noteswale
Noteclass 11 12

Reported speech — questions, commands, time shift

Lesson 56 of 84

B2

Reported question = asked if / asked + wh + statement order (sawal → seedha jumla). Command (hukum) = told me to / not to. Time words: yesterday → the day before. Statements said / told = 42. Wish = 57. Direct sawal = 17. Direct hukum = 28.

1. Kya hai

Quotes aur ? hatao. Bola wala verb (asked / told / said) past ho to tense 42 jaisa time peeche (are → was, do you live → lived). Yahan naya rule: word order statement (seedha jumla) banega; hukum to + verb; yesterday / tomorrow / now / here badlenge.

Direct Reported
"Are you tired?" He asked if I was tired.
"Where do you live?" She asked where I lived.
"Sit down." The teacher told us to sit down.
"I saw her yesterday." He said he had seen her the day before.

He said he was tired = 42, yahan mat dohrao. Do you know where he lives? = jumle ke andar sawal, almost same seedha order; yahan core nahi.

2. Questions: if / wh + statement order

Yes / no: asked (me) if / whether + karta + verb. do / does / did hatao. Sawal wali order (helping verb + karta) mat rakho.

Direct After asked
"Are you tired?" asked if I was tired
"Do you want chai?" asked if I wanted chai
"Have you finished?" asked if I had finished
"Where do you live?" asked where I lived
"What time does the train leave?" asked what time the train left
"Why are you late?" asked why I was late

Galti: asked where was I / where did I live. Sahi: seedha jumla — asked where I was / where I lived. said if mat likho — sawal ke liye asked. whether = if jaisa; or not ke saath whether zyada natural.

3. Commands + time words

Direct Reported
"Sit down." told us to sit down
"Please wait." asked me to wait
"Don't be late." told me not to be late
"Fill in the form." told me to fill in the form (52)

Person zaroori: told me to / asked us to — told to close adhura. told = hukum; asked = request. Negative: not to + verb, nahi don't.

Direct Reported
yesterday the day before / the previous day
tomorrow the next day / the following day
today / tonight that day / that night
now then
here there
this / these that / those
last week / next week the previous week / the following week
ago before

Exam aksar past ko had + V3 bhi kar deta hai: "I saw her yesterday." → He said he had seen her the day before. Hindi kal = yesterday aur tomorrow dono — English alag: the day before vs the next day. since / for / ago extra = I5.

4. Examples

Bold = change.

  1. "Are you tired?" → He asked if I was tired.
  2. "Do you want chai?" → Amma asked if I wanted chai.
  3. "Is the shop open?" → He asked whether the shop was open.
  4. "Where do you live?" → She asked where I lived.
  5. "What time does the train leave?" → He asked what time the train left.
  6. "Why are you late?" → The teacher asked why I was late.
  7. "Have you finished?" → She asked if I had finished.
  8. "Sit down." → The teacher told us to sit down.
  9. "Please wait." → He asked me to wait.
  10. "Don't be late." → Papa told me not to be late.
  11. "Fill in the form." → She told me to fill in the form.
  12. "Wait here." → The guard told us to wait there.
  13. "I saw him yesterday." → She said she had seen him the day before.
  14. "I will come tomorrow." → He said he would come the next day.
  15. "I am busy now." → She said she was busy then.

5. Common mistakes

He asked where was I. / where did I live.
He asked where I was. / where I lived.
He said if I was tired. / asked that I was tired.
He asked if I was tired.
She told that close the door. / told to close.
She told me to close the door.
He told me don't be late. / to not be late.
He told me not to be late.
He said he saw her yesterday.
He said he had seen her the day before.
She asked me to waiting. / asked for wait.
She asked me to wait.
He asked me what is your name.
He asked me what my name was. (your → my; is → was; seedha jumla)
She said she would come tomorrow. (reporting later)
She said she would come the next day. (42 = would; 56 = the next day)
Hindi note. Sawal report karte hue do / does / did hatao; karta pehle, phir verb. Hukum = told me to. Mana = not to. Hindi kal confuse karta hai: pehle wala din = the day before; agla din = the next day.

6. Practice

A. 10 MCQ

1. "Are you tired?" (to me) → He asked if I ______ tired.
2. "Where do you live?" → She asked where I ______.
3. He ______ if I wanted chai.
4. "Sit down." → The teacher told us ______ down.
5. "Don't be late." → Papa told me ______ late.
6. "I saw her yesterday." → He said he had seen her ______.
7. "I will come tomorrow." → She said she would come ______.
8. "What is your name?" → He asked what my name ______.
9. "Please wait." → She asked me ______ wait.
10. "Have you finished?" → He asked if I ______ finished.

B. 5 fill-in

1. He asked ______ I was tired. (if / whether)

2. She asked where I ______. ("Where do you live?")

3. The teacher told us ______ sit down.

4. He said he had seen her ______. (yesterday)

5. Sahi karo: He asked where was I.

C. 3 sentences

Model answers neeche. Ek if, ek told to, ek time word.

  1. if: He asked if I was tired.
  2. told to: The teacher told us to sit down.
  3. time: He said he had seen her the day before.

7. Answer key

MCQ
  1. a) was — asked if + seedha jumla; am → was (42, time peeche). am / are = time peeche nahi / sawal wali order yahan nahi.
  2. a) lived — wh + I lived. did live / do live = sawal ke extra do/did yahan nahi.
  3. b) asked — sawal = asked if. said if / told if galat.
  4. b) to sit — told + person + to + verb. sit / sitting nahi.
  5. a) not to be — mana hukum. don't be extra nahi. not be = to missing.
  6. a) the day before — yesterday shift. tomorrow ka pair = the next day.
  7. b) the next day — tomorrow shift. would = 42; time word = 56.
  8. a) was — what + my name was. is = time peeche nahi. were = plural / you.
  9. b) to — asked me to wait. for / that galat.
  10. b) had — have finished → had finished. have = time peeche nahi. did ≠ perfect.
Fill-in
  1. if / whether — yes/no reported question.
  2. lived — statement order, do hatao.
  3. to — told us to + verb.
  4. the day before / the previous day — yesterday shift.
  5. He asked where I was. — asked ke baad seedha jumla, sawal wali order nahi.
Model sentences
  1. He asked if I was tired.
  2. The teacher told us to sit down.
  3. He said he had seen her the day before.

Check: asked if / whether; asked + wh + karta + verb; do/did extra nahi; told me to / not to; yesterday → the day before; tomorrow → the next day; have → had after asked; statements said/told = 42; wish = 57; direct wh = 17; direct hukum = 28.