{"id":32258,"date":"2026-04-09T07:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T05:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=32258"},"modified":"2026-04-09T07:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T05:36:54","slug":"reported-speech-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/reported-speech-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Reported Speech – Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B2 – Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reported Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reported questions (also called indirect questions<\/em>) are used to report what someone asked, without quoting their exact words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Direct: She said, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reported: She asked where I was going.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Structure <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A. Yes\/No Questions \u2192 if \/ whether<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    When the original question can be answered with yes or no<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Direct: \u201cAre you tired?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Reported: He asked if I was tired.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Use:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • if<\/strong> (more common)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • whether<\/strong> (more formal)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        B. Wh- Questions \u2192 Keep the question word<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Direct: \u201cWhere do you live?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Reported: She asked where I lived.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Direct: \u201cWhy did he leave?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Reported: They asked why he had left.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          Change in Word Order<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          In reported questions, there is no inversion (no question word order).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          x: She asked where was I going.<\/em>
          o: She asked where I was going.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n\n\n\n

          Changes in Tenses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          When the reporting verb is in the past (asked, wondered, wanted to know<\/em>), tenses usually shift back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Direct Question<\/th>Reported Question<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
          \u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/em><\/td>She asked where he was<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr>
          \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/em><\/td>He asked what I was doing<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr>
          \u201cDid you finish?\u201d<\/em><\/td>She asked if I had finished<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr>
          \u201cWill you come?\u201d<\/em><\/td>He asked if I would come<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          Changes in Pronouns, Time, and Place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          These often shift depending on context:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Direct<\/th>Reported<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
          now<\/td>then<\/td><\/tr>
          today<\/td>that day<\/td><\/tr>
          tomorrow<\/td>the next day<\/td><\/tr>
          here<\/td>there<\/td><\/tr>
          I \/ you<\/td>depends on speaker<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • \u201cWill you be here tomorrow?\u201d<\/em>
            \u2192 He asked if I would be there the next day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            Advanced Reporting Verbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Instead of just asked<\/strong>, use more precise verbs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • inquire<\/strong> \u2192 formal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • wonder<\/strong> \u2192 polite\/uncertain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • want to know<\/strong> \u2192 neutral<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • question<\/strong> \u2192 sometimes skeptical<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • She wondered<\/strong> whether he was telling the truth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • They inquired<\/strong> how long the process would take.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n

                Advanced Embedded Questions <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                Reported questions can function inside longer sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • I don\u2019t know where she went<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Can you tell me what he meant<\/strong>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Do you remember why they canceled the meeting<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Note: There is still no inversion:
                  x:  Do you know where is he?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  O: Do you know where he is?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n\n\n\n

                  Reporting Questions Without \u201cask\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  Sometimes the question meaning is implied:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • She wanted to know<\/strong> where I had been.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • He was curious<\/strong> why they left early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • They were wondering<\/strong> if we could help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n

                    Common Advanced Errors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                    x: He asked me where did I go.<\/em>
                    o: He asked me where I went.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    x: She asked if I am tired.<\/em>
                    o: She asked if I was tired.<\/em> (backshift)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    x: They asked where is the station.<\/em>
                    o: They asked where the station was.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    B2 – Upper Intermediate Reported Questions Reported questions (also called indirect questions) are used to report what someone asked, without quoting their exact words. Structure  A. Yes\/No Questions \u2192 if \/ whether When the original question can be answered with yes or no: Use: B. Wh- Questions \u2192 Keep the question word Change in Word […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar"],"yoast_head":"\nReported Speech - Questions | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/04\/reported-speech-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reported Speech - Questions | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 – Upper Intermediate Reported Questions Reported questions (also called indirect questions) are used to report what someone asked, without quoting their exact words. 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