直接引用别人的话叫直接引语，用来转述别人的话叫间接引语。例：
 

　　He said, "He will go to Beijing tomorrow." （直接引语）
 

　　He said that he would go to Beijing the next day.
 

　　直接引语变间接引语时时态、人称及一些时间或个别词都要做相应的改变。
 

　　①时态：
 

　　一般现在时→一般过去时   一般将来时→过去将来时
 

　　现在进行时→过去进行时   一般过去时→过去完成时
 

　　现在完成时→过去完成时
 

　　* 但真理性的句子时态不变。例：
 

　　He said: "The sun rises in the east."
 

　　He said that the sun rises in the east.
 

　　他说太阳从东方升起。
 

　　②时间：
 

　　now→then, last month→the month before.
 

　　today→ that day, three days ago→three days before.
 

　　tonight→that night, tomorrow→the next day.
 

　　yesterday→the day before, the day after tomorrow→in two days.
 

　　③其它变化：
 

　　this→that   these→those   here→there
 

　　come→go
 

　　句式的改变：
 

　　①直接引语是陈述句加"that"可以省去。例：
 

　　He said, "My sister was here three days ago."→
 

　　He said that his sister had been there three days before.
 

　　②直接引语是一般疑问句，变成用if/whether引导的宾语从句，人称时态等作相应改变。
 

　　Mother asked me, "Did you buy any meat for lunch?"→
 

　　Mother asked me if/whether I had bought some meat for lunch.
 

　　③直接引语是特殊问句，变成由原来疑问词一样的连接词引导的宾语从句，时态人称等作相应改变。例：
 

　　"What do you do?" he asked me.
 

　　He asked me what I did.
 

　　④直接引语是选择问句变成由whether或if引导的宾语从句。
 

　　"Do you like English or Chinese?" He asked me.
 

　　He asked me whether I liked English or Chinese.