What is a reported yes/no question?
When recounting what someone asked, we embed the question in our own sentence rather than repeat it word for word. A question answered with yes or no is introduced by a verb such as asked and the conjunction if or whether.
The embedded part preserves the question’s content without question inversion: if I was ready, not if was I ready. The whole She asked … sentence reports someone’s question.
subject + asked (me) + if / whether + subject + verb (backshifted tense where appropriate)
- 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.
My neighbour asked if I had a ladder.
My neighbour asked if I had a ladder.
Do you have becomes I had: auxiliary do is absent and the verb is past.
The waiter asked whether we were ready to order.
The waiter asked whether we were ready to order.
Are you becomes we were: inversion disappears and you changes to we.
If or whether: which should you choose?
In most situations, if and whether are interchangeable for introducing yes/no questions. Whether sounds slightly more formal and occurs in writing, business messages and when emphasising two alternatives.
In this asked + clause pattern, whether is required directly before or not. When or not comes at the end, either if or whether is possible. Other whether contexts, such as before a to-infinitive, are covered separately.
whether or not + subject + verb; if / whether + subject + verb + or not
- 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.
She asked whether or not the lift was working.
She asked whether or not the lift was working.
Or not directly follows the conjunction, so only whether works here.
He asked if the lift was working or not.
He asked if the lift was working or not.
Or not ends the embedded clause, so if is also possible.
Word order: the question form disappears
In a direct question, an auxiliary or modal precedes the subject: Can you, Are you, Have you, or do/does/did is added. In a reported question, the subject comes first and the auxiliary takes its ordinary position within the predicate.
Remove do/does/did added only to form the direct question: Does she like it? → if she liked it. Retain negative or emphatic do when needed: if she didn’t like it, if she really did like it. A statement beginning She asked … normally ends with a full stop; an outer question Did she ask …? needs a question mark.
if + subject + (be / have / modal / past verb in a backshifted report)
- 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.
- modal —
- A modal verb expresses meanings such as ability, possibility or necessity: can, may, must.
The guard asked if the gate was locked.
The guard asked if the gate was locked.
Be follows the subject: the gate was, not was the gate.
My cousin asked if I had booked a table.
My cousin asked if I had booked a table.
Have becomes had and follows I.
The coach asked whether we could train earlier.
The coach asked whether we could train earlier.
Modal could follows subject we.
Leo asked if I wanted a lift.
Leo asked if I wanted a lift.
Auxiliary do disappears: wanted replaces do I want.
Backshift and pronoun changes
When the conversation is in the past, the embedded question normally shifts back: present simple to past simple, present continuous to past continuous, present perfect and often past simple to past perfect. Can and will become could and would.
Person and possessives change too: pronouns must fit the reporting speaker rather than the original questioner. If Mia asked Do you like my idea?, I report Mia asked if I liked her idea.
When circumstances remain relevant, speakers sometimes retain a present tense: She asked if I like tea. The exercises below report earlier conversations with standard backshift.
do/does → past simple; have + V3 → had + V3; can → could; will → would
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
Ivy asked if my brother played chess.
Ivy asked if my brother played chess.
Does ... play becomes played: do disappears and the verb takes its past form.
Dad asked whether I had finished the washing-up.
Dad asked whether I had finished the washing-up.
Have you finished? becomes whether I had finished in this report: tense, pronoun and question order change.
Our teacher asked if we would bring the forms.
Our teacher asked if we would bring the forms.
A student reports original Will you bring the forms?: you → we, will → would.
Introducing verbs: asked, wondered, wanted to know
Asked most commonly introduces a reported question; me/him/her after it is optional: She asked (me) if.... Alternatives include wondered, wanted to know and was wondering. Wondered needs no addressee: it can report a question that only occurred in someone’s mind.
Choose asked rather than told to report that someone asked. Told me whether … can be grammatical, but means the answer was supplied: She told me whether the shop was open. That cannot replace if/whether in an embedded yes/no question.
asked (me) / wondered / wanted to know + if / whether + ...
She wanted to know whether the shop sold stamps.
She wanted to know whether the shop sold stamps.
Wanted to know reports a desire for an answer; it does not itself guarantee a spoken question.
I wondered if anyone had seen my umbrella.
I wondered if anyone had seen my umbrella.
Wondered has no addressee; present perfect becomes past perfect.
Reporting a conversation with several questions and an answer
Real accounts rarely contain just one question. Embed each separately, applying the same rules to each: its own conjunction, statement order and appropriate tense shift.
The answer is reported with another construction, such as said that or said no, belonging to statement reporting. It appears here only to finish the account.
She asked if ..., and I said ...; First she asked whether ..., then she wondered if ...
Dad asked if I had eaten, and I said that I had.
Dad asked if I had eaten, and I said that I had.
A question introduced by if, followed by a separate brief answer.
First, he asked if I was lost. Then he wondered whether I needed a map.
First, he asked if I was lost. Then he wondered whether I needed a map.
Two questions, each with its own conjunction and statement order.
The rule’s limits: neighbouring constructions
Reported yes/no questions differ from reported wh-questions: those put where, why or what after asked rather than if/whether. They differ from commands and requests by not using to + verb for this reporting pattern.
The content type selects the pattern: yes/no question — if/whether; wh-question — a question word; request to someone — asked + recipient + to-infinitive. If the whole sentence is a statement, it normally ends with a full stop.
She asked if the train was late.
She asked if the train was late.
A yes/no question introduced by if.
She asked where the platform was.
She asked where the platform was.
A wh-question uses a question word instead of if. This is a separate rule.
She asked me to wait here.
She asked me to wait here.
A request with to + verb, also a separate rule.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She asked me did I like tea.
Correct:She asked me if I liked tea.
If or whether is required; question-order did I like changes to statement-order I liked.
Incorrect:He asked if was the office open.
Correct:He asked if the office was open.
After if, the subject precedes be; inversion belongs to the direct question.
Incorrect:I asked him that he was ready.
Correct:I asked him if he was ready.
That introduces a statement; if or whether introduces the yes/no question.
Incorrect:Mia asked if did I lock the door.
Correct:Mia asked if I had locked the door.
Auxiliary did disappears, and this backshifted report uses had locked instead of did I lock.