An indirect quote reports what someone said without using their exact words, and it takes no quotation marks. A direct quote reproduces the exact words and does take quotation marks. “She said she was tired” is an indirect quote; “She said, ‘I’m tired’” is a direct quote. Indirect quoting lets you summarize or reword what a source said while still crediting the idea to them.
Here is the definition in full, the grammar that changes when you switch from direct to indirect, and when to use each.
What is an indirect quote?
An indirect quote, also called indirect speech or reported speech, restates a source’s words in your own words. Because you are not reproducing the exact wording, you do not use quotation marks. You usually introduce it with “that”: The teacher explained that the test would be moved to Friday. The meaning is preserved; the phrasing is yours.
It still requires attribution. Rewording someone’s statement does not make the idea yours, so in academic writing an indirect quote (a paraphrase) still needs a citation. For how that works across styles, see how do you paraphrase a quote.
Indirect quote examples
Comparing the two side by side shows the shift:
Direct: “I am going to the library,” Maria said.
Indirect: Maria said that she was going to the library.
Direct: The mayor announced, “We will repair every road by spring.”
Indirect: The mayor announced that the city would repair every road by spring.
Notice what changes: the quotation marks disappear, the pronouns shift (“I” becomes “she”), and the verb tense usually moves back one step (“am going” becomes “was going”). These adjustments are what make reported speech read smoothly inside your own sentence.
How is an indirect quote different from a direct quote?
A direct quote is an exact, word-for-word transcription inside quotation marks. An indirect quote is a reworded report with no quotation marks. Use a direct quote when the precise wording matters, when the phrasing is memorable, or when you want to show you are not distorting a source. Use an indirect quote when you only need the substance and want it to flow in your own voice, or when the original wording is long or awkward. For the direct side in detail, see direct quotes.
When should you use an indirect quote?
Reach for indirect quoting when the idea matters more than the exact words. It keeps your writing in one consistent voice, avoids a page cluttered with quotation marks, and lets you compress a long statement into a sentence. Reserve direct quotes for lines where the wording itself is the point. Either way you must credit the source; the only difference is the quotation marks and whose words appear on the page. For folding a source into your sentence cleanly, see how to introduce a quote, and for the mechanics of citing, how to cite a quote.
FAQ
Do indirect quotes need quotation marks?
No. Because you are rewording rather than reproducing the exact words, an indirect quote takes no quotation marks. It still needs a citation, since the idea belongs to the source.
What is an example of an indirect quote?
“Maria said that she was going to the library” is indirect. The direct version would be: Maria said, “I am going to the library.”
Is an indirect quote the same as a paraphrase?
Effectively yes. Both restate a source in your own words without quotation marks, and both still require a citation. “Indirect quote” is common in grammar and journalism; “paraphrase” is the term used in academic citation.
What changes when you turn a direct quote into an indirect one?
You drop the quotation marks, shift pronouns to fit your sentence, and usually move the verb tense back one step (“am” to “was”).
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