He said to me, I have often told you not to play with fire.
A. He said that he has often been telling me not to play with fire.
B. He told me that he had often told me not to play with fire.
C. He reminded me that he often said to me not to play with fire.
D. He said to me that he often told me not to play with fire.
Answer: Option B
Solution (By Examveda Team)
Original Sentence (Direct Speech):He said to me, "I have often told you not to play with fire."
Step-by-step Conversion:
1. This is a statement, so “said to me” changes to “told me” in indirect speech.
2. The verb “have told” is in the present perfect tense. In indirect speech, present perfect changes to past perfect → “had told”.
3. “I” becomes “he”, and “you” becomes “me”.
4. The phrase “not to play with fire” remains unchanged because it is already in the correct form for indirect speech.
Correct Sentence:
He told me that he had often told me not to play with fire.
Correct Answer: Option B
Why other options are incorrect:
Option A: “has often been telling” — ❌ incorrect tense. “Have told” should become “had told,” not continuous tense.
Option C: “reminded me that he often said…” — ❌ wrong reporting verb and tense. “Said” does not convey the repeated advice correctly.
Option D: “that he often told me…” — ❌ wrong tense. Present perfect should change to past perfect, not simple past.
Final Answer: Option B – He told me that he had often told me not to play with fire.
This Question Belongs to Competitive English >> Direct And Indirect Speech
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Comments (8)
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I prefer c to be correct option
And when there is someone else, the subject is saying something like here HE said to ME, in this case while converting it to indirect speech "told" will replace "said".
"He told me that he had often told me not to play with fire" is the right answer.
I think Option B is correct because if you read the whole sentence then you can say that he reminded him about something he said before but when you look at the reported speech "I have often told you not to play with fire" this sentence is in present perfect tense. This sentence will convert to past perfect. In place of "Have" , there will be "Had".
will SHOUTED AT ME not come?
D option
He said to me that he had often told me not to play with fire .... Is the correct answer
Both the options B & C are correct ............but most of the students prefer option C.⭐⭐😊
i think option c is correct