1. The girl that I'm meeting tonight had two boyfriends.

A week later, I tell my friend:

2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends.

3. The girl that I met last week had had two boyfriends. (Do I need to use 'had had' to refer back to the time I said it? Do I need to use reported speech here?)

Thanks.

Hi,

1. The girl that I'm meeting tonight had two boyfriends. This means that she doesn't have them at the time you are saying this. She had them at a previous time.

A week later, I tell my friend:

2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends. This sounds like she had them at the time I met her last week.

3. The girl that I met last week had had two boyfriends. This makes clear the situation as outlined in No. 1 above. Therefore, to be accurate, this is what you should say. It's quite a normal, everyday kind of thing to say. Of course, you may not care about such accuracy, that's up to you.

Do I need to use reported speech here? It's not speech that is being reported, it's just describing a situation in the past.

Best wishes, Clive