Reported Speech: Questions Practice Tests with B1 Grammar Rules & Examples

Reported Speech: Questions

When we want to tell someone what another person asked, we use reported speech for questions. Instead of repeating the exact words, we report the question in our own words. This is a very useful skill in everyday English — for example, when you tell a friend what your teacher asked, or what a colleague wanted to know.

Look at this simple example:

Direct question: "Where do you live?" (the exact words someone said)
Reported question: She asked me where I lived. (how we report it to someone else)

Reported speech questions follow special rules about word order, verb tenses, and pronouns. This lesson will guide you through everything step by step.

Two Types of Reported Questions

There are two main types of questions in English, and each one has slightly different rules when we report them.

• Wh- questions — questions that begin with who, what, where, when, why, how, etc.
• Yes/No questions — questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no"

We will look at each type separately so the rules are clear.

Rule 1: Reported Wh- Questions

A wh- question uses a question word like what, where, when, why, who, or how. When we report these questions, we keep the question word, but we change the word order and the verb tense.

The Basic Pattern

Direct wh- question → Reported wh- question

We use a reporting verb such as asked or wanted to know, followed by the question word, and then we use normal sentence word order (subject + verb), not question word order.

Pattern:
Subject + asked / wanted to know + question word + subject + verb

Simple Examples

Direct: "Where do you work?"
Reported: He asked me where I worked.

Direct: "What are you eating?"
Reported: She wanted to know what I was eating.

Direct: "Why did you leave early?"
Reported: He asked me why I had left early.

Notice: in the reported question, we do not use question word order (verb before subject). We use the normal order: subject + verb.

Rule 2: Reported Yes/No Questions

A yes/no question does not use a question word. Instead, it starts with an auxiliary verb like do, does, did, is, are, was, were, can, could, etc.

When we report yes/no questions, we use if or whether instead of a question word. Again, we use normal sentence word order.

The Basic Pattern

Pattern:
Subject + asked / wanted to know + if / whether + subject + verb

Simple Examples

Direct: "Do you speak Spanish?"
Reported: She asked me if I spoke Spanish.

Direct: "Are you coming to the party?"
Reported: He wanted to know whether I was coming to the party.

Direct: "Did they finish the report?"
Reported: She asked if they had finished the report.

if and whether have the same meaning in reported questions. Both are correct. Whether is slightly more formal.

Tense Changes in Reported Speech Questions

When we report a question, the verb tense usually moves one step back into the past. This is sometimes called backshift. Think of it like taking one step backwards in time.

Here is a clear table showing the most common tense changes:

Direct Speech (Tense)	Reported Speech (Tense)	Example (Direct)	Example (Reported)
Present Simple	Past Simple	"Where do you live?"	She asked where I lived.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	"What are you doing?"	He asked what I was doing.
Past Simple	Past Perfect	"Did you see the film?"	She asked if I had seen the film.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	"Have you eaten?"	He asked if I had eaten.
will	would	"Will you help me?"	She asked if I would help her.
can	could	"Can you drive?"	He asked if I could drive.

Pronoun Changes in Reported Speech Questions

When we report a question, pronouns often change. This is because the speaker and the listener are now different from the original conversation. Always think carefully about who said what to whom.

Here are the most common pronoun changes:

Direct Speech Pronoun	Reported Speech Pronoun	Example
I	he / she	"I am tired." → She said she was tired.
you (to the listener)	I / me	"Are you ready?" → He asked if I was ready.
we	they	"Do we need to go?" → She asked if they needed to go.
my	his / her	"Where is my bag?" → He asked where his bag was.
your	my / his / her	"What is your name?" → She asked what my name was.

Word Order in Reported Speech Questions

One of the most important rules — and one of the most common sources of mistakes — is word order. In a direct question, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. In a reported question, we use normal (statement) word order: subject before verb.

Look at the difference clearly:

Direct question word order: verb + subject
"Where does she work?"

Reported question word order: subject + verb
He asked where she worked.

Another important point: we do not use a question mark (?) at the end of a reported question, because it is now a statement, not a question.

Direct: "What time does the train leave?" ❓
Reported: She asked what time the train left. ✅ (no question mark)

Other Time and Place Changes

When reporting questions that were asked in the past, some time and place words also change. Here are the most useful ones to know at B1 level:

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
now	then / at that moment
today	that day
yesterday	the day before / the previous day
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
here	there
this	that
these	those
last week	the week before / the previous week
next week	the following week

Example:
Direct: "Are you coming tomorrow?"
Reported: He asked if I was coming the next day.

Important Differences and Special Cases

If vs. Whether

Both if and whether can be used to introduce reported yes/no questions. The meaning is the same. Whether is slightly more formal or academic.

She asked if I was free. ✅
She asked whether I was free. ✅

When the Reporting Verb is in the Present Tense

If the reporting verb is in the present tense (e.g. asks, wants to know), we usually do not need to backshift the tense. This happens when reporting something that is still true or was just said.

Example:
"Where do you work?" → She asks where I work. (no tense change needed)

However, if the reporting verb is in the past tense (asked, wanted to know), we do backshift:

"Where do you work?" → She asked where I worked.

Reporting Questions with "Who" as the Subject

When who or what is the subject of the question, there is no change in word order, even in the direct question. This makes reporting simpler.

Direct: "Who called you?" (Who = subject)
Reported: She asked who had called me.

Compare with who as the object:

Direct: "Who did you call?" (You = subject)
Reported: She asked who I had called.

Common Mistakes

❌ She asked where did I live.
✅ She asked where I lived. (Use statement word order — no auxiliary before the subject.)

❌ He asked me if I am ready?
✅ He asked me if I was ready. (No question mark; use past tense after a past reporting verb.)

❌ She wanted to know what was my name.
✅ She wanted to know what my name was. (Subject comes before the verb in reported questions.)

❌ He asked whether did she speak French.
✅ He asked whether she spoke French. (No auxiliary verb inversion after if/whether.)

❌ They asked me where is the station.
✅ They asked me where the station was. (Use statement word order and backshift the tense.)

❌ She asked what time does the film start?
✅ She asked what time the film started. (No question mark; use past tense and correct word order.)

Reported Speech Questions: A Complete Example

Here is a short story to show how reported questions work in context. Read the direct conversation first, then the reported version.

Direct conversation:
Laura met Daniel at a job interview. The interviewer asked:
"Where do you live?"
"Do you have any experience?"
"Why did you leave your last job?"
"Can you start next Monday?"

Reported version:
The interviewer asked Laura where she lived. She also asked if she had any experience. Then she asked why Laura had left her last job. Finally, she asked if she could start the following Monday.

Notice how the tenses shift back, the word order changes to statement form, and the time word next Monday becomes the following Monday.

Reported Speech Questions: Quick Summary

Here is a short summary of the key rules for reported speech questions:

• Use asked or wanted to know as the reporting verb.
• For wh- questions, keep the question word and use statement word order (subject + verb).
• For yes/no questions, use if or whether and statement word order.
• The verb tense usually moves one step back into the past (backshift).
• Pronouns often change depending on who is speaking and who is being spoken about.
• Time and place words may also change (e.g. tomorrow → the next day).
• Do not use question word order (auxiliary before subject) in reported questions.
• Do not use a question mark (?) at the end of a reported question.

Now practise reported speech questions in the exercises below.