backshifting

Backshifting is a grammatical phenomenon in which the tense and time reference of a clause change when it is reported within another clause. It is most commonly discussed in the context of indirect or reported speech. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, verbs in the embedded clause are often shifted back from a present or future reference to a past reference, aligning the time frame with the moment of reporting.

In English, backshifting is typical in indirect discourse. Example: Direct speech: "I am leaving tomorrow," she said. Indirect speech: "She said she was leaving the next day." Future forms commonly shift: "I will come" becomes "she said she would come." Time adverbials also shift: "today" becomes "that day," "tomorrow" becomes "the next day." In contemporary usage, backshifting is not mandatory; speakers may retain present tenses to emphasize relevance to the present moment or in journalistic or literary contexts where immediacy is desired.

Cross-linguistically, backshifting rules vary. Some languages have stricter tense systems or different rules for future or perfect tenses, and some do not require backshifting in indirect speech. The phenomenon is widely studied in grammar and semantics because it interacts with deictic shifts, aspect, mood, and evidentiality, and it bears on how speakers anchor reported information in time.