Reported questions
Sometimes we want to retell somebody's question in the reported speech.
For example
What do you want? → I ask him what he wants.
Where are you staying? → He asked us where we were staying.
Reported "wh" questions
In reported questions, we also "backshift" the verb as we do in reported statements. It is important that the word order changes as well: the sentence is no longer a question. We have a direct word order in reported questions.
... question word + subject + verb
Study these examples:
| Question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | They asked me where I came from. |
| What colour is your car? | They asked me what colour my car was. |
| When did you leave? | They asked me when I had left. |
| How long have you been waiting? | They asked me how long I had been waiting. |
| What will you have for breakfast? | They asked me what I would have for breakfast. |
Reported yes/no questions
Some questions don't have a question word. To transform them into reported speech we add the word if. Do not forget about the backshifting of the verb tenses.
Examples
Do you like this T-shirt? → She asked me if I liked that T-shirt.
Can you do me a favour? → He asked me if I could do him a favour.
Is there a cash machine nearby? → They asked us if there was a cash machine nearby.