Indirect Speech में समय और स्थान के शब्द

When we report someone's words later, the time and place change because we are no longer in that same moment. In SSC exams, failing to change 'now' to 'then' or 'today' to 'that day' is a common error. This topic is essential for scoring in Narration questions.

Rule 1: Changing Present Time Words

Words showing immediate time change to distant time in Indirect Speech. Since the reporting happens later, 'today' becomes 'that day' and 'now' becomes 'then'.

Examples

• ✔ He said, "I am reading now." — उसने कहा, "मैं अभी पढ़ रहा हूँ।"
• ✔ He said that he was reading then. — उसने कहा कि वह तब पढ़ रहा था।
• ✔ She said, "I will finish it today." — उसने कहा, "मैं इसे आज खत्म कर दूँगी।"
• ✔ She said that she would finish it that day. — उसने कहा कि वह उसे उस दिन खत्म कर देगी।
• ✔ Ravi said, "I have a party tonight." — रवि ने कहा, "आज रात मेरी एक पार्टी है।"
• ✔ Ravi said that he had a party that night. — रवि ने कहा कि उस रात उसकी एक पार्टी थी।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He said that he is busy now.
• ✔ He said that he was busy then. (In Indirect Speech, 'now' must be changed to 'then'.)
• ✘ She told me she was happy today.
• ✔ She told me she was happy that day. (Using 'today' is incorrect when reporting something that happened in the past.)

💡 Always check the last word of the sentence; if it is 'now' or 'today' in an indirect sentence, it is likely an error.

Rule 2: Changing Yesterday and Tomorrow

In Indirect Speech, 'Yesterday' changes to 'the previous day' or 'the day before'. 'Tomorrow' changes to 'the next day' or 'the following day'.

Examples

• ✔ Ram said, "I went to Delhi yesterday." — राम ने कहा, "मैं कल दिल्ली गया था।"
• ✔ Ram said that he had gone to Delhi the previous day. — राम ने कहा कि वह पिछले दिन दिल्ली गया था।
• ✔ Sita said, "I will call you tomorrow." — सीता ने कहा, "मैं तुम्हें कल फोन करूँगी।"
• ✔ Sita said that she would call me the next day. — सीता ने कहा कि वह मुझे अगले दिन फोन करेगी।
• ✔ The teacher said, "Submit your work tomorrow." — शिक्षक ने कहा, "अपना काम कल जमा करें।"
• ✔ The teacher told us to submit our work the following day. — शिक्षक ने हमें अपना काम अगले दिन जमा करने को कहा।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He said he had seen the movie yesterday.
• ✔ He said he had seen the movie the day before. (The word 'yesterday' is not used in Indirect Speech.)
• ✘ They promised they would come tomorrow.
• ✔ They promised they would come the next day. (Use 'the next day' for the future day in reported speech.)

💡 Think of it as a story: you are telling someone about a past event, so 'tomorrow' doesn't make sense anymore.

Rule 3: Changing Time Intervals (Ago, Last Week)

'Ago' changes to 'before' in Indirect Speech. Any time expression starting with 'last' (like last week/month) changes to 'the previous' (the previous week/month).

Examples

• ✔ He said, "I met her two days ago." — उसने कहा, "मैं उससे दो दिन पहले मिला था।"
• ✔ He said that he had met her two days before. — उसने कहा कि वह उससे दो दिन पहले मिला था।
• ✔ She said, "I visited Agra last week." — उसने कहा, "मैं पिछले हफ्ते आगरा गई थी।"
• ✔ She said that she had visited Agra the previous week. — उसने कहा कि वह पिछले हफ्ते आगरा गई थी।
• ✔ They said, "We bought a car a year ago." — उन्होंने कहा, "हमने एक साल पहले एक कार खरीदी थी।"
• ✔ They said that they had bought a car a year before. — उन्होंने कहा कि उन्होंने एक साल पहले एक कार खरीदी थी।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The patient died two hours ago, the doctor said.
• ✔ The doctor said that the patient had died two hours before. (It is mandatory to change 'ago' to 'before' in Indirect Speech.)
• ✘ He told me he was in London last month.
• ✔ He told me he had been in London the previous month. ('Last' always changes to 'Previous' in reporting.)

💡 Ago -> Before; Last -> Previous. Remember this pair for quick solving.

Rule 4: Changing Place and Demonstratives

Words showing nearness change to words showing distance. 'Here' becomes 'there', 'this' becomes 'that', and 'these' becomes 'those'.

Examples

• ✔ He said, "I like this book." — उसने कहा, "मुझे यह किताब पसंद है।"
• ✔ He said that he liked that book. — उसने कहा कि उसे वह किताब पसंद थी।
• ✔ She said, "I will wait here." — उसने कहा, "मैं यहाँ इंतज़ार करूँगी।"
• ✔ She said that she would wait there. — उसने कहा कि वह वहाँ इंतज़ार करेगी।
• ✔ The boy said, "I want these toys." — लड़के ने कहा, "मुझे ये खिलौने चाहिए।"
• ✔ The boy said that he wanted those toys. — लड़के ने कहा कि उसे वे खिलौने चाहिए थे।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He told me he lived here.
• ✔ He told me he lived there. (In Indirect Speech, 'here' becomes 'there' as the location has changed.)
• ✘ She said she bought these apples.
• ✔ She said she had bought those apples. (Change the plural 'these' to 'those'.)

💡 Always shift from 'near' to 'far' when moving from Direct to Indirect.

Quick revision

• Now always changes to then.
• Today becomes that day and Tonight becomes that night.
• Yesterday becomes the previous day or the day before.
• Tomorrow becomes the next day or the following day.
• Ago must be changed to before.
• Last (week/year) changes to the previous (week/year).
• Here changes to there.
• This/These change to that/those.