A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech. He said, “I bought a new laptop.”

Correct — A. The reporting verb said is past, so the reported verb moves one tense back.

Past simple bought → past perfect had bought
The speaker's I → he, introduced by that

The purchase came before the saying, and the past perfect keeps it earlier: "He said that he had bought a new laptop." → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  He said that he buys a new laptop. — Buys is present simple. It moves the tense forward instead of back and turns a single purchase into a habit.
• (c)
  He said that he was buying a new laptop. — Was buying is past continuous, the back-shift of "I am buying". It also turns a finished purchase into one in progress.
• (d)
  He said that he has bought a new laptop. — Has bought is present perfect, the unshifted report of "I have bought". The speaker said bought, which moves back to had bought.

After a past reporting verb such as said, the reported verb normally moves one tense back.

present simple → past simple
present continuous → past continuous
present perfect → past perfect
past simple → past perfect

The pronoun follows the speaker, so I becomes he.

Key facts

• Past simple becomes past perfect after a past reporting verb: I bought → he had bought.
• Present perfect also becomes past perfect: I have bought → he had bought.
• Present continuous becomes past continuous: I am buying → he was buying.

Common traps

• Choosing has bought because it looks like a past form — it is present perfect, which itself back-shifts to had bought.
• Taking was buying as the back-shift of bought — it comes from am buying.

No directly related past PYQ was found.