The tenses generally move backwards in this way (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):
| present simple I'm a teacher.
| past simple He said he was a teacher.
|
| present continuous I'm having lunch with my parents.
| past continuous. He said he was having lunch with his parents.
|
| present perfect simple I've been to France three times.
| past perfect simple He said he had been to France three times.
|
| present perfect continuous I've been working very hard.
| past perfect continuous He said he had been working very hard.
|
| past simple I bought a new car.
| past perfect He said he had bought a new car.
|
| past continuous It was raining earlier.
| past perfect continuous He said it had been raining earlier.
|
| past perfect The play had started when I arrived.
| past perfect NO CHANGE POSSIBLE
|
| past perfect continuous I'd already been living in London for 5 years.
| past perfect continuous NO CHANGE POSSIBLE
|
Other verb forms also sometimes change:
| will I'll come and see you soon.
| would He said he would come and see me soon.
|
| can I can swim under water for two minutes.
| could He said he could swim under water for two minutes.
|
| must All tickets must be bought in advance.
| had to He said that all tickets had to be bought in advance.
|
| shall What shall we do about it?
| should He asked what we should do about it.
|
| may May I smoke?
| might He asked if he might smoke.
|
Things are slightly more complicated with imperatives:
| positive imperative: Watch out!
| tell + infinitive He told me to watch out.
|
| negative imperative: Don't do that again!
| tell + not + infinitive He told me not to do it again.
|
| imperatives as requests: Please give me some money.
| ask + infinitive He asked me to give him some money.
|
Time and place references. They often have to change:
| now
| then
|
| today
| that day
|
| here
| there
|
| this
| that
|
| this week
| that week
|
| tomorrow
| the following day the next day the day after
|
| next week
| the following week the next week the week after
|
| yesterday
| the previous day the day before
|
| last week
| the previous week the week before
|
| ago
| previously before
|
| 2 weeks ago
| 2 weeks previously 2 weeks before
|
| tonight
| that night
|
| last Saturday
| the previous Saturday the Saturday before
|
| next Saturday
| the following Saturday the next Saturday the Saturday after that Saturday
|
For example:
I went to the theatre last night.
He said he had gone to the theatre the night before.
I'm having a party next weekend.
He said he was having a party the next weekend.
I'm staying here until next week.
He said he was staying there until the following week.
I came over from London 3 years ago.
He said he had come over from London 3 years before.
