Changes in Pronouns, Time and Place Words in Reported Speech: Rules and Examples

Read this sentence: She said to me, "I will meet you here tomorrow." Now report it. A common attempt looks like this: "She told me that she would meet you here tomorrow."

Count the mistakes. The pronoun is wrong, because "you" now refers to me, the listener, so it must become "me". The place word is wrong, because "here" must become "there". And the time word is wrong, because "tomorrow" must become "the next day". Three small words, three changes, and most students catch only one of them.

The correct answer is: She told me that she would meet me there the next day.

This is the heart of reported speech. Tenses get all the attention, but pronouns, time words and place words decide whether your answer is right or only almost right. In this guide, I'll show you a simple three-check method, the complete lists of changes, the exceptions, the mistakes examiners love and a practice set with answers. If you haven't read the basics, start with my post on direct and indirect speech rules with examples, and my guide to the tense changes chart. The examples here are original sentences on common exam patterns, not questions from a particular year's paper.

In This Guide

1. Part 1: Pronoun changes in reported speech
2. Part 2: Time words in reported speech
3. Part 3: Place and demonstrative words
4. Memory tricks cheat sheet (screenshot this)
5. When time and place words do NOT change
6. A step-by-step walkthrough of a harder sentence
7. 12 worked examples
8. 7 common mistakes with pronouns, time and place
9. Practice set: 12 questions
10. A 3-day plan to master this lesson
11. Frequently asked questions
12. Where to go from here

Part 1: Pronoun changes in reported speech

A pronoun in direct speech is chosen from the speaker's point of view. When you report it, you speak from your own point of view, so the pronoun must change to match who is who in the reporting sentence.

The three-part rule

• First person (I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) changes according to the subject of the reporting verb.
• Second person (you, your, yours) changes according to the object of the reporting verb.
• Third person (he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, their) does not change.

Examples of each rule

The full pronoun table

Special cases that confuse students

When the speaker is also the reporter. If you're reporting your own words, "I" stays "I": I said to him, "I will help you." becomes I told him that I would help him. The first-person pronoun follows the subject, and the subject is "I".

When the listener is the reporter. You said to me, "You are late." becomes You told me that I was late. The second person "you" follows the object ("me"), so it becomes "I".

When there's no object. If the reporting verb has no listener (He said, "You are late."), the second person depends on the context. It becomes "I", "he", "she", "they" or a name, according to who the speaker meant. Exam questions usually give a clear context.

Part 2: Time words in reported speech

Words that point to a moment close to the speaker also change when the report is made later. Here's the standard list.

Part 3: Place and demonstrative words

Memory tricks cheat sheet (screenshot this)

Here's every shortcut from this guide, plus the earlier ones from this series, in one place.

When time and place words do NOT change

• The reporting verb is in the present or future tense. He says, "I will come tomorrow." becomes He says that he will come tomorrow. Here, the report is happening now, so "tomorrow" is still tomorrow.
• The report is made on the same day or in the same place. If you're reporting at the same moment and at the same location, the word may stay. For example, "He said that he would come tomorrow" is acceptable if you say it today. But in exams, unless a question says so, change the words by the standard rule.

In practice, treat these two as the only exceptions you need. In most exam questions, the reporting verb is in the past and there's no hint about when and where the report is made, so the standard changes apply.

A step-by-step walkthrough of a harder sentence

Let's apply P-T-P to a longer sentence that mixes everything: Ravi said to Seema, "I lost my pen yesterday, and you can use this one now."

Final answer: Ravi told Seema that he had lost his pen the previous day and that she could use that one then.

See how the sentence breaks into small, easy decisions? That's the real skill. A long sentence isn't harder than a short one. It just has more small decisions. Take them one by one in the P-T-P order, and the answer builds itself.

12 worked examples

Study each one, and notice which check (person, time or place) is at work. Try converting them yourself before you read the answers.

7 common mistakes with pronouns, time and place

Practice set: 12 questions

Convert each sentence into indirect speech. Use the P-T-P check on every one, and write your answers in a notebook first.

1. He said, "I am leaving now."
2. She said to me, "I will see you tomorrow."
3. They said, "We live here."
4. Mohan said to Sohan, "Your pen is on this desk."
5. I said to her, "I will call you tonight."
6. The boy said, "I saw a tiger yesterday."
7. You said to me, "You are late."
8. She said, "I have been waiting here since morning."
9. Raj said to Ravi, "I will meet you next Monday."
10. Seema said, "These books are mine."
11. He said, "I bought this bike two years ago."
12. Anil said to me, "My brother will come today."

A 3-day plan to master this lesson

Frequently asked questions

Why do pronouns change in reported speech?

Because a pronoun is chosen from the speaker's point of view. When you report the sentence, you speak from your own point of view, so the pronouns must match the new situation.

How do I change "you" in indirect speech?

The second person follows the object of the reporting verb. If you say "Ravi said to Sunil, 'You are late'", then "you" refers to Sunil, so it becomes "he". If the listener is the reporter, "you" becomes "I".

Do I always change "now" to "then"?

In exam questions, yes, when the reporting verb is in the past. The exceptions are a present or future reporting verb, and a report made at the same moment and place.

Should I write "the next day" or "the following day"?

Both are correct for "tomorrow". Use whichever you prefer, and be consistent. The same is true for "the previous day" and "the day before" for "yesterday".

When does "come" become "go"?

When the movement is away from the place where the reporter is standing. If the movement is towards the reporter's place, "come" stays "come". Exam questions with "come" and "go" usually follow the first rule.

What is the easiest way to remember all these changes?

Use P-T-P to decide the order of checks (person, time, place), S-O-N for pronouns and N-F for near words. Practise ten sentences a day for a week and the changes become automatic.

Where to go from here

You now have the three checks, the full lists and the memory tricks to handle pronouns, time words and place words in any statement. Practise the twelve questions again in three days, and keep the cheat sheet on your phone. The next posts in this series cover reporting verbs and then questions, commands and exclamations.

If you'd like the complete system in one place, with rules, memory tricks and exam-style practice, my ebook Mastering Direct & Indirect Speech: Ultimate Guide to Confident Reporting: For SSC CGL, IBPS PO, CAT, CUET, UPSC and State PSCs is available on Amazon.

Mastering Direct & Indirect Speech: Ultimate Guide to Confident Reporting

Convert narration from your most error-prone descriptive-paper section into a confidently mastered, rule-driven skill.