LingoLadder Search
English grammar

Reported Questions

Updated 27 Oct 2026 5 min read LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: Reported questions — a direct question turning into statement order, she asked where I lived, he asked if I was ready
Short answer

To report a question, use statement word order after ask, wonder or want to know: 'Where do you live?' becomes 'She asked where I lived.' Drop the auxiliary and the question mark, and use if or whether for yes/no questions.

On this page10 sections · tap to jump
  1. 01The rule
  2. 02Forms: direct question to reported question
  3. 03Example sentences
  4. 04Common mistakes
  5. 05A short conversation
  6. 06Usage notes
  7. 07Compared with…
  8. 08Practice
  9. 09Quiz
  10. 10Recap cheat-sheet

Level: B1. When you tell someone what another person asked, you do not repeat their exact words. You turn the question into a reported question — and the trick is that it stops looking like a question at all.

The rule

A direct question is the exact words someone said, with question word order: the auxiliary (do, does, did, is, are, can, will…) comes before the subject, and the sentence ends with a question mark — “Where do you live?”, “Are you ready?”.

A reported question (also called an indirect question) tells someone else what was asked. Three things change:

  1. Word order becomes statement order — subject before verb, with no inversion: where you live → where I lived.
  2. The auxiliary disappears in do / does / did questions, and there is no question mark at the end (the whole sentence is a statement about a question).
  3. The tense usually shifts back one step (this is called backshift), exactly as in reported statements, because the reporting verb — asked, wondered, wanted to know — is normally in the past.

For yes/no questions (ones with no question word), you join the two parts with if or whether: “Do you speak French?” → She asked if I spoke French. For wh-questions, you keep the question word (where, when, why, who, how…) and follow it with statement order: “Why are you late?” → He asked why I was late.

Forms: direct question to reported question

Direct question Type Reported question
“Where do you work?” wh- She asked where I worked.
“What time does it start?” wh- He asked what time it started.
“Do you like coffee?” yes/no She asked if I liked coffee.
“Are you tired?” yes/no He asked whether I was tired.
“Can you swim?” yes/no She asked if I could swim.
“Will you help me?” yes/no He asked whether I would help him.
“Who is that man?” wh- She wanted to know who that man was.

And the tense backshift, which works the same way as in reported statements:

Direct tense Becomes Example in a reported question
present simple past simple “Where do you live?” → asked where I lived
present continuous past continuous “What are you doing?” → asked what I was doing
past simple past perfect “When did you arrive?” → asked when I had arrived
present perfect past perfect “Have you eaten?” → asked if I had eaten
will would “Will it rain?” → asked whether it would rain
can could “Can you drive?” → asked if I could drive

Example sentences

  1. She asked where I lived.
    wh-question, statement order, present to past.
  2. He asked what time the film started.
    'does' disappears; verb takes the -ed.
  3. They asked how old I was.
    'how old are you' to statement order.
  4. I asked if she liked her new job.
    yes/no question joined with 'if'.
  5. She asked whether I was coming to the party.
    'whether' + statement order.
  6. He wanted to know why I was late.
    'wanted to know' reports a wh-question.
  7. My teacher asked if I had finished the exercise.
    present perfect backshifts to past perfect.
  8. The officer asked where I had parked the car.
    past simple backshifts to past perfect.
  9. She asked whether I could speak German.
    'can' becomes 'could'.
  10. We asked when the next train would leave.
    'will' becomes 'would'.
  11. He asked who had broken the window.
    subject question: word order does not change much.
  12. I wondered what she meant.
    'wonder' also reports a question.
  13. The interviewer asked what my greatest weakness was.
    'was' goes to the end, not before the subject.
  14. She asked me if I wanted a drink.
    'ask' can take an object: asked me.
  15. He asked whether the shops were open on Sunday.
    'whether' before a plural subject.
  16. They asked how I had travelled to the city.
    'how' + past perfect.
  17. Could you tell me where the station is?
    A polite indirect question — no backshift, present stays.
  18. Do you know whether the museum is free?
    Indirect question inside a present-tense frame: no backshift.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ She asked where did I live. → ✅ She asked where I lived. Drop the auxiliary did and use statement order.
  • ❌ He asked was I ready. → ✅ He asked if I was ready. Yes/no questions need if or whether, and the subject comes before the verb.
  • ❌ I asked what time does the train leave. → ✅ I asked what time the train left. No inversion, and the tense shifts back.
  • ❌ She asked where I lived? → ✅ She asked where I lived. A reported question is a statement — no question mark.
  • ❌ He asked me that if I was busy. → ✅ He asked me if I was busy. Do not add that before if / whether or a question word.
  • ❌ They asked me did I want tea. → ✅ They asked me whether I wanted tea. Join with if / whether, not with the old auxiliary.

A short conversation

Priya: Someone phoned while you were out. Marco: Really? What did they want? Priya: They asked whether you were free on Friday, and they wanted to know when you would be back. Marco: Did they ask who they should call? Priya: No — they just asked if you could ring them tonight.

Usage notes

  • If vs whether. Both work for yes/no questions. Whether is a little more formal and is preferred before or not placed right after it (whether or not it is true) and before a to-infinitive (I wondered whether to call). If cannot do those two jobs.
  • Reporting verbs. Ask is the most common. Wonder, want to know, enquire and not be sure all introduce reported questions too: I’m not sure what she meant.
  • Ask + object. Unlike say, ask can take a person as its object: She asked me where I lived. You cannot do this with wonder or want to know.
  • No backshift after a present-tense frame. If the reporting verb is present (Do you know…, Can you tell me…), the tense inside does not shift: Do you know where she is? This is the polite “indirect question” use.
  • Subject questions. When the question word is the subject (Who called? What happened?), there is no auxiliary to remove, so the order barely changes: She asked who had called.

Compared with…

  • Reported statements. A reported statement reports a sentence, often with that: She said (that) she was tired. A reported question reports a question and uses if / whether or a question word instead of that, but the backshift and pronoun changes are identical. See Reported Speech: Statements.
  • Reported commands. A command is reported with tell / ask + object + to-infinitive, not with a question word: He told me to wait (command) versus He asked where I waited (question). See Reported Commands and Requests.
  • Indirect questions. These are polite present-tense questions that borrow the same statement order (Could you tell me where the toilets are?). They are reported questions without the backshift, because the frame verb is present. See Indirect Questions.

Recap card for the English reported-questions lesson showing a direct question becoming statement order

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Reported questions practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Report this: 'Where do you live?' She asked ___
Show answer

where I lived — Statement order, no auxiliary, present shifts to past: where I lived.

Hint: two possible linking words

Show answer

if — Yes/no questions join with if or whether; both are correct.

3 Put the words in order to report 'What time does it start?'

Show answer

She asked what time it started — Question word + statement order; 'does' disappears and the verb takes the past form.

4 Match each direct question to its reported form.

  • Can you swim?
  • Will you come?
  • Where is he?
  • Have you eaten?
Show answer
  • Can you swim? → asked if I could swim
  • Will you come? → asked whether I would come
  • Where is he? → asked where he was
  • Have you eaten? → asked if I had eaten

can to could, will to would, is to was, have eaten to had eaten; all in statement order.

5 Which reported question is correct?
Show answer

She asked where the bank was. — Statement order, no inversion, no question mark.

Quiz

Check yourself

Reported questions quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered
  1. 1Report: 'Where do you work?' She asked ___
    Show answer

    where I worked — Statement order + backshift: where I worked.

  2. 2Which word joins a reported yes/no question?
    Show answer

    if — Yes/no questions use if or whether; wh-questions keep the question word.

  3. 3Report: 'Are you tired?' He asked ___
    Show answer

    whether I was tired — Join with if/whether and use statement order: whether I was tired.

  4. 4What happens to the auxiliary 'did' in a reported question?
    Show answer

    it disappears and the verb shows the tense — Do/does/did drop out; the main verb carries the backshifted tense.

  5. 5Report: 'Can you drive?' She asked ___
    Show answer

    if I could drive — 'Can' backshifts to 'could'.

  6. 6Which sentence is correct?
    Show answer

    He asked what time it was. — No inversion and no question mark in a reported question.

  7. 7Report: 'Will it rain?' We asked ___
    Show answer

    whether it would rain — 'Will' becomes 'would'; join with whether/if.

  8. Show answer

    whether — Before 'or not' right after it, use whether, not if.

  9. 9Report: 'When did you arrive?' They asked ___
    Show answer

    when I had arrived — Past simple backshifts to past perfect: when I had arrived.

  10. 10Why is 'She asked where is the hotel?' wrong?
    Show answer

    it keeps question order and a question mark — A reported question uses statement order (where the hotel was) and no question mark.

  11. 11In a present frame — 'Do you know ___ the shop is open?' — which fits?
    Show answer

    whether — A yes/no indirect question uses whether/if; there is no backshift after a present frame.

  12. 12Report: 'Who broke the window?' She asked ___
    Show answer

    who had broken the window — A subject question keeps its order; past simple backshifts to past perfect: who had broken the window.

Recap cheat-sheet

Question type Join with Order Example
yes/no if / whether subject + verb asked if I was ready
wh- question word word + subject + verb asked where I lived
auxiliary do/does/did — (drop it) tense on main verb asked what it cost
present frame if / whether / wh- no backshift do you know where it is

Next

Your English course

All English grammar topics

Every grammar point in order, from your first sentence to advanced structures. Pick one and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.

Grammar path

125 topics 125 ready now
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
  1. 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
  2. 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
  3. 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
  4. 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
  5. 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
  6. 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
  7. 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
  8. 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
  9. 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
  10. 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
  11. 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
  12. 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
  13. 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
  14. 14 Can and Can't for Ability
  15. 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
  16. 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
  17. 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
  18. 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
  19. 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
  20. 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
  21. 21 How Much vs How Many
  22. 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  23. 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
  24. 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
  25. 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
  26. 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
  27. 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
  28. 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
  29. 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
  30. 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
  2. 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
  3. 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
  4. 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
  5. 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
  6. 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
  7. 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
  8. 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
  9. 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
  10. 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
  11. 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
  12. 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
  13. 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
  14. 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
  15. 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
  16. 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
  17. 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
  18. 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
  19. 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
  20. 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
  21. 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
  22. 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
  23. 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
  24. 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
  25. 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
  1. 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
  2. 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
  3. 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
  4. 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
  5. 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
  6. 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
  7. 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
  8. 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
  9. 64 Reported Questions You are here
  10. 65 Reported Commands and Requests
  11. 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
  12. 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
  13. 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
  14. 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
  15. 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
  16. 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
  17. 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
  18. 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
  19. 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
  20. 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
  21. 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
  22. 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
  23. 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
  24. 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
  25. 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
  26. 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
  27. 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
  2. 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
  3. 85 Mixed Conditionals
  4. 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
  5. 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
  6. 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
  7. 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
  8. 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
  9. 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
  10. 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
  11. 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
  12. 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
  13. 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
  14. 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
  15. 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
  16. 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
  17. 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
  18. 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
  19. 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
  20. 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
  21. 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
  22. 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
  23. 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
  24. 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
  25. 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
  1. 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
  2. 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
  3. 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
  4. 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
  5. 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
  6. 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
  7. 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
  8. 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
  9. 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
  10. 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
  11. 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
  12. 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
  13. 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
  14. 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
  15. 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
  16. 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
  17. 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
  18. 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)