they said that you were vs they said that you are

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'They said that you were' is used when referring to something that was said in the past, while 'They said that you are' is used when referring to something that was said in the present or is still relevant. The choice between 'were' and 'are' depends on the tense of the reported speech.

Last updated: March 20, 2024

they said that you were

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to something that was said in the past.

This phrase is used when reporting something that was said in the past. 'Were' is the past tense of 'are' and is used to maintain the past tense in reported speech.

Examples:

They said that you were the best student in the class.
They said that you were going to be late.
They said that you were not feeling well.
They said that you were happy with the results.
They said that you were a great help.

Show examples from the web [+]

It ain't complicated. Well, I've grown to hate it. I never liked the taste of crow but baby I ate it. They tried to warn me. They said that you were ornery. So don't bring ...
Dec 11, 2010 ... They said that you were ornery. So don't bring me those big brown eyes and tell me that you're sorry. You might as well throw gasoline on a fire
Aug 16, 2008 ... I visited some houses where they said that you were living. And they talked a lot about you. And they spoke about your giving. They passed a ...
I visited some houses where they said that You were living. And they talked a lot about You And they spoke about Your giving. They passed a basket with some ...

Alternatives:

They said that you used to be
They said that you had been
They said that you had been told
They said that you were told
They said that you were informed

they said that you are

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to something that is said in the present or is still relevant.

This phrase is used when reporting something that is said in the present or is still relevant. 'Are' is the present tense of 'were' and is used to maintain the present tense in reported speech.

Examples:

They said that you are the best candidate for the job.
They said that you are going to love the movie.
They said that you are not feeling well today.
They said that you are happy with the results so far.
They said that you are a great asset to the team.

Show examples from the web [+]

I've heard the concept before similarly in the Entrepreneur magazine that I subscribe to, in an article and they said that,”You are the product by the people you ...
You are so shocked by what they said that you are rendered speechless. Later on you replay the silly comment in your head, tell your friends all about it, and you ...
Sep 21, 2015 ... Why did Stack Overflow delete my account without any warning? They said that: " You are fake" I had just upvoted one of my friend's post.
"Prove to us," they said, "that you are a prophet, by telling us who it was that struck you." World English Bible Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face ...

Alternatives:

They said that you are currently
They said that you are now
They said that you are at the moment
They said that you are presently
They said that you are currently being

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they said that you were vs they said that you are