The Backshifting Cheat Sheet

Each tense moves one step into the past:

• am becomes was: "He said he was tired"
• will becomes would: "She said she would come"
• can becomes could: "They said they could help"
• have done becomes had done: "He said he had finished"
• did becomes had done: "She said she had called"

Time and place words shift too: today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, here becomes there.