When changing from direct to reported speech, past tense becomes: present tense past perfect tense present perfect tense

Understanding Direct and Reported Speech

When converting direct speech to reported speech, the verb tenses often change in a specific way. This is primarily due to the shift in perspective from the original speaker's point in time to that of the reporter.

1. Change of Tense: In reported speech, the past tense in direct speech usually shifts backward in time. For instance:

   • If the direct speech is in the past simple (e.g., "I saw a movie"), it converts to the past perfect in reported speech (e.g., He said that he had seen a movie).

2. Present Tense Transformation: The choice of moving to the present perfect tense would not be typical when the initial statement is in the past tense. The concept of shifting timeframes in reported speech generally means moving to a tense that reflects a completed action prior to the reporting time.

3. Past Perfect Tense Choice: When the original statement is in the past tense, the most common transformation in English is to the past perfect tense. This is done to emphasize that the action was completed before the reporting.

4. Exceptions: If the reporting verb is in the present tense or if the information is still relevant or true, then it is possible to maintain the present tense.

Conclusion

In summary, when converting direct speech to reported speech, when the original verb is in the past tense, the typical transformation is to the past perfect tense. Thus, the correct choice is:

Past Perfect Tense.