Change the following sentence from direct to indirect speech by choosing the correct option: “The pilgrim said to me, \\"When you go down the street you will see the temple to your right.\\"”

Introduction / Context:
This question involves reporting a set of directions originally given in direct speech by a pilgrim. The pilgrim explains what will happen when the listener goes down a particular street. When this statement is reported later, both the reporting verb and the verbs in the conditional clause must be adjusted. The correct indirect sentence must preserve the conditional meaning and the future result while using standard backshift rules.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: “The pilgrim said to me, ‘When you go down the street you will see the temple to your right.’”
• “Said to me” should become “told me” in reported speech.
• The pronoun “you” refers to “me,” so it should change to “I.”
• The present tense “go” in the time clause usually backshifts to “went.”
• The future “will see” in the main clause changes to “would see.”
• The possessive “your right” becomes “my right,” matching the new subject “I.”

Concept / Approach:
The grammar concepts here include reported speech of complex sentences, conditional or time clauses, and consistent backshifting. Time clauses introduced by “when” often keep their structure but change tense when reported from a later point in time. The future clause also backshifts from “will” to “would.” The overall meaning remains: if I go down that street, I will see the temple on my right. The correct indirect sentence must reflect all these changes clearly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change “said to me” into “told me,” producing “The pilgrim told me …” Step 2: Introduce the reported clause with “that,” giving “The pilgrim told me that …” Step 3: Replace “you” in the time clause with “I” and backshift “go” to “went,” resulting in “when I went down the street.” Step 4: Change “you will see” to “I would see,” backshifting the future tense and making the subject consistent. Step 5: Replace “your right” with “my right,” since the directions now refer to me. Step 6: Combine everything: “The pilgrim told me that when I went down the street I would see the temple to my right.” Step 7: Compare this with the options and select option B as the correct one.

Verification / Alternative check:
Review the other options. Option A keeps “tells me” (present tense) and uses “I go” and “I will see,” ignoring the past reporting context and backshift rules. Option C confuses the structure by inserting “then I go,” which is neither natural nor fully correct after a past reporting verb. Option D uses present “tells me” and unnecessary progressive forms “would be going” and “will be seeing,” which complicate the meaning without justification. Only option B consistently uses past “told,” backshifted “went,” and “would see,” so it passes both grammar and meaning checks.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A does not change the reporting verb to the past and leaves both “go” and “will see” unshifted, contrary to reported speech rules. Option C introduces “then I go,” which is awkward and incomplete, and does not correctly handle tense changes. Option D mixes present reporting with would and will in progressive forms, creating an unnatural and incorrect sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners forget to adjust both clauses of a complex sentence when reporting it, focusing only on the main clause and ignoring the time clause introduced by “when.” Others overcomplicate the sentence by adding extra auxiliary verbs or progressive forms. To avoid these errors, treat each verb separately and apply the backshift rule systematically, ensuring that the result remains clear and close in meaning to the original.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech sentence is “The pilgrim told me that when I went down the street I would see the temple to my right.”