Reported questions
asked if/whether; wh- with statement word order.
When we report a question, we do not keep the original question form. For yes/no questions, we introduce the reported question with if or whether and use statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order. The auxiliary do/does/did disappears and the tense backshifts: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, will → would, can → could, and so on. For wh- questions, we keep the question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) but again switch to statement word order and remove do/does/did. Pronouns and time/place expressions also change to fit the new context (I → he/she, now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there). Crucially, reported questions never end with a question mark. A common mistake is keeping inverted word order: you must write 'she asked where he lived', NOT 'she asked where did he live'. For example: 'Where do you live?' → She asked him where he lived.
Key terms
| Direct speech tense | Reported speech tense | Example (direct → reported) |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | past simple | 'Do you live here?' → He asked where I lived. |
| present continuous | past continuous | 'Are you waiting?' → She asked if I was waiting. |
| present perfect | past perfect | 'Have you finished?' → He asked if I had finished. |
| past simple | past perfect | 'Did you call?' → She asked if I had called. |
| past continuous | past perfect continuous | 'What were you doing?' → She asked what he had been doing. |
| will | would | 'Will you come?' → He asked if I would come. |
| can | could | 'Can you help?' → She asked if I could help. |
| could / would / might | no change | 'Could you wait?' → She asked if he could wait. |
Already-past modals (could, would, might, should) do not change further in reported speech.
| Type | Reporting structure | Direct example | Reported example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes/No question | asked + if/whether + subject + verb | 'Is she ready?' | He asked if she was ready. |
| Yes/No question | asked + if/whether + subject + verb | 'Do you like coffee?' | He asked whether I liked coffee. |
| Wh- question | asked + wh-word + subject + verb | 'Where do you work?' | She asked where I worked. |
| Wh- question | asked + wh-word + subject + verb | 'What is your name?' | She asked what my name was. |
| Wh- question (with how) | asked + how + adjective/adverb + subject + verb | 'How old are you?' | She asked how old I was. |
In both types, the auxiliary do/does/did disappears and the subject precedes the verb.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| this week | that week |
| next year | the following year |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
Pronoun shift: I → he/she, we → they, you → he/she/they — adjust to match who is speaking and who is being reported.
- 1Direct question: 'Will you come tomorrow?' (He asked her.)
- 2Step 1 — Identify the question type: No wh- word → this is a yes/no question. Introduce it with if or whether.
- 3Step 2 — Switch to statement word order: Remove the inversion: 'will you come' → 'you will come' (subject before modal).
- 4Step 3 — Backshift the tense: 'will' → 'would': '… she would come …'
- 5Step 4 — Change pronouns and time references: 'you' → 'she'; 'tomorrow' → 'the next day'
- 6Step 5 — No question mark: Result: He asked if she would come the next day.
- 1Direct question: 'Why didn't you call me yesterday?' (He asked her.)
- 2Step 1 — Keep the question word: Keep 'why' at the front.
- 3Step 2 — Remove do/does/did and switch to statement order: Drop 'didn't'; the subject 'she' comes first: 'why she …'
- 4Step 3 — Backshift the tense: Past simple negative 'didn't call' → past perfect 'hadn't called'.
- 5Step 4 — Change pronouns and time references: 'you' → 'she'; 'me' → 'him'; 'yesterday' → 'the day before'
- 6Step 5 — No question mark: Result: He asked her why she hadn't called him the day before.
The most common error is keeping inverted word order inside a reported question. WRONG: 'She asked where did he live.' / 'He asked if was she ready.' CORRECT: 'She asked where he lived.' / 'He asked if she was ready.' After if, whether, or any wh- word, the subject must come BEFORE the verb.
Do not keep do/does/did in a reported question. WRONG: 'He asked where did I live.' CORRECT: 'He asked where I lived.' Remove the auxiliary and let the backshifted main verb carry the tense.
Remember to change time and place references. WRONG: 'He asked if I would come tomorrow.' CORRECT: 'He asked if I would come the next day.' Forgetting to change 'tomorrow', 'yesterday', 'today', or 'here' is a frequent error even when the tense and word order are correct.
Reported questions never end with a question mark. The sentence 'She asked where he lived?' is incorrect. Once a question is reported, it becomes a statement in structure — it does not need a question mark.
Both if and whether are correct for yes/no reported questions ('She asked if / whether I was ready'). Whether is slightly more formal and can also be followed by 'or not' immediately ('She asked whether or not I was ready'), but if cannot.
Rules
- 1Yes/no questions: use if or whether + subject + verb (statement order): 'Is she ready?' → He asked if she was ready.
- 2Wh- questions: keep the question word, then use subject + verb (statement order), removing do/does/did: 'Where do you work?' → She asked where I worked.
- 3Backshift tenses one step back: present simple → past simple; present continuous → past continuous; will → would; can → could; past simple → past perfect.
- 4Change pronouns and time/place references to match the new context: I → he/she, we → they, now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there.
- 5Never use a question mark at the end of a reported question, and never invert the subject and auxiliary verb.
Practice
15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard
10 random questions per test