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Frequent learner mistakes involving reported speech.
Practice: build the sentences →Choose the reporting structure according to whether the original communication was a statement, question, command, request, advice, or another type of message.
Different kinds of communication require different grammatical patterns, so reported speech cannot be formed with one universal structure.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Statement: say + that-clause.
She asked me to wait.
Она попросила меня подождать.
Request: ask + object + to-infinitive.
She told me to close the door.
Она велела мне закрыть дверь.
Command: tell + object + to-infinitive.
Use say for reporting words or information and tell when a person is explicitly identified as the recipient of the information.
For example, She said that she was tired and She told me that she was tired.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Say + that-clause.
She told me that she was tired.
Она сказала мне, что устала.
Tell + object + that-clause.
Say does not normally take a person directly as its object in the same way as tell.
Use She said that she was tired or She said to me that she was tired, not She said me that she was tired.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Correct: say + that-clause.
She said to me that she was tired.
Она сказала мне, что устала.
Correct: say + to + person.
She said me that she was tired.
Она сказала мне, что устала.
Incorrect: say does not take person object.
Tell normally requires an object when it is used to report information to a person.
Use She told me that she was tired, not She told that she was tired.
She told me that she was tired.
Она сказала мне, что устала.
Correct: tell + object.
She told that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Incorrect: missing object after tell.
When a past reporting verb is used, ordinary reported statements often require backshift unless the context supports retaining the original tense.
For example, She said that she was tired is the standard backshifted form of She said, "I am tired."
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Correct backshift.
She said that she is tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Possible if still true, but backshift is standard.
Do not backshift automatically when the reported information remains true, is a permanent fact, or is otherwise appropriately presented from the current viewpoint.
For example, He said that water boils at 100°C is natural because the fact remains true.
He said that water boils at 100°C.
Он сказал, что вода кипит при 100°C.
Correct: no backshift for permanent truth.
He said that water boiled at 100°C.
Он сказал, что вода кипела при 100°C.
Incorrect: permanent truth backshifted.
Modal and past forms that already express the required temporal relationship should not be shifted again without a grammatical reason.
For example, He said that he would come is correct; do not mechanically change would to another past form.
He said that he would come.
Он сказал, что придёт.
Correct: would unchanged.
He said that he will come.
Он сказал, что придёт.
Possible if still future, but standard is would.
Modal verbs change according to their meaning and grammatical form rather than following one automatic substitution rule.
For example, will commonly becomes would, while would, could, might, and should often remain unchanged.
She said that she could help.
Она сказала, что может помочь.
Could unchanged.
She said that she can help.
Она сказала, что может помочь.
Can may become could, but may remain if still true.
Must may change to had to when reporting past obligation, but must can remain when the obligation is still current or when it expresses deduction.
For example, He said that I had to leave describes past necessity, while He said that I must leave can preserve a current obligation.
He said that I had to leave.
Он сказал, что мне нужно уйти.
Past obligation: must → had to.
He said that I must leave.
Он сказал, что я должен уйти.
Current obligation retained.
Pronouns must be changed according to their actual referents in the reported context.
For example, John said, "I need your help" becomes John said that he needed my help when the reporter is the person John addressed.
John said that he needed my help.
Джон сказал, что ему нужна моя помощь.
Correct: I → he, your → my.
John said that I needed my help.
Джон сказал, что мне нужна моя помощь.
Incorrect: pronoun reference wrong.
Do not change pronouns simply according to a fixed table such as I → he and you → I; determine who each pronoun refers to.
The correct form depends on the identities of the original speaker, listener, and reporter.
She said that she was busy.
Она сказала, что занята.
Correct: I → she (same person).
She said that I was busy.
Она сказала, что я занят.
Incorrect mechanical substitution.
Time expressions should change only when the temporal reference changes in the new reporting context.
Today may become that day when reporting later, but it can remain today when the report is made on the same day.
She said that she would finish it that day.
Она сказала, что закончит это в тот день.
Correct: today → that day when reporting later.
She said that she would finish it today.
Она сказала, что закончит это сегодня.
Correct if reported same day.
Place references such as here and there should be changed according to the reporting viewpoint.
For example, here may remain here when the reporter is still in the same place.
She said that she was happy here.
Она сказала, что ей здесь хорошо.
Correct if reporter is in same place.
She said that she was happy there.
Она сказала, что ей там хорошо.
Correct if reporter is elsewhere.
Reported questions normally use statement word order rather than direct-question inversion.
For example, He asked where I lived, not He asked where did I live.
He asked where I lived.
Он спросил, где я живу.
Correct: statement order.
He asked where did I live.
Он спросил, где я живу.
Incorrect: question inversion.
The auxiliary do is normally removed when converting a direct question into a reported question.
For example, "Where did she go?" becomes He asked where she had gone, not He asked where did she go.
He asked where she had gone.
Он спросил, куда она ушла.
Correct: do-support removed.
He asked where did she go.
Он спросил, куда она пошла.
Incorrect: do-support retained.
Do not use if or whether to introduce a reported question when the original question already begins with a wh-word.
For example, Where does he live? becomes She asked where he lived, not She asked if where he lived.
She asked where he lived.
Она спросила, где он живёт.
Correct: wh-word retained.
She asked if where he lived.
Она спросила, где он живёт.
Incorrect: if + wh-word.
A reported question inside a statement normally does not take a question mark.
For example, She asked where I lived. But Do you know where I live? is a complete question and therefore takes a question mark.
She asked where I lived.
Она спросила, где я живу.
Reported question: no question mark.
Do you know where I live?
Ты знаешь, где я живу?
Whole sentence is a question: question mark.
Commands are normally reported with an object + to-infinitive rather than an ordinary that-clause.
For example, "Close the door" becomes She told me to close the door.
She told me to close the door.
Она велела мне закрыть дверь.
Correct: object + to-infinitive.
She told me that I closed the door.
Она сказала, что я закрыл дверь.
Incorrect: that-clause not used for commands.
Negative reported commands normally use object + not + to-infinitive.
For example, "Do not touch it" becomes He told me not to touch it.
He told me not to touch it.
Он велел мне не трогать это.
Correct: object + not + to-infinitive.
He told me to not touch it.
Он велел мне не трогать это.
Incorrect: not before to-infinitive is less standard.
Tell commonly reports an instruction or command, while ask commonly reports a request.
For example, She told me to leave is an instruction, while She asked me to leave is a request.
She told me to leave.
Она велела мне уйти.
Command: tell.
She asked me to leave.
Она попросила меня уйти.
Request: ask.
Ask uses different structures depending on whether the person is requesting information or requesting another action.
Compare She asked me if I was ready with She asked me to wait.
She asked me if I was ready.
Она спросила меня, готов ли я.
Information request: ask + if-clause.
She asked me to wait.
Она попросила меня подождать.
Action request: ask + object + to-infinitive.
Suggest normally takes a gerund or that-clause rather than object + to-infinitive.
Use She suggested leaving or She suggested that we leave, not She suggested us to leave.
She suggested leaving.
Она предложила уйти.
Correct: suggest + gerund.
She suggested that we leave.
Она предложила, чтобы мы ушли.
Correct: suggest + that-clause.
She suggested us to leave.
Она предложила нам уйти.
Incorrect: suggest + object + to-infinitive.
Advise can take an object + to-infinitive when advice is directed at a specific person.
For example, She advised me to wait.
She advised me to wait.
Она посоветовала мне подождать.
Advise + object + to-infinitive.
She advised waiting.
Она посоветовала подождать.
Advise + gerund.
Reporting verbs that require prepositions must retain those prepositions before a noun or gerund.
For example, insist on paying, apologize for being late, and accuse someone of lying.
He insisted on paying.
Он настоял на том, чтобы заплатить.
Insist on + gerund.
She apologized for being late.
Она извинилась за опоздание.
Apologize for + gerund.
They accused him of lying.
Они обвинили его во лжи.
Accuse + object + of + gerund.
Use the complement form required by the reporting verb rather than treating infinitives and gerunds as freely interchangeable.
For example, promise to do, admit doing, suggest doing, and refuse to do have different patterns.
He promised to help.
Он пообещал помочь.
Promise + to-infinitive.
He admitted making a mistake.
Он признал, что совершил ошибку.
Admit + gerund.
She suggested going.
Она предложила пойти.
Suggest + gerund.
Passive reporting structures require the appropriate infinitive form and voice.
For example, He is believed to have left and She is believed to have been informed use different active and passive relationships.
He is believed to have left.
Считается, что он ушёл.
Active relation: he performed the action.
She is believed to have been informed.
Считается, что её проинформировали.
Passive relation: she received the action.
Do not combine direct-speech punctuation and word order with reported-speech grammar unless a direct quotation is intentionally being used.
For example, She said that she was tired is reported speech, while She said, "I am tired" is direct speech.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Reported speech.
She said, "I am tired."
Она сказала: «Я устала».
Direct speech.
Reported speech normally does not use quotation marks because it does not reproduce the exact original wording.
Use quotation marks for direct quotations, not for ordinary reported statements.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Reported speech: no quotation marks.
She said that "she was tired".
Она сказала, что «она устала».
Incorrect: quotation marks in reported speech.
Do not change every tense, pronoun, time expression, or place expression if the original form remains appropriate in the reporting context.
Reported speech is guided by reference and meaning rather than by a fixed list of mandatory substitutions.
She said that she is still working there.
Она сказала, что всё ещё работает там.
Correct: no change needed for current fact.
She said that she was still working there.
Она сказала, что всё ещё работала там.
Also possible, but present may be preferred if still true.
Accurate reported speech requires control of reporting verbs, complement patterns, tense relationships, reference changes, question structure, and context.
Before converting a sentence, identify the type of communication, the reporting verb, the original viewpoint, and the relationship between the original and reporting contexts.
She said that she was tired.
Она сказала, что устала.
Correct reported statement.
She said me that she was tired.
Она сказала мне, что устала.
Incorrect: say + object.
She asked where did I live.
Она спросила, где я живу.
Incorrect: inversion in reported question.
She suggested us to leave.
Она предложила нам уйти.
Incorrect: suggest + object + to-infinitive.
She told me to close the door.
Она велела мне закрыть дверь.
Correct: tell + object + to-infinitive.