When you report a question, the question mark disappears. "Where do you live?" becomes "She asked where I lived." The words change, the order changes, and the sentence becomes a statement about a question.
Two changes matter most. First, the auxiliary do, does or did disappears, because the reported question uses normal statement order. Second, the tense usually moves one step back when the reporting verb is in the past.
This page covers yes or no questions with if and whether, wh-questions, tense backshift, and the time and place changes that go with it. The drill at the end has an explanation for every answer.
The rule
Statement word order
- A reported question keeps subject before verb: "He asked where the station was."
- The auxiliary do, does or did disappears: "Where does she work?" becomes "He asked where she worked."
- There is no question mark at the end of a reported question.
- The reporting verb is usually ask, want to know, wonder or inquire.
Yes or no questions: if and whether
- A yes or no question becomes a statement with if or whether: "Are you ready?" becomes "She asked if I was ready."
- Whether sounds a little more formal, and it is required before to plus a verb: "whether to stay."
- Do not repeat the question word: "if that I was ready" is wrong.
- The order after if or whether is a normal statement order.
The tense backshift
- Present simple moves to past simple: "Do you like tea?" becomes "He asked if I liked tea."
- Present continuous moves to past continuous: "is working" becomes "was working".
- Past simple moves to past perfect: "did you see" becomes "if I had seen".
- Will moves to would, can to could, may to might, and must often to had to.
Time and place changes
- Now becomes then, today becomes that day, and tomorrow becomes the next day.
- Yesterday becomes the day before, and next week becomes the following week.
- Here becomes there, and this becomes that.
- These changes are optional when the situation has not moved: "She asked what time it is" is fine if it is still the same moment.
Reporting verb patterns
- Ask can take a person: ask me, ask the teacher. Want to know and wonder do not take a person in the same way.
- A reported wh-question keeps its question word: what, where, when, why, who, how.
- A reported yes or no question has no question word, so if or whether takes its place.
- In very formal writing, whether is preferred after prepositions: "about whether the plan would work."
Examples
- Where do you live? — She asked where I lived.The auxiliary do disappears and the verb moves back a tense.
- Are you ready? — He asked if I was ready.A yes or no question becomes a statement with if.
- What time does the shop open? — She asked what time the shop opened.Statement order replaces the question order.
- Will you come? — They asked whether I would come.Will becomes would; whether adds a formal tone.
- Did she call? — He wanted to know if she had called.Past simple moves to past perfect in the report.
- Can you drive? — She asked if I could drive.Can shifts to could.
- Where are you going now? — He asked where I was going then.Now changes to then in the reported version.
- Have you finished the report? — She asked whether I had finished the report.Present perfect moves to past perfect.
- What should we do? — We wondered what we should do.Should does not change after a past reporting verb.
- Is this seat free? — I asked if that seat was free.This changes to that because the place has moved.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: She asked where did I live. Right: She asked where I lived.
- A reported question uses statement word order and drops the auxiliary did.
- Wrong: He asked did I like coffee. Right: He asked if I liked coffee.
- A yes or no question needs if or whether, not the auxiliary did.
- Wrong: She asked me where was the station? Right: She asked me where the station was.
- The verb follows the subject, and a reported question takes no question mark.
- Wrong: They asked that I was ready. Right: They asked if I was ready.
- Reported yes or no questions take if or whether, never that.
- Wrong: She asked what time is it. Right: She asked what time it was.
- The present verb moves back to the past after a past reporting verb.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
Where do you live? — She asked where I ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. lived The reported question moves the present simple back to the past: where I lived.
Are you ready? — He asked ___ I was ready.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. if A reported yes or no question takes if before the statement word order.
What time does the shop open? — She asked what time the shop ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. opened The reported question drops the auxiliary and backshifts the verb to opened.
Will you come? — They asked whether I ___ come.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. would In reported questions, will shifts back to would.
Did she call? — He wanted to know if she ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. had called Past simple backshifts to past perfect in a reported question.
Can you drive? — She asked if I ___ drive.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. could Can shifts to could when the question is reported in the past.
Where are you going now? — He asked where I was going ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. then In reported questions, now changes to then.
Have you finished the report? — She asked whether I ___ the report.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. had finished Present perfect backshifts to past perfect: had finished.
What should we do? — We wondered what we ___ do.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. should Should stays the same in reported questions, so the form does not change.
Is this seat free? — I asked if ___ seat was free.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. that The place change turns this into that in the reported question.
Where did you go? — He asked where I ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. had gone Past simple backshifts to past perfect in the reported question: had gone.
Why are you laughing? — She asked why I ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. was laughing Present continuous backshifts to past continuous in the report.
Do you speak French? — They asked ___ I spoke French.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. whether Whether introduces a reported yes or no question in a formal style.
What is your name? — He asked what my name ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. was The present verb moves back to was after the past reporting verb asked.
Must I wait here? — She asked if she ___ wait there.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. had to Must usually shifts to had to in reported questions.
May I leave early? — He asked if he ___ leave early.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. might May backshifts to might in the reported question.
How long have you worked here? — She asked how long I ___ there.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. had worked Present perfect backshifts to past perfect had worked.
Who is that man? — She asked who that man ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. was The reported question uses statement order and backshifts is to was.
Will they arrive tomorrow? — They asked if we would arrive ___ .
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. the next day Tomorrow changes to the next day in a reported question.
She asked me where I lived. Choose the correct direct question.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Where do you live? Working back from the reported question, the direct form is a present simple question with the auxiliary do.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Reported commands and requests: tell and askTake the level test
Questions learners ask
When does the tense NOT move back?
When the reporting verb is in the present, or when the fact is still true. "She says she is tired" and "She asked what time it is" both keep the present tense because the moment or the truth has not changed.
Should I use if or whether?
Both work for reported yes or no questions. Whether is more formal, and it is the only choice before to plus a verb: "She asked whether to wait." Use if in everyday speech and whether in careful writing.
What happens to the question mark?
It disappears. The reported question is grammatically a statement, so it ends with a full stop. Keeping the question mark is one of the most common written mistakes in reported questions.
More grammar topics
Reported commands and requests: tell and ask
A reported command takes told plus a person plus to. A reported request takes asked plus a person plus to. The infinitive never backshifts.
Remember, stop, try: gerund or infinitive
With these six verbs, the -ing form looks at the action itself, and to plus the verb looks at the purpose or the task still to do.
Used to, be used to and get used to
Used to plus the base verb looks at the past. Be used to and get used to take a noun or an -ing form and describe comfort with something.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.