Learn · Sentences Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)
They said that they had been talking about the issue for a while.
B2Sentence
They said that they had been talking about the issue for a while.
Study notes
How to use in different contexts
Reporting News
News sources reported that the parties had been discussing the matter for some time.
Summarizing a Meeting
The team said they'd been addressing this problem in their previous meetings.
Recounting a Conversation
During our chat, they mentioned they'd been working on this issue for a while.
Expressing Doubt
They claimed they'd been talking about it, but I doubt they'd made much progress.
Rephrased versions
Formal
They indicated that they had engaged in discussions regarding the issue for an extended period.
Casual
They said they'd been chatting about the problem for a bit.
Simpler English
They talked about the problem for a long time.
Phrases to learn
had been talking
Past perfect continuous tense, indicating an action ongoing before another past action.
for a while
For a considerable period of time.