Exercises - Indirect Speech: Backshift 2

Level A2 - B1

Change each sentence to indirect speech by rewriting the verbs in bold. Change the tenses in all sentences!

This is how the tense changes when a tense shift is used in forming indirect speech sentences:

 

Simple Present (asks) → Simple Past (asked)

Present Progressive (is asking) → Past Progressive (was asking)

Simple Past (asked) → Past Perfect (had asked)

Present Perfect (has asked) → Past Perfect (had asked)

Future Simple (will ask) → would + infinitive without to (would ask)

can (can ask) → could (could ask)