B2 grammar · teens and adults
Reported speech
Passing on what someone said or asked: She said she was tired. He asked where I lived. Backshift, pronoun changes and the word order of reported questions.
Teens · AdultsCEFR B2 · Upper-intermediate
- Age
- Ages 14+
- Level
- B2
- Skill
- Grammar
- Format
- Teacher guide
The rule
- After a past reporting verb (said, told, asked) the tense usually moves one step back: am → was, do → did, did / have done → had done, will → would, can → could.
- If the information is still true, the backshift is optional: She said she lives in Rome (she still does).
- Say or tell? Say something (to someone); tell someone something. He told me he was busy — not He said me.
- Reported questions use statement word order and no do / does / did: She asked where I lived, not where did I live. Yes/no questions take if or whether: He asked if I was ready.
- Pronouns and time words change with the point of view: “I'll call you tomorrow” → He said he would call me the next day.
Form
| Use | Form |
|---|---|
| Statement | said (that) + subject + verb (one tense back) |
| Tell | told + person + (that)… |
| Wh- question | asked + wh- word + subject + verb |
| Yes/no question | asked + if / whether + subject + verb |
| Backshift | is → was · will → would · can → could · did → had done |
Example sentences
Tap a sentence to hear it. The translation follows each one.
Quick check: choose the right form
Five sentences from this page, each with one gap. Choose the form that fits; when it is right, you hear the whole sentence.
She blank she was tired.
He blank me he had already sent the invoice.
The officer asked where I was blank.
She asked what time the train blank.
They asked us why we blank left so early.
Common mistakes
What learners actually say, why, and which first language makes it typical.
Typical for Russian and Spanish speakers
She asked me where do I live.She asked me where I lived.
A reported question is no longer a question: no do, and the subject comes before the verb. In Russian and Spanish the word order does not change when a question is reported, so nothing warns the learner.
Typical for Russian and Spanish speakers
He said me that he was busy.He told me that he was busy.
Russian «сказал мне» and Spanish «me dijo» put the person straight after the verb, so learners say said me. With a person, use tell: told me. Say needs to: said to me.
Typical for Russian speakers
He asked me do I want coffee.He asked me if I wanted coffee.
Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether. Russian uses the particle «ли» («хочу ли я»), which has no direct English twin, so the link word goes missing.
How to teach it
- Gossip chain: each learner whispers a sentence to the next, who reports it to the class. Write the changes the class hears on the board: am → was, will → would.
- Interview role-play (a job interview, a doctor's appointment): one pair performs, the others take notes and then report: She asked him why he had left his last job.
- Teach say and tell as patterns, not rules: say something, say to someone, tell someone something. Ten quick gap-fills beat a long explanation.
- Don't over-drill the backshift: when the fact is still true, real speakers often keep the present. Accept both and say why.
Questions teachers ask
Is the backshift always required?
No. It is the default after a past reporting verb, but when the situation is still true (She said she lives in Madrid) or the report is immediate, the original tense is fine.
Is reported speech B1 or B2?
The basics are B1: Cambridge B1 Preliminary covers reported statements, questions and commands with say, tell and ask. The full system — every tense shift, time and place changes, and verbs like suggest, warn and admit — is B2 (Cambridge B2 First).
Related resources
Worksheet
Reported speech — worksheet
Put the verb in the right form, build the sentence, choose the correct one — answers at the bottom.
Presentation
Reported Speech Presentation (Free PPT)
Reported Speech presentation (B2) for teens and adults: the rule, a form table, 10 examples and practice with answers. Free PPTX and PDF.
Lesson Plan
Must, might and can't (deduction)
Guessing from evidence: She must be at work. He might be stuck in traffic. That can't be right. How sure you are, in one small word, now and in the past.
Lesson Plan
Relative clauses
Who, which, that, where, whose: adding information about a noun. Defining and non-defining clauses, when to drop the pronoun, and why commas matter.