Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Reported questions turn a direct question into a statement by removing 'do/does/did' and using normal subject-verb word order.
- Keep the Wh- word (what, where, why) as the connector. Example: 'Where is he?' -> 'She asked where he was.'
- Change the word order to Subject + Verb. Example: 'Why are you late?' -> 'He asked why I was late.'
- Remove auxiliary 'do', 'does', or 'did'. Example: 'What do you want?' -> 'She asked what I wanted.'
Overview
what、where、why のような疑問詞で始まる質問を伝える機能です。この文法構造は、直接的な疑問文を間接的な平叙文に変換し、英語をより自然で、物語や会話の中に統合されたものに聞こえるようにします。B1レベルの学習者にとって、間接疑問文をマスターすることは、複雑なアイデアを表現し、対話を伝え、より高度な流暢さと文法的なコントロールを示すために不可欠です。「彼は『どこへ行くの？』と尋ねました」と言う代わりに、「彼は私がどこへ行くのか尋ねました」と、よりスムーズに同じ情報を伝えることができます。ask、wonder、inquire のような報告動詞の目的語節として機能する副文にシームレスに組み込むことです。これらの変換を理解することで、過去のやり取りを効果的に伝え、スピーチやライティングにニュアンスと洗練さを加えることができます。これは、英語における間接的なコミュニケーションの基本的な要素であり、ネイティブスピーカーが会話をどのように自然に伝えているかを反映しています。- 疑問符（?）は不要：間接疑問文はもはや直接的な問いかけではありません。それは問いかけを「報告する」平叙文として機能します。したがって、文末はピリオド（.）で終わります。例えば、直接疑問文の
Where is the exit?
He asked where the exit was.となります。文末がピリオドになる点に注意してください。
- 主語と助動詞の倒置がない：直接疑問文では、英語は通常、主語と助動詞を入れ替えます（例：
are you、did she、is it）。間接疑問文では、この倒置が元に戻され、語順は標準的な肯定文の 主語 + 動詞 に戻ります。これは学習者にとって最も重要で、しばしば難しい側面の一つです。What are you doing?
She asked what was I doing.ではなく、She asked what I was doing.となります。この語順の変化は、日本語の「何をしているの？」と英語の「What are you doing?」の語順の違いを考えると、特に注意が必要です。
- 疑問詞は接続詞として機能する：
Yes/Noの間接疑問文がifまたはwhetherを使って報告節を導入するのとは異なり、疑問詞（Wh- question）は元の疑問詞（what、where、when、why、who、how）を保持します。この疑問詞は、接続詞として機能し、報告動詞（reporting verb）を含む節と、報告される内容の節を直接つなぎます。例えば、「なぜ彼は帰ったのですか？」(Why did he leave?) は、「彼がなぜ帰ったのか不思議に思いました」(I wondered why he had left.) と報告されます。このwhyが、報告動詞wonderedとhad leftという出来事を直接つないでいます。
- 時制の一致（Tense Backshift）：これは、報告動詞（例：
asked、wondered、wanted to know）が過去形の場合に、間接話法でよく見られる特徴です。報告節内の動詞は、元の時制から通常1つ過去の時制にシフトします。これは、報告される動作や状態が、報告する行為よりも前、または同時に起こったことを示します。以下に一般的な時制の一致の例を示します。 - 現在形 → 過去形：
Where do you live?
He asked where I lived.（「あなたはどこに住んでいますか？」→「彼は私がどこに住んでいるか尋ねた。」） - 現在進行形 → 過去進行形：
What are you reading?
She asked what I was reading.（「あなたは何を読んでいますか？」→「彼女は私が何 を読んでいたか尋ねた。」） - 現在完了形 → 過去完了形：
How long have you waited?
They asked how long I had waited.（「どのくらい待っていましたか？」→「彼らは私がどのくらい待っていたか尋ねた。」） - 過去形 → 過去完了形：
When did you arrive?
He inquired when I had arrived.（「いつ到着しましたか？」→「彼は私がいつ到着したか尋ねた。」） - 未来（will） → 仮定法（would）：
When will you call?
She asked when I would call.（「いつ電話しますか？」→「彼女は私がいつ電話するか尋ねた。」） - 法助動詞：
can→could、may→might、must→had to（しばしば）。例えば、「How much can you lift?」（どれくらい持ち上げられますか？）は、「He asked how much I could lift.」（彼は私がどれくらい持ち上げられるか尋ねた。）となります。
Where is Paris?) と尋ねた場合、「彼女はパリがどこにあるか尋ねた」(She asked where Paris is.) と報告することができます（パリの場所は不変の事実だからです）。しかし、報告動詞が過去形であり、報告される情報が過去の出来事に特定されている場合は、明確さのために時制の一致が通常好まれます。- 代名詞、時間・場所の副詞の変更：間接的な平叙文と同様に、代名詞（例：
I→he/she）、指示詞（例：this→that）、時間・場所の副詞（例：today→that day、here→there、tomorrow→the next day）も、元の話し手から報告者への視点の変化を反映するように調整する必要があることがよくあります。例えば、「昨日、ここで私をいつ見ましたか？」(When did you see me here yesterday?) は、「彼は私が前日にそこで彼を見たのがいつだったか尋ねた」(He asked when I had seen him there the day before.) となるかもしれません。
ask、wonder、inquire といった報告動詞が、報告節を導入します。報告動詞の選択は、元の質問のトーンや性質を伝えることができます。- 「誰が私の本を取りましたか？」 (
Who has taken my book?) →She asked who had taken her book.（「誰が彼女の本を取ったのか」と彼女は尋ねた。）
who は質問の主語でもあるため、主語と助動詞の倒置を解除する必要はありません。語順は 疑問詞 + 動詞 のままです。- 会話や出来事の回想：最も一般的な用途は、誰かが尋ねたことをそのまま引用せずに物語ることです。これにより、質問の内容を自分の物語や議論にスムーズに組み込むことができます。例えば、会話を直接引用して中断する代わりに、「同僚はレポートの締め切りはいつか尋ねました」(
My colleague asked when the report was due.) のように伝えます。これは、会議、社交的な集まり、または過去のやり取りを説明する際に非常に重要です。
- 丁寧さと間接性：間接疑問文は本質的に直接的な質問から距離を作り、要求や問い合わせをより丁寧に、または控えめに聞こえさせる傾向があります。見知らぬ人に直接「今何時ですか？」(
What time is it?) と尋ねる代わりに、状況によってはより丁寧なアプローチとして、「すみません、今何時か教えていただけますか？」(Excuse me, could you tell me what time it is?) のように言うことができます。この間接性は、多くの専門的およびフォーマルな場面で重宝されます。
- 要約と説明：学術的な文章、プレゼンテーション、またはビジネスレポートでは、間接疑問文が研究課題、提起された問題、または行われた問い合わせを要約するために使用されます。例えば、「委員会は、なぜプロジェクトが遅延したのかを知りたかった」(
The committee wanted to know why the project had experienced delays.) は、フォーマルな文章には不適切な直接引用を使用せずに、調査のポイントを簡潔に伝えています。
- 情報のスムーズな統合：質問を平叙文に変換することで、文構造の突然の変化を避け、スピーチやライティングをより自然に流れるようにします。これにより、直接引用が時折引き起こす可能性のある会話の途切れを防ぐことができます。例えば、就職の面接について説明する際に、「面接官は私が5年後にどこにいるか尋ねました。そして私は…と答えました」(
The interviewer asked where I saw myself in five years, and I responded...) のように言うことができます。これは、質問を回答にシームレスに統合します。
- 物語における繰り返し回避：一連の質問や長い対話について議論する際に、間接話法を使用することで、引用符の繰り返し使用を防ぎ、文章全体の一貫性を保ちながら、質問の内容を効果的に伝えることができます。
- 1直接疑問文の語順を維持してしまう：
- 間違い：
She asked what was she doing. - 理由：日本語では「何をしているの？」のように、疑問詞が文頭に来ても、動詞（「している」）は文末近くに来ます。また、直接疑問文の「主語 + 助動詞」の倒置構造（
are you）に慣れているため、それをそのまま間接疑問文に適用しようとすることがあります。しかし、間接疑問文では、疑問詞の後ろは通常の平叙文の語順（主語 + 動詞）になります。正しい形はShe asked what she was doing.です。
- 1時制の一致を忘れる、または誤って適用する：
- 間違い：
He asked where I live.（報告動詞が過去形askedなのに、報告節の動詞が現在形liveのまま） - 理由：日本語では、過去の出来事について話す際にも、時制を過去にずらすという明確なルールが常に適用されるわけではありません。英語の「時制の一致（Tense Backshift）」のルールは、日本語には直接対応するものがないため、忘れがちです。報告動詞が過去形の場合、報告節の動詞も過去にずらすのが一般的です。この場合、
liveはlivedになります。正しい形はHe asked where I lived.です。
- 1文末に疑問符（?）をつけてしまう：
- 間違い：
What time is it? he asked. - 理由：直接質問を報告しているため、つい疑問符を付けてしまいがちです。しかし、間接疑問文は、全体としては「〜かどうかを尋ねた」という事実を述べる平叙文です。したがって、文末はピリオド（.）で終わるべきです。正しい形は
He asked what time it was.です。
- 1疑問詞の役割を誤解する：
- 間違い：
She asked why did he go. - 理由：直接疑問文の「疑問詞 + 助動詞 + 主語 + 動詞」という構造をそのまま適用しようとしてしまうミスです。間接疑問文では、疑問詞は接続詞のような役割を果たし、その後に続くのは平叙文の語順になります。正しい形は
She asked why he went.です。（もし時制の一致が適用されるならwhy he had goneとなります。）
Yes/No 疑問文と混同しやすいことがあります。これらの違いを理解することは、正確なコミュニケーションのために重要です。what, where, when, why, who, how などをそのまま使用 | if または whether を使用 |if/whether + 主語 + 動詞（平叙文の語順） |Where are you?Are you okay?He asked where I was. | He asked if/whether I was okay. |- 直接話法：
She asked,Where are you going?
- 間接疑問文：
She asked where I was going.
asked）が導入され、代名詞（you → I）と時制（are going → was going）が調整され、文末がピリオドになります。日本語の「彼女は『どこへ行くの？』と尋ねた」と「彼女は私がどこへ行くのか尋ねた」の関係に似ています。asks、wonders）の場合、通常、時制の一致は適用されません。元の質問の時制がそのまま使われます。例えば、「彼は『今何時ですか？』と尋ねます」は He asks what time it is. となります。who や what が質問の主語である場合、語順はどうなりますか？who や what が直接疑問文の主語である場合、間接疑問文でも主語と動詞の間に倒置は起こりません。疑問詞がそのまま主語の役割を果たします。例えば、直接疑問文 Who is calling?She asked who was calling. となります。これは、who が calling という動作を行っているからです。tell someone to do something の形をとります。例えば、「彼は私にドアを開けるように頼んだ」は He asked me to open the door. となります。3. Direct vs. Reported Question Structure
| Tense | Direct Question | Reported Question | Key Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
Where is he?
|
She asked where he was.
|
is -> was
|
|
Present Continuous
|
What are you doing?
|
He asked what I was doing.
|
are doing -> was doing
|
|
Past Simple
|
Why did she leave?
|
I asked why she had left.
|
did leave -> had left
|
|
Present Perfect
|
Where have you been?
|
They asked where I had been.
|
have been -> had been
|
|
Future (Will)
|
When will it end?
|
We asked when it would end.
|
will -> would
|
|
Can
|
How can I help?
|
He asked how he could help.
|
can -> could
|
Meanings
Reported Wh- questions are used to tell someone else what a person asked using words like what, where, when, why, who, and how. Unlike direct questions, they do not use question marks or question word order.
Reporting Past Inquiries
Describing a question that was asked in the past, requiring a tense shift.
“She asked why the train was late.”
“They wondered where the keys were.”
Polite Indirect Questions
Using reported structure in the present tense to be more polite or formal.
“Could you tell me where the station is?”
“I was wondering why the office is closed.”
Summarizing Conversations
Reporting the general topic of a question without quoting it exactly.
“The boss asked why the project failed.”
“The police asked where I had been.”
Reference Table
| 直接疑問文 | 間接疑問文 | なぜ変わるの？ |
|---|---|---|
|
"What is your name?"
|
She asked what my name was.
|
「普通の文」の語順になり、時制も過去に。
|
|
"Where do you live?"
|
He inquired where I lived.
|
「do」がなくなり、「普通の文」の語順に。
|
|
"Why are you late?"
|
They wondered why I was late.
|
「普通の文」の語順になり、時制も過去に。
|
|
"When will it start?"
|
I wanted to know when it would start.
|
「will」が「would」に変わります。
|
|
"Who took my book?"
|
He asked who had taken his book.
|
Whoが主語なので語順は変わらないけど、時制が過去完了に。
|
|
"How can I help you?"
|
She asked how she could help me.
|
「can」が「could」に変わります。
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
The supervisor inquired as to where the employee was located. (Workplace vs. Friends)
He asked where I was. (Workplace vs. Friends)
He asked where I was at. (Workplace vs. Friends)
He was like, 'Where you at?' (Workplace vs. Friends)
間接Wh-疑問文を報告する
主な変更点
- No Inversion 主語＋動詞の語順
- No Question Mark ピリオドで終わる
- Wh- word as Connector What, where, why などが接続詞に
- Tense Backshift 動詞が過去にずれる
報告動詞
- Ask 最も一般的
- Wonder 好奇心を表す
- Inquire より丁寧
- Want to know よく使われる表現
よく使われるWh-語
- What 物事についての情報
- Where 場所についての情報
- Why 理由についての情報
- When 時間についての情報
- How 方法についての情報
直接疑問文 vs. 間接Wh-疑問文
間接Wh-疑問文の作り方
Wh-質問ですか？
報告動詞の時制は何ですか？
語順は主語＋動詞ですか？
疑問符で終わっていますか？
間接Wh-疑問文を使う場面
カジュアルな会話
- • 友達とのテキストメッセージ
- • カフェでの会話
- • 物語を話すとき
ビジネスシーン
- • 就職面接
- • フォーマルなメール
- • 大学のグループプロジェクト
メディアと学習
- • Netflixの字幕
- • 講義の要約
- • ニュース報道
日常の状況
- • アプリでの食事の注文
- • 決定の説明
- • イベントの計画
レベル別の例文
He asked where I live.
He asked where I live.
She asked what I want.
She asked what I want.
They asked who he is.
They asked who he is.
I asked how you are.
I asked how you are.
He asked where the bus stop was.
He asked where the bus stop was.
She asked why I was late.
She asked why I was late.
They asked what I did yesterday.
They asked what I did yesterday.
I asked when the movie started.
I asked when the movie started.
The manager asked why I had left my previous job.
The manager asked why I had left my previous job.
She wondered how much the repairs would cost.
She wondered how much the repairs would cost.
He wanted to know where I had been all night.
He wanted to know where I had been all night.
They inquired why the flight had been cancelled.
They inquired why the flight had been cancelled.
The professor asked to what extent the results were accurate.
The professor asked to what extent the results were accurate.
I was wondering why you hadn't mentioned the problem earlier.
I was wondering why you hadn't mentioned the problem earlier.
She asked where the documents were being kept.
She asked where the documents were being kept.
They asked how the new policy would affect their salaries.
They asked how the new policy would affect their salaries.
The board inquired as to why the merger had not been finalized.
The board inquired as to why the merger had not been finalized.
He questioned how such a fundamental error could have occurred.
He questioned how such a fundamental error could have occurred.
She asked why the witnesses were being so uncooperative.
She asked why the witnesses were being so uncooperative.
The journalist asked what the implications of the new law might be.
The journalist asked what the implications of the new law might be.
The historian interrogated why the dynasty had collapsed so precipitously.
The historian interrogated why the dynasty had collapsed so precipitously.
The critic pondered how the artist's upbringing had informed her aesthetic choices.
The critic pondered how the artist's upbringing had informed her aesthetic choices.
They queried why the philosophical underpinnings of the argument were so flawed.
They queried why the philosophical underpinnings of the argument were so flawed.
The diplomat asked in what manner the treaty would be enforced across borders.
The diplomat asked in what manner the treaty would be enforced across borders.
間違えやすい
Learners often use question word order in indirect questions because they feel like they are still 'asking'.
Using 'that' before a Wh- word.
Using 'if' with a Wh- word.
よくある間違い
He asked where is the toilet?
He asked where the toilet is.
She asked what do you want.
She asked what I wanted.
I asked who are you.
I asked who you were.
He asked that where I live.
He asked where I lived.
He asked why did you go.
He asked why I went.
She asked how is your mother.
She asked how my mother was.
They asked where was the party.
They asked where the party was.
The boss asked why I haven't finished.
The boss asked why I hadn't finished.
She asked when will I arrive.
She asked when I would arrive.
He wondered where had I been.
He wondered where I had been.
The lawyer asked why was the contract signed so late.
The lawyer asked why the contract was signed so late.
文型パターン
He asked me where ___ ___.
I wondered why ___ had ___.
They inquired how ___ would ___.
Could you tell me what ___ ___?
Real World Usage
He asked why I wanted to work for the company.
She asked what time we're going.
The officer asked where I had seen the suspect.
The agent asked what my order number was.
The study investigated how participants reacted to the stimulus.
Did he tell you why they broke up?
「倒置しない」練習をしよう！
She asked what I wanted.
if や whether は使わないで！
He asked where I lived.
「普通の文」の構造を意識しよう！
I wondered why she was sad.
報告すると丁寧になるよ
Smart Tips
Stop! Change the main verb to the past tense instead. 'Did' is for questions; your sentence is now a statement.
Move the 'is' (or 'was') to the very end of the clause.
Use 'I was wondering...' It uses the reported question structure to soften a request.
Check if you need 'had'. If the 'why' happened before the 'asking', use past perfect.
Treat 'what time' as a single Wh- unit that stays together.
発音
Falling Intonation
Unlike direct questions which often have rising intonation, reported questions end with falling intonation because they are statements.
Stress on Wh- word
The Wh- word is usually stressed to highlight the topic of the inquiry.
Statement Fall
I asked where he went. ↘️
Conveys that the speaker is providing information, not asking a question.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Remember: 'Wh- word, then the person, then the action.' No 'do' allowed!
視覚的連想
Imagine a question mark (?) being flattened into a period (.) by a heavy weight labeled 'Subject + Verb'. The question mark loses its 'do/does/did' tail in the process.
Rhyme
When reporting what they say, throw the 'do' and 'did' away. Put the subject in the lead, that is all the help you need!
Story
A detective is writing a report. He hears a witness ask 'Where is the money?'. In his notebook, he writes: 'The witness asked where the money was.' He knows he can't use question marks in a formal report, so he straightens the sentence out.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Look at your last 3 sent text messages. If they were questions, try to report them to an imaginary friend using 'I asked...'.
文化メモ
In formal British English, 'inquired' is very common in written reports, whereas 'asked' is preferred in speech.
Americans often use 'wanted to know' as a more casual alternative to 'asked' in storytelling.
Using indirect questions (reported structure) is considered more polite when asking for favors or information from strangers.
The 'Wh-' words in English come from the Proto-Indo-European root '*kwo-', which also produced 'quis' in Latin and 'wer' in German.
会話のきっかけ
Tell me about a time someone asked you a strange question. What did they ask?
In your last job interview, what did the interviewer ask you?
If you could ask a famous person one thing, what would it be? Now, tell me what you would ask them using reported speech.
Think about a recent news story. What are people asking about it?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
The teacher asked `what the answer ___` .
Find and fix the mistake:
He wondered why was she late?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /3
練習問題
8 exercisesHe asked...
She asked what I ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
He asked why was I crying.
He wanted to know...
I asked him what time it was.
A: 'Where are you going?' B: 'What did he say?' C: 'He asked...'
Select the correct one:
1. 'Why are you sad?' 2. 'Where do you live?'
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesHe wanted to know `what her favorite color ___` .
The tourist asked if where was the museum.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Ella preguntó por qué estaba él tan enojado.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
直接疑問文の始まりと、それが報告された形を一致させてください。
They wanted to know `how many people ___ to the party` the previous night.
She asked what you wanted for your birthday?
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'El reportero quiso saber cómo la empresa planeaba abordar el problema.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
She wanted to find out `where the ancient manuscript ___ discovered` .
Score: /12
よくある質問 (8)
Because a reported question is actually a statement *about* a question. It's a noun clause, not an interrogative sentence.
No. In English, we never use `that` and a Wh- word together in reported speech. The Wh- word is the only connector you need.
If the reporting verb is in the present (e.g., 'He asks'), you don't change the tense. If it's in the past (e.g., 'He asked'), you usually backshift, unless the fact is still true.
They disappear! They are only used to help form questions. Since reported questions use statement order, they are no longer needed.
No. 'He asked where was I' is grammatically incorrect in standard English. You must put the subject first.
Yes! `Wonder` is great for reporting questions you ask yourself or when you don't have a specific person you are asking.
Yes, for the purposes of this rule, `how` behaves exactly like `what`, `where`, and `why`.
Change `will` to `would`. For example, 'When will you call?' becomes 'He asked when I would call.'
Scaffolded Practice
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In Other Languages
Preguntó dónde estaba.
English requires strict Subject-Verb order, while Spanish is more flexible.
Il a demandé où j'habitais.
French uses 'ce que' for 'what' in reported questions, whereas English just uses 'what'.
Er fragte, wo ich wohne.
In German, the verb goes to the end; in English, it stays after the subject.
どこに住んでいるか聞きました (Doko ni sunde iru ka kikimashita)
Japanese uses a question particle; English uses word order and removes question markers.
سأل أين كنت (Sa'ala ayna kunta)
Arabic V-S order vs. English S-V order.
他问我住在哪里 (Tā wèn wǒ zhù zài nǎlǐ)
Chinese has no tense changes; English requires backshifting.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
関連動画
05:38 Can you solve the riddle of Pandora’s box? - Alex Rosenthal
REPORTED SPEECH | INDIRECT SPEECH | DIRECT SPEECH - statements, questions, commands
Arnel's Everyday English
Learn English Grammar: DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH (REPORTED SPEECH)
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