Learn · Sentences Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
He said that he hadn’t seen her in a long time.
B1Sentence
Narrator
He said that he hadn’t seen her in a long time.
Study notes
How to use in different contexts
Reporting Speech
He reported that he hadn't seen her in a long time.
Summarizing a Conversation
The main point of their conversation was that he hadn't seen her in a long time.
Adding Detail to a Narrative
He paused, then added that he hadn't seen her in a long time.
Expressing Surprise
I was surprised to hear that he hadn't seen her in a long time.
Rephrased versions
Formal
He stated that he had not seen her for an extended period.
Casual
He said he hadn't seen her ages.
Simpler English
He said it had been a long time since he'd seen her.
Phrases to learn
hadn't seen
Past perfect negative form of 'see,' indicating a lack of prior encounter.
in a long time
For a considerable duration.