A sentence has been given in direct speech: "Priyanka said to me, I do not trust you." Choose the option that correctly expresses this in indirect speech.

Introduction / Context:
This question assesses your understanding of direct and indirect speech, also known as reported speech. The original sentence is in direct form: "Priyanka said to me, I do not trust you." To convert it into indirect speech, you must change pronouns, adjust the tense where necessary and remove the quotation marks, while preserving the meaning. Questions of this type are common in school English grammar and competitive exams, because they test both grammatical accuracy and careful reading.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: Priyanka said to me, "I do not trust you".
• Reporting verb: "said to", which often changes to "told" in reported form.
• Speaker: Priyanka. Listener: me.
• Reported clause: "I do not trust you".
• We assume normal backshift rules of tense in indirect speech where the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Concept / Approach:
When converting from direct to indirect speech with a past tense reporting verb like "said", we usually shift the tense of the reported clause one step back. Present simple "do not trust" becomes past simple "did not trust". Pronouns need adjustment as well: "I" in Priyanka's mouth refers to Priyanka herself, and "you" refers to the listener "me". The reporting verb "said to" is normally changed to "told" followed by the person. The word "that" may be added to introduce the reported clause, though it is sometimes optional. The structure therefore becomes: Priyanka told me that she did not trust me.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace "said to me" with the common reported speech form "told me". Step 2: Change the first person pronoun "I" to "she", because Priyanka is speaking about herself. Step 3: Change "you" to "me", because Priyanka is addressing the person who is reporting the sentence. Step 4: Backshift the tense from present simple "do not trust" to past simple "did not trust", and introduce the clause with "that", giving "Priyanka told me that she did not trust me".

Verification / Alternative check:
Check that the meaning remains the same: Priyanka is expressing a lack of trust in the person she addresses. The reported sentence "Priyanka told me that she did not trust me" clearly communicates this idea in indirect form. Now examine other options. Any answer that keeps "do not trust" without backshift fails to follow standard reported speech rules with a past reporting verb. Similarly, an answer that omits "me" or uses incorrect pronoun combinations will distort the meaning. The selected option respects tense, pronoun changes and the natural use of "told me that", confirming it is the best choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"Priyanka said she do not trust me" contains an incorrect verb form "do not" instead of "does not" or "did not". "Priyanka did not trust me" removes the reporting structure and does not show that this is something Priyanka said; it reads like a plain statement about the past. "Priyanka told me that she does not trust me" keeps the verb in present tense, which is less natural when the reporting verb is in the past, unless a special context is given. "Priyanka said to me that she did not trust me" is close in meaning but uses the less natural combination "said to me that" instead of the concise "told me that", and many exam patterns prefer the standard "told me" form.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to change pronouns such as "I" and "you" to match the new sentence structure, which leads to confusing or incorrect reported speech. Another frequent error is inconsistent backshift of tense: some learners change only part of the verb phrase or do not change it at all. Confusion between "said" and "told" is also common; remember that "told" must be followed by the person, while "said" usually needs "to" or a different structure. Always check the speaker, listener and time of action before finalising the indirect form.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech form is Priyanka told me that she did not trust me.