What a reported wh-question is
When we report someone else’s question, its meaning becomes a subordinate part of our statement. Instead of quoting What time does the reading room open? we say The librarian asked what time the reading room opened.
The question word (what, where, when, why, how, who, which, whose) is kept and itself introduces the part of the sentence that gives the content of the question. We do not use if or whether here: they are needed for questions with a yes-or-no answer, which is a separate rule.
In a typical reported statement, there is a full stop at the end, and there is no question inversion inside. This does not forbid every use of do or every question mark: She asked why I didn’t come keeps the negative didn’t, while Did she ask where I lived? is an outer question.
The librarian asked what time the reading room opened.
The librarian asked at what time the reading room opens.
The direct question was “What time does the reading room open?”. The question phrase what time remains, while does disappears.
Our teacher asked why we had missed the bus.
Our teacher asked why we had missed the bus.
The direct question was: “Why did you miss the bus?”. In the report, did also disappears, and the earlier event is expressed by had missed.
Structure: reporting frame, question word, subject, verb
For a question that is not about the subject, the pattern is: who asked + asked (+ whom) + question word + subject + verb. If the question phrase itself is the subject, we do not add another subject: asked who called.
A question word can be one word or a phrase: how long, how many, what time, whose coat. The phrase stays together: how many people, not how people many.
When reporting a past conversation, we use asked or wanted to know. A present reporting frame, asks, is also possible. After ask, the addressee comes without to: asked me, asked her.
who asked + asked (+ addressee) + question word + subject + verb; subject questions: asked + who/what + verb
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
Lucia asked me where the bakery was.
Lucia asked me where the bakery was.
The bakery comes after where, and was comes after the subject.
The waiter asked how long we were staying.
The waiter asked how long we were staying.
How long is one question phrase; it is followed by the subject we and the form were staying.
Zoran asked whose coat was on the sofa.
Zoran asked whose coat was on the sofa.
Whose coat functions together as the subject, so the word order does not change.
Do, does and did disappear
Do/does/did, when needed only for question inversion, are not used in the embedded clause. Negative or emphatic forms remain when their meaning requires them: asked why I didn’t come; asked who did take the biscuit — a question with special emphasis on did.
The information carried by these auxiliary verbs moves to the main verb: did you stop becomes I stopped, and does she study becomes she studied.
This is the most common mistake among learners: familiar inversion is retained (where was the library), or an unnecessary did remains.
He asked where my sister studied.
He asked where my sister studied.
The direct question was: “Where does your sister study?”. Does disappears, and the verb changes to the past.
Mum asked what the children had broken.
Mum asked what the children had broken.
The direct question was: “What did the children break?”. Did disappears, and the event had already happened: had broken.
Backshift in reported questions
If the reporting frame is in the past (asked, wanted to know), the tense in the clause usually shifts one step back: Present Simple → Past Simple, am/is/are → was/were, Present Continuous → Past Continuous, Present Perfect → Past Perfect, will → would, can → could.
In complete backshift, Past Simple in a direct question becomes Past Perfect (had + past participle). In spoken language, simple past is often kept when the context makes the earlier event clear. In exercises, the instructions indicate when Past Perfect is specifically required.
Backshift is not needed if the reporting frame is in the present (Arturo asks where we usually have lunch) or when the statement remains true and important at the time of reporting. Therefore, practise backshift where the instructions require it.
She asked how many emails I had sent.
She asked how many emails I had sent.
Present Perfect “have you sent” became Past Perfect “had sent”.
The conductor asked when the choir would arrive.
The conductor asked when the choir would arrive.
The modal verb will shifted to would.
Dad asked who was at the door.
Dad asked who was at the door.
Is → was, while who remained the subject.
Arturo asks where we usually have lunch.
Arturo asks where we usually have lunch.
The reporting frame is in the present, so there is no backshift.
Subject questions: who, what, which
Sometimes the question word itself is the subject: Who called you? What happened? Which bus goes to the lake? In such questions, there is no auxiliary do and the word order does not change.
In reported speech, only the verb form changes: who called becomes who had called (or who called), and who lives becomes who lived. Do not add did: this is a common mistake.
Determine the role from the meaning: in Who called you?, who is the person who called, so it is the subject. In Who did you call?, you is the doer, and who is the object. The question word’s position next to the verb is not enough to determine its role.
Mira asked who had borrowed her umbrella.
Mira asked who had borrowed her umbrella.
Who is the subject, so there was and is no did; only the tense changes.
The tourist asked which of the buses went to the lake.
The tourist asked which of the buses went to the lake.
Which of the buses is the subject; went comes immediately after it.
The reporting frame: asked, wanted to know, question marks and pronouns
To report the act of asking, we usually say asked. Wanted to know expresses a desire for information, even if the question was not spoken. Said where/when … can report information that was stated, but it does not mean that the speaker asked for it.
After asked, put the object without to: asked me. Other words in the report change according to the viewpoint: you → I or he, my → his, here/there, today/that day.
An ordinary reported statement ends with a full stop. If the whole sentence is a question, use a question mark: Did she ask where I lived? The word order in where I lived remains direct.
Katia wanted to know how I had found the flat.
Katia wanted to know how I had found the flat.
Wanted to know is a natural reporting frame; the clause has statement word order.
Tina asked us where we would meet the next day.
Tina asked us where we would meet the next day.
Tomorrow changed to the next day, and will changed to would.
Limits of the rule: related topics
Questions with a yes-or-no answer are reported with if or whether: this is a separate rule about reported yes/no questions. Commands and requests (told me to…) are also separate, covered by the rule for reported commands.
We see similar statement word order in polite questions such as Could you tell me where the pharmacy is? This is not reported speech, so there is no backshift: we are asking about the present.
Do not confuse reporting a question with asking it: Where did you go? is a direct question and requires the auxiliary do.
Could you tell me where the pharmacy is?
Could you tell me where the pharmacy is?
A polite question: the word order is like that of a statement, but there is no backshift and no asked.
She asked if I was ready.
She asked if I was ready.
This is a question with a yes-or-no answer: it is introduced by if and belongs to another rule.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:Daria asked where was the library.
Correct:Daria asked where the library was.
After the question word, put the subject before the verb, as in a statement.
Incorrect:Marek asked me what time did the lesson start.
Correct:Marek asked me what time the lesson started.
In reported speech, did disappears, and the main verb carries the past tense.
Incorrect:Piet asked me what do I think.
Correct:Piet asked me what I thought.
After what, use statement word order: what I think or, with backshift in a past report, what I thought. Remove the question do.
Incorrect:Alina asked to me why I was late.
Correct:Alina asked me why I was late.
After ask, the object comes without to.