the day before . Lui disse di aver visto lì il giorno prima una famosa presentatrice televisiva.
• modifica dei tempi del verbo (backshift) Esempio: He said, “She was eating an ice-cream at the table where you are sitting ”. He said (that) she had been eating an ice-cream at the table where I was sitting . Lui disse: ''Mangiava un gelato al tavolo dove sei seduta tu''. Lui disse che lei mangiò un gelato al tavolo dove ero seduta io.

Modifica dei tempi (backshift)

Quando la frase introduttiva è al Simple Past (per esempio He said ), la forma del tempo del verbo deve essere portata indietro di un tempo (vedi tabella). In inglese questo processo viene chiamato backshift .

I verbi could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to di regola non subiscono modifiche.

Nessuna modifica dei tempi

Quando però la frase introduttiva è al Simple Present (per esempio He says ), le forme del tempo dell'enunciato rimangono invariate. La frase introduttiva esprime appunto che l'enunciato viene riportato immediatamente (e non in un secondo tempo).

In alcuni casi però dobbiamo adattare un po' la forma del verbo.

La proposizione interrogativa

Nel trasformare in discorso indiretto una proposizione interrogativa dobbiamo considerare i seguenti punti:

• Come nella proposizione enunciativa dobbiamo modificare i pronomi, le indicazioni di tempo e di luogo e portare indietro la forma dei verbi di un tempo (backshift) .
• Al post del that (della proposizione enunciativa) troviamo il pronome interrogativo. Se non c'è pronome interrogativo utilizziamo whether / if se . Esempio: She asked him, "How often do you work?" → She asked him how often he worked. Lei gli chiese “Quante volte/Quanti giorni lavori?” → Lei gli chiese quante volte/quanti giorni lavorasse. He asked me, "Do you know any famous people?" → He asked me if/whether I knew any famous people. Lui mi chiese “Conosci persone famose?” → Lui mi chiese se conoscessi personaggi famosi.
• Nella domanda riportata al discorso indiretto il soggetto precede il verbo. (Di regola nella proposizione interrogativa il soggetto segue il verbo ausiliare.) Esempio: I asked him, “ Have you met any famous people before?” → I asked him if he had met any famous people before. Gli chiesi: “Hai già incontrato personaggi famosi prima?“ → Gli chiesi se avesse già incontrato personaggi famosi prima.
• Nelle interrogative al discorso indiretto non impieghiamo il verbo ausiliare do . Al suo posto bisogna coniugare il verbo principale (alla 3° persona singolare o al simple past ). Esempio: I asked him, “What do you want to tell me?” → I asked him what he wanted to tell me. Gli chiesi “Cosa vuoi dirmi?” → Gli chiesi cosa volesse dirmi.
• Quando nell’interrogativa non troviamo un soggetto (nel senso che al posto del soggetto troviamo who/what ), il verbo segue direttamente who oppure what . Esempio: I asked him, “ Who is sitting here?” → I asked him who was sitting there. Gli chiesi “Chi è seduto lì?” → Gli chiesi chi fosse seduto lì.

Le proposizioni interrogative non vengono utilizzate solamente per riportare le domande che qualcuno ha già fatto. In inglese si impiegano anche per chiedere qualcosa in modo molto cortese :

Esortazione/richiesta

Nel traformare esortazioni e richieste bisogna soltanto adattare i pronomi e le indicazioni di luogo e di tempo. Il backshift non è necessario - utilizziamo semplicemente to + l'infinito del verbo.

Se si tratta della forma negativa di un esortazione, nel discorso indiretto utilizziamo not to + l'infinito del verbo.

Locuzioni con who/what/how e infinito

Quando il discorso indiretto indica che qualcosa dovrebbe o potrebbe essere fatta, possiamo omettere il soggetto ed il verbo modale facendo seguire ai pronomi interrrogativi who/what/where/how direttamente l’infinito.

Alcune modifiche di luogo e di tempo molto frequenti

Le parole say e tell non sono interscambiabili. say = dire qualcosa tell = dire/raccontare qualcosa a qualcuno

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What to know about trump's hush money trial.

• Former President Donald Trump's hush money trial resumes in New York City for the third day today with jury selection. Twelve jurors have been seated so far, with new additions today including a man who works in investment banking and a security engineer.
• Tuesday's proceedings in state Judge Juan Merchan's courtroom were marked by fiery exchanges over Trump's behavior and old Facebook posts of prospective jurors.
• Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels at the end of the 2016 election cycle to keep her quiet about her allegation that she and Trump had a sexual encounter. Trump has denied the affair.
• Catch up with what you missed on Day 2 .

Trump returns to Trump Tower

Megan Lebowitz

The former president's motorcade has returned to Trump Tower after the third day of the hush money trial.

Meet the 12 jurors at Trump’s hush money trial

Rebecca Shabad is in Washington, D.C.

All 12 jurors, plus an alternate, were selected this week to serve on the jury after they made it clear to both sides that they could render a fair and impartial verdict.

Prosecutors and the defense team whittled down a pool of nearly 200 people to 12 jurors and an alternate after having grilled them about their personal histories, political views, social media posts and ability to remain impartial despite any opinions they might have about the polarizing former president.

Here's a brief description of each juror.

Read the full story here.

Trump attorney asks who the DA plans to call as first 3 witnesses

Zoë Richards

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked whom the district attorney's office plans to call as its first three witnesses. Joshua Steinglass of the DA’s office refused on the basis that Trump has been tweeting about them.

Judge Merchan said he does not fault the DA’s office for its position. Blanche said Trump will not tweet about the witnesses, which Merchan said Blanche cannot promise, and he told him to treat the information as “attorneys’ eyes only.”

Merchan declined to order the DA’s office to name its first three witnesses, and Steinglass did not otherwise agree to do so.

Trump continues criticizing the case after court proceedings end for the day

Trump addressed reporters after court was dismissed for the day. He said that he was supposed to be in states like Georgia, New Hampshire and North Carolina to campaign but that instead "I've been here all day" for an "unfair trial."

Trump held up a stack of news stories and editorials that he said were critical of the case. He continued railing against the trial. "The whole thing is a mess," he said.

Trump did not respond to shouted questions from reporters.

Judge gives instructions to newly sworn-in jurors

Matt Johnson

Judge Merchan gave instructions to the jurors who were sworn in minutes ago. Among them: Do not discuss the case.

The jurors were then escorted out of the courtroom and walked past the defense table, from which Trump stared at them.

Court ends for the day. Dismissal on Monday and Tuesday will be 2 p.m.

Gary Grumbach

The court has decided that 2 p.m. will be the trial end time next Monday and Tuesday.

Here's the gender breakdown of the 12-person jury

Ginger Gibson Senior Washington Editor

The jury is seven men and five women.

Jurors are sworn in

The jurors selected today to sit on the panel were sworn in, vowing to hear the case in a "fair and impartial manner."

Trump watched as they raised their right hands for the swearing-in.

Jury selection will continue tomorrow for the six alternates.

Twelve jurors have been selected

The court has now seated 12 jurors.

“We have our jury,” Judge Merchan said when the 12th juror was picked.

The next six jurors selected will serve as alternates.

“I’m hopeful we will finish tomorrow,” the judge added.

Potential juror says she was a Bernie Sanders supporter when posting critically about Trump

A potential juror has been brought back into the courtroom for questions about her social media posts.

As she read one of her posts to the court, she said she was a Bernie Sanders supporter at the time.

“I was in a disturbed frame of mind during that election cycle," she said, adding that she no longer holds the positions expressed in the post.

Two more jurors seated, bringing the total to seven

Two new jurors have been seated, bringing the total seated back to seven after two were dismissed earlier.

The jurors are a man who works in investment banking and a man who is a security engineer.

Trump attorney questions juror's social media posts about former president

Alexandra Marquez is based in Washington, D.C.

Susan Necheles, a Trump attorney, is challenging Juror No. 430 for cause.

She alleges that the juror's posts through 2020 were vitriolic and that the juror called Trump a “racist, sexist narcissist” on social media.

Necheles also said the juror said, “Trump is an anathema to everything I was taught about Jesus … and could not be more fundamentally un-Christian.”

Defense lawyer cites book of journalist who is in the courtroom

Trump lawyer Susan Necheles referred to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's book "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America."

Haberman, who is covering the trial, is in the courtroom as part of the small pool of journalists allowed inside to share information about the jury selection process.

Prospective juror says it was pretty difficult not to have strong feelings about Trump during his presidency

One potential juror said it was pretty difficult not to have strong feelings or conversations about Trump during his presidency.

"There’s so much information about him everywhere. So no matter how you feel, you’re seeing things online," she said. "I mean he was our president, everyone knows who he is.”

One juror says they're a centrist and 'everybody needs a chance'

Jillian Frankel

One juror who was just questioned during voir dire told Necheles that they are a "centrist."

The juror added, "Everybody needs a chance, regardless of who they are, to be innocent until proven guilty.”

Court takes brief break to discuss strikes

The court has taken a brief break to discuss which jurors each side would like to strike.

Both the prosecution and defense have four remaining preemptory strikes. Both sides could each request that jurors be struck for cause.

Potential juror shares encounter with Trump and ex-wife 'shopping for baby things'

One prospective juror, who says they were born and raised in Brooklyn, described encountering Trump and his ex-wife Marla Maples once while they were "shopping for baby things" at ABC Home, an iconic Manhattan home goods store known for quirky, upscale decor.

Trump and Maples were married in the 1990s and share one daughter, Tiffany Trump.

Prospective juror says she doesn't have 'strong feelings' about Trump

One prospective juror told Trump's lawyer, "His politics aren't always my politics," but said she agrees with him on some policies and disagrees with him on others.

"But as a human being, that's a different topic," she said.

Asked about social media activity, she said, "Politics just seems like a nasty thing to be posting about during a national crisis."

She added, "I just don’t have strong feelings about President Trump at this point...I don’t post about him.”

One juror previously met Trump's lawyer

One of the jurors being questioned by Steinglass says she previously met one of Trump's attorneys.

Asked by Steinglass if this juror could remain impartial despite that, the juror said she had no concerns about her impartiality.

Prosecution refers to 'accomplice liability' to explain case theory

Laura Jarrett

For the second time in a week, the prosecution has used a notable example of “accomplice liability” in explaining their theory of the case to the prospective jurors.

Steinglass says that Mr. Trump is being held liable just like a husband who hires a hitman to kill his wife would be — even if the husband is in a different city when it happens, he’s still criminally liable.

One juror says she's concerned she knows too much about the case

One prospective jurors who said during the questionnaire that she had read Mark Pomerantz's book and was worried she knows too much about the case.

"I’m worried that I know too much," she said. “And academically, I know I have put it to the side. I’m worried that it’s going to seep in, in some way.”

Pomerantz is a former prosecutor who once oversaw the Manhattan District Attorney Office’s investigation into Trump.

Trump appears skeptical as voir dire begins

Trump watched skeptically as Steinglass asked the jurors whether any of them felt the district attorney would have to prove more because Trump is not like any other defendant.

Trump's body is not turned toward the jury or Steinglass, but his head is. Blanche and Bove are watching Steinglass and the jury more intently.

Trump then scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Bove, who shared it with Necheles. She then had a short exchange with Trump.

Judge Merchan says voir dire of prospective jurors will begin

The judge told the group of 18 prospective jurors that previously went through the questionnaire that they will now be questioned by both sides, with the prosecution up first.

Court back in session

Merchan is back on the bench and court is back in session. Attorneys for both sides will now question prospective jurors.

Spotted outside of the courthouse: former GOP Rep. George Santos

Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was spotted outside of the courthouse. He did not answer a question from NBC News about what brought him here today.

Santos was ejected from Congress in December after he was federally charged with crimes like wire fraud and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty. He is currently running for Congress in New York as an independent.

Court goes on a lunch break

The court has recessed for lunch until 2:15 p.m.

Juror dismissed after tying Trump to Berlusconi

One juror was just dismissed after disclosing that he was born and raised in Italy and then comparing Trump to Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister of Italy.

Berlusconi, who died last June, was an infamous womanizer and was convicted of tax fraud in 2013.

Potential juror says he's a few credits short of a college degree

One potential juror said that while he graduated from high school, he is a few credits short of a college degree, "which kills my parents."

A cold courtroom

Blanche, Trump's lawyer, just asked if they could make it warmer in the courtroom, saying, "it’s freezing" in the room.

Merchan agreed, "It’s chilly in here, no question."

Merchan excuses Juror No. 4

After they had a conference with the juror, Merchan announced he's excusing juror No. 4, who had previously been seated and sworn him. His prior arrest was questioned by the DA.

Seated juror 'expressed annoyance' about his personal information becoming public

A seated juror was called for questioning, with prosecutors inquiring about whether or not he was truthful in answering questions about his past criminal history.

Following a conference between the juror and Merchan, the judge said, the juror "expressed annoyance about how much information was out there about him in the public.”

And Merchan sealed the portion of the transcript where he says the juror discussed "highly personal" information.

Trump left the courtroom while decision on Juror 4 being made

Trump exited the courtroom at 11:45 a.m. He returned about eight minutes later.

One prospective juror works in law enforcement

One potential juror said that he has worked in law enforcement for 34 years and, in his spare time, he has season tickets to New York Rangers games and enjoys going to Yankees games.

Dismissed juror has "satirized Mr. Trump, often" online

Another dismissed juror, Mark, spoke to NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard outside the courthouse, telling him that he determined he couldn't be fair and impartial because, "I have satirized Mr. Trump, often, in my artwork."

Mark added, "There’s no way that Blanche — who’s not going to rely on the kindness of strangers — would permit me to be on the jury ... There’s no way that after my online presence ... that they would regard me to be fit to serve."

Mark's online comedy hadn't yet come up in the process when he raised his hand to signal he couldn't be fair and impartial, but he was sure Trump's lawyers would figure it out.

"It would be a waste of their time and, frankly, as a taxpayer, our money —for me to clog up the process," he added. 

Juror 4 has arrived

The person previously seated on the jury has come into the courtroom. He is going to be asked about crimes he or his wife are alleged to have committed, after they were unearthed by the DA's office.

Court takes a brief break

The court has taken a brief break.

One juror has read part of Michael Cohen's book

One of the jurors responding to questions said she has read several pages of "Disloyal," a book by Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, who is a potential witness in this case.

The juror said she read part of the book for unspecified "business reasons." Earlier in her questionnaire, the juror said she works in publishing, but it's unclear whether the book was directly related to her job.

Prospective juror says while he doesn't have strong beliefs aboutTrump, he does read The New York Times

A prospective juror who was just questioned said that while he doesn't have any strong opinions or firmly held beliefs about Trump, he does "read the news, New York Times and so forth."

The same person said he follows Trump's Truth Social posts, as well as Michael Cohen on X.

Potential jurors say they have read Trump's "The Art of the Deal"

One potential juror who said she subscribes to The New York Times, mainly for the crossword puzzle, said she read Trump's "The Art of the Deal" book decades ago.

The juror also said she has a relative who works for the Justice Department.

Another juror, who said he works in finance, also said he read "The Art of the Deal."

Questionnaire highlights tension points for potential jurors

The potential juror being questioned now by the judge encapsulates how tough it is for some working professionals called for jury duty in Manhattan to say they cannot be fair and impartial. This is a person who is a practicing attorney. 

She appears not to want to say publicly she can’t be fair, notwithstanding some deep sighs we can hear from her. She also clerked for a federal judge and discussed the case with him, so she’s treading carefully.

Dismissed juror: Trump "looked less orange" than I expected

One dismissed juror spoke to MSNBC's Yasmin Vossoughian outside the courthouse following her exit from the case.

"Everyone was shocked, everyone was frozen," said the woman, identified only by her first name, Kat. She recounted the moment she and fellow prospective jurors walked into the room and realized they'd been called for the Trump trial.

“We went into the courtroom and we saw Donald Trump ... I was shocked, I was sitting in the second row, like 6 feet away," she added.

Before showing up for jury duty, “I didn’t really [follow the case], I was too busy," Kat said, but added that she just became a U.S. citizen in August and realized, "I feel the duty, I’m a citizen and I have responsibilities.”

Asked about how Trump looked in the courtroom, Kat said, "He looked less orange" than she was expecting.

She added, “He doesn’t look angry or — I think he looks bored, like he wants this to finish.”

Potential juror said she discussed former Manhattan DA Mark Pomerantz's book with others

Summer Concepcion

The first potential juror said she had discussed the case at length with co-workers, including a book written by Mark Pomerantz , the former Manhattan district attorney who led the investigation into Trump’s alleged financial crimes . She said she hasn't read any of the books written by Michael Cohen or Trump.

The woman also disclosed that she attended the Women's March after Trump took office.

48 prospective jurors excused after signaling they can't be fair or impartial

After Judge Merchan told the pool of prospective jurors to raise their hand if they can't be fair and impartial, 48 out of 96 were excused.

Trump again closes his eyes while Merchan reads jury instructions aloud

Katherine Doyle

Trump again closed his eyes while Merchan read aloud jury instructions. He didn't open them when his lawyer Emil Bove passed a note to Blanche in front of him.

Merchan is soft-spoken and his voice has a relaxing tone. Trump is seen moving his head back and forth while his eyes remain closed.

Trump yawned as Merchan reached the end of the jury instruction.

Juror issues raise questions about trial timeline

The fact that we now have one juror dismissed already this morning and one potentially on the rocks (for apparently not being forthcoming on the questionnaire) shows the challenges in predicting when a final slate of 12 jurors will be empaneled. 

It also shows how waiting several more days before the opening statements runs the risk that more jurors will drop out as they sleep on the gravity of being involved in this case.

DA's office says Trump has violated judge's gag order seven more times

Prosecutor Chris Conroy handed up a new order in response to Trump's social media posts. The DA alleges that Trump has violated the judge's gag order seven more times and he wants the posts included in the hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Yesterday, the former president complained about the jury selection process and Conroy said that "most disturbingly" Trump quoted a Fox News host suggesting that "undercover" liberal activists are lying to get onto the jury.

Conroy said the DA's office is still considering options in terms of sanctions prosecutors are seeking.

Merchan raises concerns about "the veracity of Juror #4’s answers"

After discussion about the gag order, Merchan said he had concerns about one of the jurors and how truthfully the person had answered questions.

One of the questions on the juror questionnaire asks if the juror or any of their family members were accused of a crime.

Joshua Steinglass of the DA's office told Merchan that they discovered an article featuring a person with the same name who was arrested in Westchester in the 1990s for tearing down political advertisements.

Merchan implores the press to use 'common sense' when reporting jurors' descriptions

Merchan asked reporters to use "common sense" when describing the jurors' physical descriptions.

"There was really no need to mention that one of the jurors had an Irish accent," he said.

A juror has been excused from duty

Juror 2, the oncology nurse, has been excused from duty. As court started today, Merchan told lawyers on both sides that the juror called and conveyed that after sleeping on it, she had concerns about being fair and impartial.

She had concerns about her identity becoming public and said that friends and family have already inquired about whether she is a juror. The juror added that given these outside influences, she was concerned about her ability to be fair and impartial.

An oncology nurse, a corporate lawyer and a man with "no spare time": Meet the first 7 jury members of Trump’s hush money trial

The first seven people were selected to serve on the jury in Trump’s  hush money trial  in New York on Tuesday after they made it clear to both sides that they could render a fair and impartial verdict.

They were chosen on the second day of the trial after prosecutors and the defense team whittled down  a group of 96 potential jurors . At one point, Merchan  admonished Trump after he observed him  audibly mouthing something  in the direction of one of the jurors, who had been asked about a social media post she made the day Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election.

“I won’t tolerate that,” Merchan said. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.” Trump’s lawyers ultimately eliminated the woman from the jury pool.

The seven chosen so far were sworn in Tuesday and directed by Merchan to return to court Monday.

Twelve people will be seated on the jury, and each side will select alternates. The trial is expected to last as long as eight weeks.

Read more on the seven jurors selected so far.

Day 3 begins

Merchan has taken the bench — a few minutes early — and started Day 3.

Trump is taking a phone call at the defense table

Trump is using his phone in the courtroom, openly flouting the rules of the courtroom. Blanche just told him to stop and Trump tucked the phone in his pocket while looking annoyed.

Prosecutors seek to ask Trump about civil fraud, E. Jean Carroll cases and more if he testifies in hush money case

Dareh Gregorian

Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing yesterday that they plan to ask Trump about the  costly verdicts  and findings of wrongdoing in his numerous civil cases if the former president decides to  testify in the criminal case  — though the permissibility of that line of questioning remains to be seen.

The prosecutors said they intend to ask Trump about the judgment in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud suit against him and his company, as well as a pair of verdicts in lawsuits brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The judgments in the three cases total  almost $550 million  and include findings that Trump  committed fraud  in the AG’s case and that he is liable for  sexual abuse  and  defamation  in the Carroll case.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office also plans to mention findings by the judge in the civil fraud case that Trump  violated a gag order  and “ testified untruthfully  under oath” during the trial.

Prosecutors said they want to be able to bring up those findings — which  Trump is appealing  — “to impeach the credibility of the defendant” if he takes the witness stand.

Trump said last week he  “absolutely“ plans to testify  but is under no obligation to do so.

Trump lawyers in Florida classified docs case seek more time to meet deadlines in order to "defend him in New York and before this Court"

In a filing today, Trump’s legal team representing him in the classified documents against him in Florida are seeking more time to meet deadlines in order for them to “defend him in New York and before this Court.”

Trump’s lawyers argue that their client and his counsel “cannot prepare — or even discuss — the required filings anywhere but an appropriate SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility), a virtually impossible task given” the former president and his lawyers Blanche and Emil Bove’s involvement in the hush money trial.

“The special counsel’s office argues President Trump’s constitutional rights are ‘not implicated’ because his counsel has had ‘months to prepare the submissions at issue’ and will ‘only be in trial four days a week in New York,’” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the filing. “This premise is untethered to reality and disregards the substantial motion practice that has occurred before this Court.”

Trump departs Trump Tower

Brittany Kubicko

Trump has left Trump Tower and is headed to the courthouse for Day 3 of his hush money trial.

Fiery exchanges over Facebook posts and Trump’s behavior mark second day of trial

Jonathan Allen

The first seven jurors were selected for Trump’s hush money trial Tuesday amid a battle over prospective jurors’ old Facebook posts and calls to “lock him up” and the judge’s warning that the former president should not try to intimidate the panelists who will be deciding his fate.

“I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make this crystal clear,” Merchan told Trump and Blanche outside the jurors' presence. Merchan told Blanche his client was “audibly” saying something in the direction of the juror while she was “12 feet away from your client.”

Merchan said that he didn’t know what Trump was saying but that he’d been “muttering” and “gesturing” at the juror, and he directed Blanche to talk to his client about his behavior. Blanche then whispered something into Trump’s ear.

The incident underscores Trump’s penchant for acting up in court and the problems his lawyers might have keeping him in check. He spoke loudly in front of jurors during the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial and at one point stormed out of his civil fraud trial — two trials he appeared at voluntarily. His presence is required in the criminal case, and the trial could last as long as eight weeks.

The current drama came on the second day of jury selection as seven jurors were selected for the case. The jury is anonymous, so their names weren’t used in open court, but panelists include a lawyer, a salesman, an oncology nurse, an IT consultant, a teacher and a software engineer. The seven were sworn in and told to return to court Monday.

Read the full story here

The first jurors have now been chosen for Trump’s criminal hush money trial after a cross-section of Manhattan residents openly revealed their views of the likely GOP nominee. NBC’s Laura Jarrett reports for "TODAY."

On trial off-day, Trump complains about jury selection process for his criminal case

Trump ripped the jury selection process in his historic New York criminal trial yesterday, the day after the first seven jurors were selected out of a pool of almost 100 people.

Posting about the hush money trial on its scheduled off-day, Trump — who has repeatedly accused the judge in the case of being biased against him — suggested incorrectly that he should be entitled to unlimited strikes of potential jurors in his criminal case.

“I thought STRIKES were supposed to be ‘unlimited’ when we were picking our jury? I was then told we only had 10, not nearly enough when we were purposely given the 2nd Worst Venue in the Country,” he wrote on Truth Social before he decried the criminal cases against him as “election interference” and part of a “witch hunt.”

Under New York law, each side does have an unlimited number of strikes “for cause,”   but Merchan, the judge presiding over the case, can decide whether or not that cause is worthy of a strike.

The two sides are also entitled to a limited number of “peremptory strikes” — potential jurors they can dismiss. Because Trump is charged with a Class E felony, which is a lower-level felony, he and prosecutors are entitled to 10 peremptory challenges each. (The number goes up to 20 for defendants facing the highest level of felony charge, Class A.)

While Merchan has dismissed scores of potential jurors who said they could not be impartial or had scheduling conflicts, he has dismissed only two for cause in the two days since jury selection began . One was a person who had written “lock him up” of Trump in a 2017 social media post. Merchan denied some other Trump cause dismissal requests, including one for a woman who had posted on Facebook about celebrating Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.

Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche then used one of his peremptory challenges to remove the woman.

Read the full story

Trump hush money trial resumes with jury selection after day off

Jury selection is set to resume in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York City after a break in action yesterday.

With seven jurors already having been selected from a pool of 96, the schedule for today will focus largely on questioning potential jurors in a second group of the same size to see whether they can be fair and impartial when it comes to Trump. State Judge Juan Merchan has said he hopes to have 12 jurors, as well as alternates, selected by the end of tomorrow.

Prosecutors and lawyers for Trump will have less opportunity to dismiss potential jurors going forward, because both used six of their 10 peremptory challenges Tuesday.

While both sides can make an unlimited number of challenges for cause, it is up to the judge to decide whether to grant those challenges and strike those jurors. Merchan dismissed two jurors for cause Tuesday, one of whom had posted a “lock him up” message about Trump on Facebook, but he denied some other challenges.

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Pro-Palestinian protests sweep US college campuses following mass arrests at Columbia

Police arrested dozens of students at Yale University as tensions over the war in the Middle East continue to grow on U.S. college campuses.

President Joe Biden on Monday denounced the ‘antisemitic protests’ occurring on college campuses but said he also condemns those who “don’t understand’ the Palestinian situation.

Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at Yale and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public on Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to diffuse campus tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas.

Several hundred students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally at the intersection of Grove and College Streets, in front of Woolsey Hall on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. April 22, 2024. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)

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FILE - New York City police in riot gear stand guard outside the Columbia University campus after clearing the campus of protesters, April 18, 2024, in New York. Columbia University canceled in-person classes Monday, April 22, 2024 and police arrested several dozen protesters at Yale University as tensions on U.S. college campuses continue to grow over the war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file)

Pro-Israeli demonstrators chant “Shame” in support of Columbia University assistant professor Shai Davidai, who was denied access to the main campus to prevent him from accessing the lawn currently occupied by pro-Palestinian student demonstrators in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Columbia University assistant professor Shai Davidai speaks after being denied access to the main campus, to prevent him from accessing the lawn currently occupied by pro-Palestinian student demonstrators, in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber speaks at a press conference regarding recent Israel-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Columbia University professors speak in solidarity with their students rights to protest free from arrest at the Columbia University campus in New York on Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A sign outside Harvard Yard warns that only those with Harvard IDs can enter the yard, outside Harvard University Monday, April 22, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. The sign also cautions that any structures, like the tents and tables used at protests at other colleges, aren’t allowed without permission and students caught violating the policies are subject to disciplinary action. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, center, does school work on his computer while seated with others, Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents on the MIT campus, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment to protest what they said was MIT’s failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel’s military. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Columbia University assistant professor Shai Davidai reads the names of Israeli hostages held by Hamas after being denied access to the main campus, to prevent him from accessing the lawn currently occupied by pro-Palestinian student demonstrators in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

New York University students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside the NYU Stern School of Business building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Congressman Josh Gottheimer with Congresswoman Kathy Manning speaks at a press conference regarding recent anti-semitism directed towards jewish students studying at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Student protesters sit in front of a tent during the Pro-Palestinian protest at the Columbia University campus in New York, Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Columbia University professors rally in solidarity with their students rights to protest free from arrest at the Columbia University campus in New York on Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Congressman Josh Gottheimer with Congressman Jared Moskowitz, Congresswoman Kathy Manning and Congressman Dan Goldman, speaks at a press conference regarding recent anti-semitism directed towards jewish students studying at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology student Isa Liggans, of Odenton, Md., front left, takes part in Muslim prayer with others Monday, April 22, 2024, at an encampment of tents at MIT, in Cambridge, Mass. Students at MIT set up the encampment of tents on campus to protest what they said was MIT’s failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel’s military. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Congressman Jared Moskowitz with Congresswoman Kathy Manning, Congressman and Congressman Dan Goldman, speaks at a press conference regarding recent anti-semitism directed towards jewish students studying at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Tents stand erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A sign is displayed in front of the tents erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A sign sits erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Pro-Palestinian protesters gather in front of Sproul Hall during a protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters gather in front of Sproul Hall during a planned protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

UC Berkeley law student Malak Afaneh speaks to a large crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters during a protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Pro-Palestinians protesters begin to set up tents in front of Sproul Hall during a planned protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

A Pro-Palestinian protester holds a Palestinian flag while in front of Sproul Hall during a protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Pro-Palestinian protesters begin to set up tents in front of Sproul Hall during a planned protest on the campus of UC Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, April 22, 2024. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sproul Hall where they set up a tent encampment and are demanding a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Gaza. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas .

More than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia’s green were arrested last week, and similar encampments have sprouted up at universities around the country as schools struggle with where to draw the line between allowing free expression while maintaining safe and inclusive campuses.

At New York University, an encampment set up by students swelled to hundreds of protesters throughout the day Monday. The school said it warned the crowd to leave, then called in the police after the scene became disorderly and the university said it learned of reports of “intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents.” Shortly after 8:30 p.m., officers began making arrests.

“It’s a really outrageous crackdown by the university to allow the police to arrest students on our own campus,” said New York University law student Byul Yoon.

“Antisemitism is never OK. That’s absolutely not what we stand for and that’s why there are so many Jewish comrades that are here with us today,” Yoon said.

The protests have pitted students against one another, with pro-Palestinian students demanding that their schools condemn Israel’s assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel. Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group’s Oct. 7 invasion.

Tensions remained high Monday at Columbia, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from North Carolina who was visiting Columbia with three other Jewish members of Congress, told reporters after meeting with students from the Jewish Law Students Association that there was “an enormous encampment of people” who had taken up about a third of the green.

“We saw signs indicating that Israel should be destroyed,” she said after leaving the Morningside Heights campus. Columbia announced Monday that courses at the Morningside campus will offer virtual options for students when possible, citing safety as their top priority.

A woman inside the campus gates led about two dozen protesters on the street outside in a chant of, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” — a charged phrase that can mean vastly different things to different groups. A small group of pro-Israel counter demonstrators protested nearby.

University President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the school community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what was happening on campus.

“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik wrote, noting that students who don’t live on campus should stay away.

Protests have roiled many college campuses since Hamas’ deadly attack on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says at least two-thirds of the dead are children and women .

On Sunday, Elie Buechler, a rabbi for the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it’s safer for them on campus.

The latest developments came ahead of the Monday evening start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish freshman who lives in a Jewish theological seminary building two blocks from Columbia’s campus, said protesters over the weekend were “calling for Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said some of the protesters shouting antisemitic slurs were not students.

“Jews are scared at Columbia. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “There’s been so much vilification of Zionism, and it has spilled over into the vilification of Judaism.”

The protest encampment sprung up at Columbia on Wednesday, the same day that Shafik faced bruising criticism at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she hadn’t done enough to fight antisemitism. Two other Ivy League presidents resigned months ago following widely criticized testimony they gave to the same committee.

In her statement Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict is terrible and that she understands that many are experiencing deep moral distress.

“But we cannot have one group dictate terms and attempt to disrupt important milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.

Over the coming days, a working group of deans, school administrators and faculty will try to find a resolution to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn’t say when in-person classes would resume.

U.S. House Republicans from New York urged Shafik to resign, saying in a letter Monday that she had failed to provide a safe learning environment in recent days as “anarchy has engulfed the campus.”

In Massachusetts, a sign said Harvard Yard was closed to the public Monday. It said structures, including tents and tables, were only allowed into the yard with prior permission. “Students violating these policies are subject to disciplinary action,” the sign said. Security guards were checking people for school IDs.

The same day, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee said the university’s administration suspended their group. In the suspension notice provided by the student organization, the university wrote that the group’s April 19 demonstration had violated school policy, and that the organization failed to attend required trainings after they were previously put on probation.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee said in a statement that they were suspended over technicalities and that the university hadn’t provided written clarification on the university’s policies when asked.

“Harvard has shown us time and again that Palestine remains the exception to free speech,” the group wrote in a statement.

Harvard did not respond to an email request for comment.

At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.

Protesters set up tents on Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to end any investments in defense companies that do business with Israel.

In a statement to the campus community on Sunday, Yale President Peter Salovey said university officials had spoken to the student protesters multiple times about the school’s policies and guidelines, including those regarding speech and allowing access to campus spaces.

School officials said they gave protesters until the end of the weekend to leave Beinecke Plaza. The said they again warned protesters Monday morning and told them that they could face arrest and discipline, including suspension, before police moved in.

A large group of demonstrators regathered after Monday’s arrests at Yale and blocked a street near campus, Bruckhart said. There were no reports of any violence or injuries.

Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was among about two dozen students who set up a tent encampment on the school’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus Sunday evening. They are calling for a cease-fire and are protesting what they describe as MIT’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he said.

“MIT has not even called for a cease-fire, and that’s a demand we have for sure,” Iyengar said. ___

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston and Susan Haigh in Hartford contributed to this report.

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Rishi Sunak and Belgian PM criticise mayor’s halting of NatCon conference

Emir Kir ordered police to close down radical rightwing conference attended by Suella Braverman and Nigel Farage

• UK politics – latest updates

The UK prime minister has rounded on Belgian authorities for closing down a radical rightwing conference in Brussels that was addressed by British politicians including Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman .

After a day of chaos, claims and recriminations, the decision by a local Belgian mayor to stop the National Conservatives (NatCon) event was also condemned as “unacceptable” by Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo.

The two-day conference, which was also due to hear from Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and the far-right French politician Éric Zemmour, had been scrambling to find a venue to host the speakers after two previous venues pulled the plug at the last minute.

But within hours of starting proceedings at a third venue, the Claridge hotel, police entered the building to serve an order to close it down. Their action came just as Farage, the former Brexit party leader, was finishing his speech.

Emir Kir, the mayor of the Brussels district of Saint-Josse where the Claridge is located, confirmed on Facebook he had issued a ban in order to “ensure public security”. He said the far right – which is predicted to surge in EU-wide elections taking place in June – was “not welcome” in the city.

A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, said: “It’s very clear that cancelling events or preventing attendance and non-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and to democracy as a result. It’s very clear that free debate and exchange of views is vital. Even when you disagree.”

De Croo said : “What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable. Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.”

What happened at the Claridge today is unacceptable. Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy but can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly since 1830. Banning political meetings is unconstitutional.Full stop. — Alexander De Croo 🇧🇪🇪🇺 (@alexanderdecroo) April 16, 2024

The decision to close the conference caused surprise on Tuesday morning as there was little evidence of disturbance at the low-key venue that has previously hosted Brazilian singers and latino festivals.

But by 1pm there was bedlam after police tried to serve an order to shut the event down, eventually entering the venue at the invitation of the organisers as Farage was finishing his speech.

“I think it’s absolutely monstrous,” Farage told reporters after wrapping up his address.

Earlier organisers had blamed “extremists on the left” for trying to suppress free speech and many believed the move to close the event handed a massive publicity coup to NatCon, a little-known organisation.

Police enter venue of Nat Con conference in Brussels to serve a request to close down event. Farage on stage pic.twitter.com/QTAum3O7jI — Lisa O'Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 16, 2024

“I’ve experienced cancel culture personally here … but what has happened in there on the stage with global media, we can see that legally held opinions from people who are going to win national elections is not longer acceptable here in Brussels, the home of globalism,” Farage told reporters.

“This is the complete old Communist style where if you don’t agree with me, you’ve got to be banned, you’ve got to be shut down.”

Organisers allowed Braverman, the former UK home secretary, to go ahead with a lengthy speech before telling the near 100 delegates that they had to leave the building.

Braverman, who has sought to cultivate a following on the right in Britain and beyond since she was sacked last year as home secretary, delivered a speech in which she claimed the UK could leave the European convention on human rights (ECHR), scorning Sunak’s recent suggestions that he would be willing to exit from it if it prevented him from implementing his policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.

“It’s therefore no surprise that recent noises in this direction from the prime minister are being dismissed by the public as inauthentic.”

After her speech, she told Sky News that the “thought police, instructed by the mayor of Brussels” had sought to undermine free speech and debate.

Speakers at the event included elected officials from across the EU, on themes such as “Why Should We Prefer Our Own Culture to Others?” or “Challenging Wokeism: an International Matter”.

Among the other speakers in the line-up were Ryszard Legutko , a Polish politician who has said he does not “understand why anyone should want to be proud of being a homosexual” and Rod Dreher, an American writer who argued that the Christchurch mosque gunman who killed 51 people in 2019 did have “legitimate, realistic concerns” about “declining numbers of ethnic Europeans”, though he described the act in response as “despicable” and “demonic”.

NatCon organiser Yoram Hazony announcing the conference would be closed gradually... Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman allowed to speak pic.twitter.com/2a6Vqsxzwc — Lisa O'Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 16, 2024

Sunak had been urged at the weekend to stop Braverman from attending the rightwing convention featuring figures who have been under investigation for extremism.

Organisers insisted they would try to find a new venue for Wednesday when Orbán, who is in Brussels for a leaders summit in the evening, is due to speak.

In 2020, the Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski was reprimanded under Boris Johnson’s Conservative party leadership for attending a NatCon event in Rome, where Orbán was also a speaker.

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