Time & Place Expression Changes
Learn how words like today, tomorrow and here shift to match a new moment and location once speech is reported, and when these shifts are not needed at all.
Anchoring to a new moment
Words like today and here only make sense from one point of view.
Time and place expressions in reported speech shift to match the new moment and location of the person retelling the words, rather than staying anchored to the original moment they were spoken.
In “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said., tomorrow pointed to a specific day from her original point of view. In She said she would call me the next day., the next day keeps that same meaning, but expressed relative to the moment being described, rather than to now.
This lesson covers the most common time and place shifts, and explains when they are not actually needed.
Before you begin
This is one of ten topics on reported speech.
This lesson focuses on time and place expressions specifically. Reported speech as a whole includes nine other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of reported speech in general, begin with the Reported Speech page.
The central idea
The same day can be named two different ways.
Compare the original time expression with its reported version.
01
Original
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
02
Reported
She said she would call me the next day.
The useful question is: what day is being described, relative to what?
Tomorrow makes sense only relative to the day she originally spoke. The next day keeps the same meaning, but describes it relative to the day being discussed, rather than to today.
Common time expression shifts
Each time word has its own reported counterpart.
today ? that day
tomorrow ? the next day / the following day
yesterday ? the day before / the previous day
now ? then / at that time
this week ? that week
next week ? the following week
last week ? the previous week / the week before
two days ago ? two days before
Common place expression shifts
Words pointing to a location also shift to a new point of view.
here ? there
this (place) ? that
these (places or things) ? those
Example
“I love it here,” she said. ? She said she loved it there.
When these shifts aren’t needed
If the moment or place hasn’t changed, neither does the expression.
If the sentence is reported on the same day, or in the same place, as it was originally spoken, the original time or place word can stay exactly as it was. This connects to a broader principle covered in the When Backshifting Isn’t Needed lesson.
A useful decision guide
Ask when and where the original words were spoken, relative to now.
01
Does the sentence contain a time expression?
Words like today, tomorrow and now often need to shift.
02
Does the sentence contain a place expression?
Words like here, this and these often need to shift as well.
03
Is the reporting happening on a different day, or in a different place?
If not, the original expression may not need to change.
04
What is the expression relative to now?
Choose the reported form that keeps the same relative meaning.
Common mistakes
An unchanged time or place word can point to the wrong moment.
Tomorrow is not left unchanged when reporting happens later.
Not: She said she would call tomorrow. (said a week later)
Correct: She said she would call the next day.
Left unchanged, tomorrow would incorrectly point to the day after the retelling, not the day after the original statement.
Here is not left unchanged when reporting happens elsewhere.
Not: She said she loved it here. (reported from a different location)
Correct: She said she loved it there.
Today shifts to that day, not this day.
Not: He said the shop closed this day.
Correct: He said the shop closed that day.
Check your understanding
Which expression correctly completes each reported sentence?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.
“I saw her yesterday,” he said. ? He said he had seen her __________.
? Exactly! “Yesterday” shifts to “the day before” once reported.
? Not quite. “Yesterday” is tied to the day he originally spoke, not to now.
What does “yesterday” become when reported?
“I left my bag here,” she said (spoken in the office, but retold at home). ? She said she had left her bag __________.
? Exactly! Since the retelling happens somewhere else, “here” becomes “there”.
? Not quite. Is the retelling happening in the same place as the original statement?
Where is the story being retold?
“I’ll finish it next week,” he said. ? He said he would finish it __________.
? Exactly! “Next week” shifts to “the following week” once reported.
? Not quite. “Next week” is tied to the moment he originally spoke.
What does “next week” become when reported?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why might “She said she would call tomorrow.” be unclear, if reported a week after she said it?
? Exactly! Left unshifted, “tomorrow” points to the wrong day.
? Not quite. The verb “would call” is already correctly backshifted here.
Why does “He said the shop closed this day.” need to be corrected?
? Exactly! The correct reported form uses “that day”.
? Not quite. Focus on the words “this day” specifically.
Quick review
Time and place words shift to stay anchored to the right moment and location.
Common time shifts include today ? that day, tomorrow ? the next day, and yesterday ? the day before.
Common place shifts include here ? there and this ? that.
These shifts are only needed when the moment or place of the reporting is genuinely different from the original.
Left unshifted, these expressions can point to the wrong day or place entirely.
Remember
Ask what moment or place the expression is really pointing to.
Identify what today, tomorrow, or here actually meant at the moment of the original statement, then choose the expression that keeps that same meaning from the new point of view.