Present Simple | Past Simple |
| "He's American," she said. | She said he was American. |
| "I'm happy to see you," Mary said. | Mary said that she was happy to see me. |
| He asked, "Are you busy tonight?" | He asked me if I was busy that night. |
Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| "Dan is living in San Francisco," she said. | She said Dan was living in San Francisco. |
| He said, "I'm making dinner." | He told me that he was making dinner. |
| "Why are you working so hard?" they asked. | They asked me why I was working so hard. |
Past Simple | Past Perfect Simple |
| "We went to the movies last night," he said. | He told me they had gone to the movies the night before. |
| Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday." | Greg said that he hadn't gone to work the day before. |
| "Did you buy a new car?" she asked. | She asked me if I had bought a new car. |
Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| "I was working late last night," Vicki said. | Vicki told me she'd been working late the night before. |
| They said, "We weren't waiting long." | They said that they hadn't been waiting long. |
| He asked, "Were you sleeping when I called?" | He asked if I'd been sleeping when he called. |
Present Perfect Simple | Past Perfect Simple |
| Heather said, "I've already eaten." | Heather told me that she'd already eaten. |
| "We haven't been to China," they said. | They said they hadn't been to China. |
| "Have you worked here before?" I asked. | I asked her whether she'd worked there before. |
Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| "I've been studying English for two years," he said. | He said he'd been studying English for two years. |
| Steve said, "We've been dating for over a year now." | Steve told me that they'd been dating for over a year. |
| "Have you been waiting long?" they asked. | They asked whether I'd been waiting long. |
Past Perfect Simple | Past Perfect Simple (No Change) |
| "I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said. | He said that he'd been to Chicago before for work. |
Past Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous (No Change) |
| She said, "I'd been dancing for years before the accident." | She said she'd been dancing for years before the accident. |
