Reported Questions: Yes/No Questions

When we report a yes/no question, we are not actually asking a question anymore. We are telling someone about a question that happened in the past. Because of this, the sentence stops being a question. It becomes a normal sentence. This means the word order changes. We also need a special word to connect the two parts of the sentence. In English, that word is if. You can think of if as a bridge. It connects the person who asked the question to the question itself. It is like a grammar traffic light that tells you when to switch from reporting to the actual content. We also usually move the time of the action back into the past. This is because the question already happened. It is no longer happening right now. It is a report of a past event.

1. 1To build a reported yes/no question, follow these five simple steps:
2. 2Start with a reporting verb. The most common one is asked. You can also use wanted to know.
3. 3Add the connector if. This is the most important part for yes/no questions.
4. 4Change the person. If someone asked you, you change it to I when reporting it.
5. 5Change the verb tense. Usually, you move one step back. Am/is/are becomes was/were. Do/does disappears and the main verb becomes past tense.
6. 6Use statement word order. This means Subject + Verb. Do not use the question order Verb + Subject.
7. 7Remove the question mark. Since it is now a statement, we end with a period.
8. 8Example: Are you cold? becomes He asked if I was cold.

Use this grammar when you are retelling a story to a friend. It is perfect for sharing gossip or updates. She asked if he liked her! is a classic example. You will also use it a lot at work. If your boss asks, Is the report ready?, you might tell a colleague, The boss asked if the report was ready. It is also very helpful when ordering food or asking for directions. If you ask a waiter, Is this dish spicy?, and then tell your friend, you say, I asked if the dish was spicy. It helps you summarize long conversations quickly. It is much faster than repeating every single word someone said. It shows you understand the meaning of the conversation, not just the sounds.

Do not use this pattern for WH-questions. If a question starts with Who, What, Where, When, or Why, you do not use if. Those questions have their own rules. Also, do not use reported speech if you want to use a direct quote. If you use quotation marks, you must keep the original words exactly as they were. For example, He asked, "Are you okay?" is direct. He asked if I was okay is reported. Do not use this if you are currently asking the question for the first time. It is only for reporting a question that already happened. Finally, avoid it in very formal legal documents where the exact original wording is required for evidence.

One of the biggest mistakes is keeping the words do, does, or did. In a normal question, we say, Do you like pizza? But in a reported question, the do must go away. ✗ He asked if did I like pizza. ✓ He asked if I liked pizza. Another common error is keeping the question word order. ✗ She asked if was I happy. ✓ She asked if I was happy. Remember, it is a statement now! Also, many people forget to change the pronouns. If someone asks you a question, you must report it as me or I. ✗ He asked if you were hungry (when he was talking to you). ✓ He asked if I was hungry. It is like a puzzle where all the pieces must fit the new perspective.

Compare reported questions to reported statements. In a statement like I am happy, we use that. He said that he was happy. But in a question like Are you happy?, we use if. He asked if I was happy. The word if is the signal that the original sentence was a question. Also, compare this to WH-questions. In Where are you?, we use the word where as the connector. He asked where I was. We never use if and where together. Think of if as the substitute for the missing question word in yes/no questions. It fills the gap and tells the listener, Hey, the answer to this was either yes or no!