01 / 07
What is reported questions word order?
Reported questions word order follows statement order after the introductory question word. "Where is the meeting?" becomes "He asked where the meeting was." The subject the meeting comes before was, so the inversion from the direct question disappears. Do-support disappears too: "When does the shipment arrive?" becomes "She asked when the shipment arrived," not "when does the shipment arrive." The one-line B1 link is that familiar reported-speech backshift continues inside the question. At B2, the new decision concerns sentence function and order. Keep the question word when one exists, then build a statement-shaped clause. A practical check is to ask whether the words after where or when could form ordinary statement order. If they can, the reported question is usually shaped correctly.
02 / 07
How do indirect question rules remove inversion and do?
Report wh-questions by keeping the question word but arranging the following subject and verb as a statement. Compare "Where is the project meeting?" with "He asked me where the project meeting was." The minimal pair shows the decisive change: where + is + subject becomes where + subject + was. In a question with do-support, do disappears completely: "When does the shipment arrive?" becomes "She asked the supplier when the shipment arrived." Do not simply place the direct-question shape after asked. Remove the question form first, then continue the familiar time shift inside the reported clause. The question word remains because it identifies the information being requested. This pattern covers the wh-questions in this lesson rather than opening a new topic about every embedded-clause type. For a final check, read only the words after asked: they should sound like statement order.
03 / 07
How do reported speech questions use if or whether?
Reported speech questions with a yes-no answer begin with if or whether and then use statement order. A direct question such as "Did you receive the signed contract?" becomes "The client asked if we had received the signed contract" or "The client asked whether we had received the signed contract." Neither did nor inversion remains. If and whether perform the same introductory job for the yes-no question here. The main example combines this form with a request: "The client asked whether we had received the signed contract and asked us to send the final invoice." After whether comes a full reported statement-shaped clause; after the second asked comes an object and to-infinitive. Keep those two uses of asked separate so that whether does not accidentally introduce a command or to-infinitive.
04 / 07
How do reported commands use tell, ask, and the to-infinitive?
Reported commands use tell/ask + object + to-infinitive. A command such as "Send the invoice" becomes "She told me to send the invoice." A request such as "Please check the attachment" becomes "He asked me to check the attachment." The object is necessary because it identifies the person expected to act: told me, asked us, or asked her. The choice between tell and ask follows the function in this lesson. Tell relays a command, while ask relays a request. Compare "She told us to send the invoice" with "She asked us to send the invoice." The infinitive structure remains the same, but the communicative stance changes. For negative commands, not comes before the to-infinitive: "The manager told me not to reply yet." The negation therefore stays closely attached to the reported action.
05 / 07
Which reported-question and command mistakes do German speakers make?
German speakers make two main mistakes with reported questions and commands: they retain English question shape or put not in the wrong place. While trying not to transfer German verb-final order, a learner can overcorrect to "He asked me where is the project meeting." The natural form is "He asked me where the project meeting was." Likewise, "She asked the supplier when does the shipment arrive" wrongly preserves does and inversion; use "when the shipment arrived." In negative commands, German nicht zu can encourage "The manager told me to not reply yet." The target pattern in this lesson is "told me not to reply." Check the two issues separately: after a question word or whether, use statement order; after tell/ask + object, use not to + verb for the negative form.
06 / 07
How do you use reported questions and commands at work?
Use reported questions and commands at work when summarising calls, meetings, and instructions accurately for other people. After a client call, write: "The client asked whether we had received the signed contract and asked us to send the final invoice by Friday." The first part reports a yes-no question with whether + statement order; the second reports a request with asked us to send. A colleague can add: "The client asked when the revised version would arrive." An internal instruction might read: "The manager told me not to reply until legal had checked the complaint." These forms document responsibilities and next steps without reproducing the entire exchange as direct speech. In an email, pay particular attention to the object after tell or ask so that the expected actor remains clear. The conversation then becomes a concise, traceable action record.
07 / 07
How do you solve indirect questions exercises?
Solve indirect questions exercises reliably with a three-step function test. First decide whether the source is a wh-question, a yes-no question, or a command/request. For a wh-question, keep the question word and switch what follows to statement order: "where the meeting was." For a yes-no question, introduce the clause with if or whether: "whether we had received it." For a command or request, choose tell or ask, name the object, and add the to-infinitive: "asked us to send it." Then check that do/does/did has disappeared and that the subject comes before the verb. For a negative command, also check not to. This sequence prevents a superficial word swap that leaves the direct-question shape hidden inside the report. The final sentence should preserve the original function while using the new reported structure.