一、决定引语的时间有两种形式——
1、引语中所含有表示具体时间的状语,如：
“I haven't see her today”中的 today
“He saw the movie last year”中的 last year
2、叙述语中有暗指时间的参照谓语动词
He said, "I haven't see her today" 中的 said
“I am a student,” he told me 中的told
二、间接引语一般是过后对直接引语的引述,说话当时的时空已经转移,因此谓语动词需要用表示过去时间的时态.下面是时态改变的方式——
直接引语 间接引语
现在时 —— 过去时
现在完成时—— 过去完成时
过去时 —— 过去完成时
将来时 —— 过去将来时
三、关于时间状语时候改变有两种情况——
1、如果是当天引述,时间状语不必改变
2、如果属于改天引述,时间状语要做相应的改动,具体办法如下——
* this类（包括 today）改为 that 类,如：
today—that day,this week—that week
* last 类（包括yesterday）改为 the … before,如：
yesterday—the day before,last year—the year before
* next 类（包括tomorrow）改为 the next …或者 the following …,如：
Tomorrow—the next day / the following day,next month—the next/following month
四、实例
1、He said,“I haven't seen her today””
变为 He said that he hadn't seen her that day. 其中改变了动词时态,改变了时间状语.
2、“In your opinion, who did Mr Brown go to meet at the station yesterday?” Peter asked.
变为 Peter asked me who I thought Mr Brown had gone to meet at the station the day before in my opinion? （“认为”与“问”同步,用过去时；“去车站”早于“问”,用过去完成时）
五、特例
1、如果直接引语说的是真理,间接引语中时态仍然沿用现在时,如：
He said the sun rises in the east every morning.
2、如果述语本身是现在时,引语好用原时态,如：
My mother often says that she is happy with us.