We use reported speech when we want to repeat what someone had previously said.

Let's look at the difference between direct speech and reported speech:

Direct Tomie said = 'I am tired.'

Reported Speech = 'Tomie said (that) she was tired.'

In reported speech we need to use the past tense form of the verb. In direct speech the present
tense is used. As you can see, in the above sentence 'am' changes to 'was' when we use reported
speech.

changing to the past tense to make reported speech

Here are some of the important verb changes we use when making reported speech:

am becomes was

Direct John: 'I am going.'

Reported: 'John said that he was going.'

is becomes was

Direct John: 'She is tall.'

Reported: 'John said that she was tall.'

do becomes did

Direct John: 'I always do my homework.'

Reported: 'John said that he always did his homework.'

does becomes did

Direct John: 'My mother does the cleaning.'

Reported: 'John said that his mother did the cleaning.'

have becomes had

Direct John: 'I have your number.'

Reported: 'John said that he had my number.'

has becomes had

Direct John: 'He has caught a cold.'

Reported: 'John said that he had caught a cold.'
go becomes went

Direct John: 'I go shopping on Sunday.'

Reported: 'John said that he went shopping on Sunday.'

will becomes would

Direct John: 'I will call Frank.'

Reported: 'John said that he would call Frank.'

can becomes could

Direct John: 'I can ride a horse.'

Reported: 'John said that he could ride a horse.'

want becomes wanted

Direct John: 'I want a girlfriend.'

Reported: 'John said that he wanted a girlfriend.'