Present simple, present continuous and present perfect We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns. worked) than the tense originally used (e.g. In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. Indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank. direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech. Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. Indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day. Indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef.ĭirect speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. Indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films.ĭirect speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.ĭirect speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said.