Rules for Changing Tenses

In the previous chapter, we mastered how to swap pronouns so that a sentence makes sense from the reporter's point of view. But pronouns are only half the battle. If you are reporting something that someone said in the past, the time of their statement has also shifted.

Think about it logically: if your friend Rahul said to you yesterday, "I am hungry," that was true for him in that exact moment. But if you tell someone else about it today, you cannot say, "Rahul said that he is hungry." Rahul isn't hungry anymore; he ate yesterday! You have to say, "Rahul said that he was hungry."

Because the act of speaking happened in the past, the entire reality of the sentence gets dragged back into the past. In the world of grammar, this backward movement in time is called the backshift.

In this chapter, we are going to learn exactly how every single tense shifts backward when we move from direct speech to indirect speech. We will build this from the ground up, looking at present tenses, past tenses, and modal verbs, so you never have to guess which verb form to use on exam day.

The Golden Trigger: The Past Tense Reporting Verb

Before we memorize any rules, we need to know when to apply them. Tenses inside the quotation marks do not change automatically. They only change if the Reporting Verb (the verb outside the quotation marks, usually introducing the speech) is in the past tense.

If the sentence starts with "He said...", "She told me...", or "They asked...", you have officially pulled the trigger. The backshift rule is now active, and the verbs inside the quotation marks must take a step back in time.

(Note: There are a few special exceptions where tenses don't change even if the reporting verb is in the past tense, such as universal truths. We will cover those specific exceptions in the next chapter. For this entire chapter, assume the backshift rule is fully active.)

Shifting Present Tenses to Past Tenses

The most common and intuitive changes happen when the original speaker uses a present tense. Because they spoke in the past, their "present" becomes our "past". The rule here is beautifully simple: Every present tense turns into its exact matching past tense.

1. Present Simple becomes Past Simple

When a speaker states a general fact, a habit, or a current state using the Present Simple tense, we shift it to the Past Simple tense.

• The Grammar Shift: The base verb (like play, plays, go, goes, is, am, are) changes to its second form (V2) or past form (like played, went, was, were).

Example A:

• Direct: She said, "I work in a bank."
• Indirect: She said that she worked in a bank.

(The present simple verb "work" shifts back to the past simple "worked".)

Example B:

• Direct: He said, "I do not like tea."
• Indirect: He said that he did not like tea.

(Notice that in negative sentences, the helping verb "do/does" shifts to "did". The main verb "like" stays in its base form because "did" already carries the past tense.)

2. Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous

When a speaker describes an action happening right at the moment they are speaking, they use the Present Continuous tense. We shift this to the Past Continuous tense to show that the action was happening at that moment in the past.

• The Grammar Shift: The helping verbs is / am / are change to was / were. The main verb with its "-ing" ending stays exactly the same.

Example A:

• Direct: John said, "I am reading a book."
• Indirect: John said that he was reading a book.

(The helping verb "am" shifts to "was". The "-ing" verb "reading" does not change.)

Example B:

• Direct: The teacher said, "The students are making noise."
• Indirect: The teacher said that the students were making noise.

(The plural helping verb "are" shifts to the plural past helping verb "were".)

3. Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect

When a speaker talks about an action they have just completed, they use the Present Perfect tense. We shift this to the Past Perfect tense.

• The Grammar Shift: The helping verbs has / have change to had. The main verb (which is already in the third form, V3) stays exactly the same.

Example A:

• Direct: She said, "I have finished my homework."
• Indirect: She said that she had finished her homework.

(The helping verb "have" simply becomes "had".)

Example B:

• Direct: He said, "She has gone to the market."
• Indirect: He said that she had gone to the market.

4. Present Perfect Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous

If a speaker describes an action that started in the past and is still continuing at their time of speaking, they use the Present Perfect Continuous. We shift this to the Past Perfect Continuous.

• The Grammar Shift: The helping verbs has been / have been change to had been. The "-ing" verb stays the same.

Example A:

• Direct: They said, "We have been waiting for two hours."
• Indirect: They said that they had been waiting for two hours.

Shifting Past Tenses Further Back

This is where students often lose marks. It is easy to remember that "present becomes past." But what happens if the original speaker already used a past tense?

If the speaker is talking about the past, and their act of speaking is also in the past, we have to push the reported action even further back in time. We have to move it to the "past of the past." In English grammar, the "past of the past" is the Past Perfect tense.

1. Past Simple becomes Past Perfect

This is one of the most frequently tested rules in competitive exams. When the direct speech is in the Past Simple, it must be shifted to the Past Perfect.

• The Grammar Shift: The past tense verb (V2, like went, ate, played) changes to had + V3 (like had gone, had eaten, had played).

Example A:

• Direct: He said, "I bought a new car."
• Indirect: He said that he had bought a new car.

(Why? Because the buying happened before the saying. To show this timeline clearly in indirect speech, "bought" must become "had bought".)

Example B:

• Direct: She said, "We did not go to the park."
• Indirect: She said that they had not gone to the park.

(The negative past simple "did not go" shifts to the negative past perfect "had not gone".)

2. Past Continuous becomes Past Perfect Continuous

If the speaker was describing an ongoing action in the past, we push it back to the Past Perfect Continuous.

• The Grammar Shift: The helping verbs was / were change to had been. The "-ing" verb stays the same.

Example A:

• Direct: She said, "I was sleeping when the phone rang."
• Indirect: She said that she had been sleeping when the phone rang.

3. Past Perfect remains Past Perfect

What happens if the direct speech is already in the Past Perfect tense?

• Direct: He said, "I had eaten before I arrived."

Think about the timeline. The Past Perfect is the absolute furthest back you can go in English grammar. There is no "Super Past Perfect." Because we have hit the wall at the end of the timeline, the tense does not change.

• Indirect: He said that he had eaten before he arrived.

4. Past Perfect Continuous remains Past Perfect Continuous

Similarly, if the direct speech is already in the Past Perfect Continuous, it cannot be pushed back any further. It remains unchanged.

• Direct: She said, "I had been working all day."
• Indirect: She said that she had been working all day.

Shifting Modal Verbs

Modal verbs (like will, can, may) are helping verbs that express possibility, permission, or future intent. Just like regular verbs, they have past-tense equivalents. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the modal verbs inside the quotation marks must take a step back.

1. Will becomes Would

Any future tense using "will" shifts to "would".

• Direct: He said, "I will help you."
• Indirect: He said that he would help me.

2. Can becomes Could

• Direct: She said, "I can solve this puzzle."
• Indirect: She said that she could solve that puzzle.

3. May becomes Might

• Direct: The manager said, "It may rain today."
• Indirect: The manager said that it might rain that day.

4. Shall becomes Should (or Would)

This one requires a little bit of thought. Traditionally, "shall" changes to "should".

• Direct: He said, "What shall we do?"
• Indirect: He asked what they should do.

However, if "shall" is just being used as a future marker (like "will") with I or We, it often changes to "would" in indirect speech to match the new pronoun.

• Direct: I said, "I shall leave tomorrow."
• Indirect: I said that I would leave the next day.

5. Must becomes Had to (or remains Must)

"Must" can be tricky. If "must" implies a strict obligation or a rule, it changes to "had to" (because "had to" is the past tense of obligation).

• Direct: The teacher said, "You must complete the assignment."
• Indirect: The teacher said that we had to complete the assignment.

If "must" is used to state a general deduction or a permanent rule, it can remain "must".

• Direct: He said, "Everyone must die one day."
• Indirect: He said that everyone must die one day.

Modals that DO NOT change

If the direct speech already contains a past-tense modal, it cannot be shifted back any further. The following modals do not change in indirect speech:

• Would (remains would)
• Could (remains could)
• Should (remains should)
• Might (remains might)
• Ought to (remains ought to)

• Direct: She said, "I could swim when I was five."
• Indirect: She said that she could swim when she was five.

Mapping the Tense Changes: The Master List

To make revision easy, here is the complete mapping of how tenses shift when the reporting verb is in the past tense. Memorize these pairs.

• Present Simple → shifts to → Past Simple (write → wrote)
• Present Continuous → shifts to → Past Continuous (is writing → was writing)
• Present Perfect → shifts to → Past Perfect (has written → had written)
• Present Perfect Continuous → shifts to → Past Perfect Continuous (has been writing → had been writing)
• Past Simple → shifts to → Past Perfect (wrote → had written)
• Past Continuous → shifts to → Past Perfect Continuous (was writing → had been writing)
• Past Perfect → remains → Past Perfect (had written → had written)
• Past Perfect Continuous → remains → Past Perfect Continuous (had been writing → had been writing)
• Will / Can / May → shifts to → Would / Could / Might

Step-by-Step Walkthroughs

Let’s put everything together. When you face a narration question in the exam, you shouldn't just guess what sounds right. You should follow a mechanical, step-by-step process.

Walkthrough 1: Present Continuous

Direct: Amit said to me, "I am waiting for your call."

1. 1Reporting Verb: "said to" is past tense. (Backshift is ON).
2. 2Identify Tense: "am waiting" is Present Continuous.
3. 3Shift Tense: Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous. "am waiting" becomes "was waiting".
4. 4Change Pronouns: "I" becomes "he" (Amit). "your" becomes "my" (me).
5. 5Final Answer: Amit told me that he was waiting for my call.

Walkthrough 2: Past Simple (The Trap)

Direct: Priya said, "I lost my keys yesterday."

1. 1Reporting Verb: "said" is past tense. (Backshift is ON).
2. 2Identify Tense: "lost" is Past Simple (V2).
3. 3Shift Tense: Past Simple becomes Past Perfect. "lost" becomes "had lost".
4. 4Change Pronouns: "I" becomes "she" (Priya). "my" becomes "her".
5. 5Final Answer: Priya said that she had lost her keys the previous day. (Note: "yesterday" changes to "the previous day", which is a time-word shift we will cover fully in a later chapter, but notice how naturally it fits with the Past Perfect tense).

Walkthrough 3: Modals

Direct: The doctor said, "You can go home now, but you must rest."

1. 1Reporting Verb: "said" is past tense. (Backshift is ON).
2. 2Identify Tense/Modals: "can go" and "must rest".
3. 3Shift Tense: "can" becomes "could". "must" (as an obligation) becomes "had to".
4. 4Change Pronouns: "You" becomes "I" (assuming the doctor is speaking to me).
5. 5Final Answer: The doctor said that I could go home then, but I had to rest.

Quick Revision

Before you close this chapter, review these high-yield points. If you can remember these, you can solve almost any tense-based narration question:

• The Trigger: Tenses inside the quotes ONLY change if the reporting verb outside the quotes is in the past tense (e.g., said, told).
• Present to Past: Every present tense shifts to its exact past counterpart (Simple to Simple, Continuous to Continuous, Perfect to Perfect).
• The Helping Verb Trick: For continuous and perfect tenses, only change the helping verb (is → was, have → had). Leave the main verb alone.
• The Past Simple Trap: Past Simple does NOT stay Past Simple. It must shift back to the Past Perfect (went → had gone).
• The End of the Line: Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous do not change because you cannot go further back in time.
• Modals: Will becomes would, can becomes could, may becomes might.
• Unchanging Modals: Would, could, should, and might never change.