Reported Questions
Learn how a question loses its inversion once it is reported, how yes/no and wh- questions are each introduced, and which reporting verbs fit a retold question.
Retelling a question
A reported question is built like a statement, not a question.
A reported question retells a question, but it drops the inversion and question mark used in the original, and returns to standard subject-verb word order.
In “Where do you live?” she asked., the auxiliary verb do comes before the subject you. In She asked where I lived., the subject I comes before the verb lived, exactly as it would in a statement.
This lesson covers both yes/no and wh- reported questions, along with common reporting verbs used to introduce them.
Before you begin
This is one of ten topics on reported speech.
This lesson focuses on reported questions specifically. Reported speech as a whole includes nine other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of reported speech in general, begin with the Reported Speech page.
The central idea
The word order returns to normal once a question is reported.
Compare the direct question with its reported version.
01
Direct question
“Where do you live?” she asked.
02
Reported question
She asked where I lived.
The useful question is: has the inversion disappeared?
The auxiliary verb do is gone entirely, and lived takes its own past tense ending, following the subject the same way a statement would.
Yes/no reported questions
If or whether introduces a reported question with no question word.
Direct: “Did you call the office?”
He asked if I had called the office.
Direct: “Are you coming to the party?”
She asked whether I was coming to the party.
If and whether can generally be used in the same way here.
Wh- reported questions
The question word stays, but the inversion after it disappears.
Direct: “Where do you live?”
She asked where I lived.
Direct: “Why did the train stop?”
He wondered why the train had stopped.
A connection to indirect questions
This is the same pattern used to soften a direct question politely.
The word order used here matches the pattern covered in the Indirect Questions lesson under Question Formation, where the same statement word order is used to ask a more polite question. Reporting a question uses this pattern to retell it after the fact, rather than to ask it directly.
Reporting verbs for questions
Several verbs are commonly used to introduce a reported question.
asked → She asked where the station was.
wondered → He wondered why she had left early.
wanted to know → They wanted to know if the results were ready.
inquired → The visitor inquired whether the museum was open.
Punctuation
A reported question ends with a period, not a question mark.
She asked where I lived.
Although the sentence describes a question being asked, the sentence itself is a statement about that question, and ends accordingly.
A useful decision guide
Ask whether a question word is present, and check the word order.
01
Was the original question a yes/no question, or a wh- question?
Choose if/whether, or keep the original question word.
02
Has the subject and verb returned to statement order?
The inversion used in the direct question should disappear.
03
Does the tense need to shift?
This usually follows the same backshifting used in reported statements.
04
Does the sentence end with a period?
A reported question is a statement about a question, so it ends with a period.
Common mistakes
The word order and end punctuation both need attention.
The inversion should not be kept.
Not: She asked where did I live.
Correct: She asked where I lived.
A yes/no question needs if or whether once reported.
Not: He asked I had called the office.
Correct: He asked if I had called the office.
A reported question does not end with a question mark.
Not: She asked where I lived?
Correct: She asked where I lived.
Check your understanding
Which version is a correctly reported question?
Choose the correct answer for each pair.
Which sentence correctly reports “Are you ready?”
✅ Exactly! “If” introduces this yes/no question, and the word order returns to normal.
❎ Not quite. This keeps the inversion from the direct question.
Does the subject come before or after the verb?
Which sentence correctly reports “Why did he leave?”
✅ Exactly! “Why” stays, and the word order returns to normal.
❎ Not quite. This keeps the inversion from the direct question.
Look at the position of “he” relative to the verb.
Which sentence uses the correct end punctuation?
✅ Exactly! A reported question ends with a period.
❎ Not quite. Once a question is reported, it functions as a statement.
Is the whole sentence itself a question, or a statement about one?
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why is “He asked where did I live.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! Reported questions use statement word order, not question order.
❎ Not quite. “Where” correctly matches the meaning of the original question.
Why does “He asked I had called the office.” need to be corrected?
✅ Exactly! Without a question word, “if” or “whether” signals that a question is being reported.
❎ Not quite. Look for a question word, or a word like “if”, anywhere in the sentence.
Quick review
A reported question drops its inversion and its question mark.
A reported question uses statement word order, without the subject-auxiliary inversion of a direct question.
A yes/no question is introduced with if or whether; a wh- question keeps its original question word.
Common reporting verbs include asked, wondered, wanted to know and inquired.
A reported question ends with a period, since the sentence itself is a statement about a question.
Remember
Once a question is reported, it behaves like a statement.
Keep the subject before the verb, choose if, whether, or the original question word to introduce it, and end the sentence with a period.