he said he had gone to the theatre last night vs he said he went to the theatre last night

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. 'He said he had gone to the theatre last night' implies that the action of going to the theatre happened before the time of speaking, while 'he said he went to the theatre last night' simply states the action without specifying the timing in relation to the time of speaking.

Last updated: March 27, 2024

he said he had gone to the theatre last night

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It indicates that the action of going to the theatre happened before the time of speaking.

This phrase is used to report something that was said in the past, indicating that the action took place before that time.

Examples:

He said he had gone to the theatre last night, but I didn't see him there.
She told me she had already finished her homework when I called her.

Alternatives:

He said he had been to the theatre last night.
He mentioned that he had visited the theatre the night before.
He reported that he had attended the theatre the previous night.
He claimed he had gone to the theatre the night before.

he said he went to the theatre last night

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It simply reports the action of going to the theatre without specifying the timing in relation to the time of speaking.

This phrase is used to report something that was said in the past, without indicating whether the action took place before or after that time.

Examples:

He said he went to the theatre last night, but I'm not sure if he actually did.
She mentioned that she went to the theatre with her friends last night.

Alternatives:

He said he had gone to the theatre last night.
He mentioned that he had been to the theatre the night before.
He reported that he had attended the theatre the previous night.
He claimed he had gone to the theatre the night before.

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he said he had gone to the theatre last night vs he said he went to the theatre last night