Reported Statements

Use said to report the message. That is common and clear; you can also omit it in many sentences.

Use told only when you include the listener: told me, told Anna, told us.

After said in the past, the reported clause often moves one step back.

Retelling a message

Use reported statements when you tell another person what someone said earlier. Tom said that he was tired.

Sharing later

When the report happens later, words like now, today, and tomorrow often change to fit the new moment.

Including the listener

Use told when you name the person who heard the message: Lisa told me that she was late.

That is often used and always correct, but it can be omitted in many reported statements: He said he was tired.

Pronouns and time words can also change: "I am busy today" → He said that he was busy that day.

Turn a direct statement into a reported statement

Report what someone said without quotation marks. Add a reporting verb and rewrite the sentence as part of a bigger sentence.

Use a that-clause after said

After said, build the message with that + clause. That can stay or drop, but the clause order stays normal.

Move present forms back after a past reporting verb

After said in the past, present forms often move back one step in the reported clause: am/is → was, are → were, live → lived.

Change time words like today and tomorrow when needed

Time words may need to move with the new point of view: today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, now → then.

Change pronouns to match the original speaker and listener

Inside the reported clause, pronouns follow the real people in the message, not the words in the quote. I may become he, she, or they.

Choose said or told with the right pattern

Use said without an object before the message. Use told with a person before the message: told Anna that...