Reported Questions in English Grammar Easy Rules with Urdu Examples for Beginners

 

Reported Questions in English Grammar: Easy Rules with Examples for Beginners

Reported Questions

🔍 What Are Reported Questions?

Reported Questions are a type of indirect speech used when we tell someone about a question that another person asked — without quoting the exact words.

رپورٹ شدہ سوالات بالواسطہ تقریر کی ایک قسم ہیں جب ہم کسی کو کسی ایسے سوال کے بارے میں بتاتے ہیں جو کسی دوسرے شخص نے پوچھا تھا — قطعی الفاظ کا حوالہ دیئے بغیر۔

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✅ Difference Between Direct and Reported Questions

Direct Question (براہِ راست سوال)	Reported Question (غیر مستقیم سوال)
He asked, “What is your name?”	He asked me what my name was.
She said, “Do you like tea?”	She asked me if I liked tea.

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🛠 Structure of Reported Questions

✳️ 1. WH-Questions (What, Where, When, Why, Who, How)

Structure:
Reporting Verb + Question Word + Subject + Verb

📌 No question marks
📌 No auxiliary inversion (no “do/does/did” as helper verbs)

Example:

• Direct: He said, “Where do you live?”
• Reported: He asked me where I lived.

Urdu: اُس نے مجھ سے پوچھا کہ میں کہاں رہتا ہوں۔

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✳️ 2. Yes/No Questions

Structure:
Reporting Verb + if/whether + Subject + Verb

📌 Use "if" or "whether" when the question can be answered with yes or no.

Example:

• Direct: She said, “Do you like pizza?”
• Reported: She asked me if I liked pizza.

Urdu: اُس نے مجھ سے پوچھا کہ کیا مجھے پیزا پسند ہے؟

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🧠 Common Reporting Verbs for Questions

Verb	Urdu Meaning
asked	پوچھا
inquired	دریافت کیا
wanted to know	جاننا چاہا

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🔄 Changes in Reported Questions

🧭 1. Tense Changes (Backshifting)

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
is → was	“What is your name?” → He asked what my name was.
do/does → did	“Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.
have → had	“Have you eaten?” → He asked if I had eaten.

🧍 2. Pronoun Changes

Direct	Reported
“What is your name?”	He asked what my name was.

🕰 3. Time and Place Changes

Direct Word	Indirect Word
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the day before
here	there

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✏️ Examples of Reported WH-Questions (with Urdu)

Direct Question	Reported Question	Urdu Translation
She said, “What is your name?”	She asked what my name was.	اُس نے پوچھا میرا نام کیا ہے۔
He said, “When will you come?”	He asked when I would come.	اُس نے پوچھا کہ میں کب آؤں گا۔
They said, “How do you cook biryani?”	They asked how I cooked biryani.	انہوں نے پوچھا کہ میں بریانی کیسے پکاتا ہوں۔

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✏️ Examples of Reported Yes/No Questions (with Urdu)

Direct Question	Reported Question	Urdu Translation
She said, “Do you like music?”	She asked if I liked music.	اُس نے پوچھا کہ کیا مجھے موسیقی پسند ہے؟
He said, “Are you coming?”	He asked if I was coming.	اُس نے پوچھا کہ کیا میں آ رہا ہوں؟
They said, “Have you finished?”	They asked if I had finished.	انہوں نے پوچھا کہ کیا میں فارغ ہو چکا ہوں؟

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❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don't use question order (auxiliary + subject).
   ❌ He asked where did I go.
   ✅ He asked where I went.
2. Don’t add question marks in reported questions
   ❌ He asked where I lived?
   ✅ He asked where I lived.
3. Remember to change the pronouns and tenses correctly.

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🧪 Practice Exercise

Convert these into Reported Questions:

1. He said, “What time is it?”
2. She asked, “Do you need help?”
3. They said, “When will you arrive?”
4. The teacher asked, “Why are you late?”
5. I asked, “Have you done your homework?”