Discours indirect : questions avec mot interrogatif

Imagine you are a bridge. On one side, you have a direct question. On the other side, you have a report. To build the bridge, you need three pieces. First, you need a "reporting verb." The most common one is demander. This means "to ask." Second, you need your question word. This word is the "glue." It connects the two parts of your sentence. Words like où, quand, and pourquoi stay the same. They don't change their clothes for the party. Third, you need a simple statement. You take the original question and straighten it out. You remove the "question" feel. No more weird word orders. No more question marks at the end. It is like turning a curly fry into a straight fry. Still delicious, just a different shape!

1. 1Creating this pattern is like following a simple recipe.
2. 2Start with the person asking: Il me demande... (He asks me).
3. 3Pick your question word: où, quand, comment, pourquoi, combien, or qui.
4. 4Add the subject: je, tu, il, etc.
5. 5Add the verb: Keep it in the normal order.
6. 6Remove est-ce que: If it was in the original question, delete it.
7. 7Stop the inversion: If the subject and verb were swapped, swap them back.
8. 8Example: Où vas-tu ? becomes Il demande où tu vas. See? The tu and vas went back to their normal spots. It is much easier for your brain to process.

Use this grammar when you are gossiping with friends. "She asked why he left!" Use it in a job interview. "They asked when I can start." Use it when you are traveling and reporting directions. "The lady asked where the train station is." It is perfect for retelling stories. It helps you avoid using quote marks in your head. It makes your speech feel more professional and fluid. Even at the A1 level, you will use this constantly. Think of it as the "Reporting for Duty" rule. You are the narrator of your own life.

Do not use this for "Yes/No" questions. If the question starts with Est-ce que... without a question word, this rule changes. For those, we use si (if). For example: "Are you hungry?" becomes "He asks if I am hungry." Our current rule is ONLY for words like où or quand. Also, don't use it if you want to quote someone exactly. If you use "quotation marks," keep the original question. If you want to be dramatic, stick to direct speech. "He shouted: 'Where is my cake?!'" Use indirect speech for the calm summary. "He asked where his cake was."

One big mistake is keeping the question mark. In indirect speech, the sentence ends with a period. It is a statement now, not a question. Another mistake is keeping est-ce que. Learners often say: Il demande où est-ce que je vais. This is a big no-no. It is redundant and sounds heavy. Just say: Il demande où je vais. Also, watch out for word order. Don't swap the subject and verb. Il demande où vas-tu is wrong. It should be Il demande où tu vas. It is like a grammar traffic light. Red light for inversion! Green light for subject-then-verb! Finally, remember to change your pronouns. If someone asks "you," you report that they asked "me." Don't forget who is talking to whom.

Let's compare this to the si pattern. We use si for questions that have no question word.

• Direct: Tu viens ? (Are you coming?)
• Indirect: Il demande si tu viens. (He asks if you are coming.)

Now look at our current rule with où:

• Direct: Où vas-tu ? (Where are you going?)
• Indirect: Il demande où tu vas. (He asks where you are going.)

Notice the difference? The question word où acts as the connector. In the first one, we had to invent si to fill the gap. In the second one, où was already there to help. It is like having a built-in adapter for your plug.