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
Reported Questions (간접 의문문)를 다루는 것은 한국어 화자에게 매우 중요한 단계입니다. 한국어와 영어는 질문을 전달하는 방식에서 결정적인 차이를 보이기 때문입니다. 한국어에서는 누군가에게 들은 질문을 전달할 때, 직접 화법과 간접 화법의 경계가 상대적으로 유연하며, 문장 구조 자체가 크게 변하지 않습니다.He asked where did you go?와 같이 의문문 어순을 그대로 유지하는 실수를 범하는데, 이는 한국어의 '질문 형태를 그대로 가져오는 습관' 때문입니다.
Reported Questions는 단순히 정보를 전달하는 도구를 넘어, 대화의 흐름을 끊지 않고 자연스럽게 이야기를 이어가게 해주는 고급 문법입니다. 카페에서 친구와 수다를 떨거나, 회사에서 회의 내용을 보고할 때, 혹은 대학교 과제 발표를 할 때 이 구조를 사용하면 훨씬 세련되고 전문적인 영어를 구사할 수 있습니다.what, where, why와 같은 의문사를 사용한 질문을 간접 화법으로 바꾸는 연습은 B1 레벨에서 반드시 정복해야 할 핵심 과제입니다. 이 문법을 익히면 단순히 말을 전달하는 것을 넘어, 상황의 맥락을 논리적으로 연결하는 능력을 갖추게 됩니다.Reported Questions를 만들 때 가장 먼저 기억해야 할 것은 '질문의 성격'을 버리는 것입니다. 직접 의문문은 Auxiliary Verb (조동사: do, does, did 등)를 사용하여 주어와 동사를 도치시키지만, 간접 의문문은 명사절(Noun Clause)의 역할을 하므로 반드시 평서문 어순으로 돌아가야 합니다.- 1어순 변화 (Word Order): 가장 중요한 원칙은
Wh-word + Subject + Verb입니다. 예를 들어, 직접 질문
를 보고할 때Where is the bus?He asked where is the bus?
라고 하면 틀립니다.He asked where the bus was.
라고 해야 합니다.is라는 동사가 주어 뒤로 이동하는 것이죠. - 2시제 일치 (Tense Backshift): 주절의 동사가 과거형(
asked,wondered,inquired)일 때, 종속절의 동사도 과거로 이동합니다. 현재형live는lived로, 현재 진행형is reading은was reading으로 바뀝니다. 이는 한국어의 '-더라고', '-다더라'와 같은 회상 시제와 유사한 느낌을 줍니다. - 3의문사의 역할:
if나whether가 필요한Yes/No질문과 달리,Wh-의문문은 그대로 접속사 역할을 합니다. 즉, 의문사가 문장을 연결하는 다리 역할을 하므로 별도의 접속사가 필요 없습니다. - 4마침표 사용: 의문문으로 시작했더라도, 전체 문장은 평서문이므로 끝에는 반드시
.을 찍어야 합니다.?를 쓰지 않는 것이 포인트입니다.
Reported Questions의 기본 구조는 [주어 + 동사 + 의문사 + 주어 + 동사]입니다. 아래 표를 통해 한국어 구조와 영어 구조의 차이를 확인해 보세요.Where do you live? | He asked where I lived. | 그가 내가 어디 사는지 물었다. | do 삭제, live 과거형 |What are you doing? | She asked what I was doing. | 그녀가 내가 뭐 하는지 물었다. | be 동사 도치 해제 |Why did she leave? | I wondered why she had left. | 나는 왜 그녀가 떠났는지 궁금했다. | did 삭제, 과거 완료 |When will you come? | He asked when I would come. | 그가 언제 올 건지 물었다. | will -> would |- 친구와의 대화: «민수가 어제 어디 갔었는지 물어보더라.» ->
Minsu asked where I had gone yesterday.
- 회사 업무: «상사가 왜 프로젝트가 늦어졌는지 물었어.» ->
My boss asked why the project was delayed.
- 대학교 수업: «교수님이 왜 이 데이터를 선택했는지 질문하셨어.» ->
The professor asked why I had chosen this data.
Reported Questions를 사용하면 대화의 흐름이 훨씬 부드러워집니다. 특히 상대방의 질문을 간접적으로 전달함으로써, 대화의 주도권을 유지하거나 상황을 객관적으로 설명해야 할 때 매우 유용합니다.- 1의문문 어순 유지:
He asked where is the bathroom?
이라고 하는 경우입니다. 이는 한국어의 «그가 화장실이 어디냐고 물었어»라는 구조를 영어식으로 직역할 때 발생하는 전형적인 L1 간섭입니다. 영어는 간접 의문문에서 반드시 주어+동사 순서여야 합니다. - 2불필요한 조동사 삽입:
He asked what did I want.
라고 하는 경우입니다. 직접 의문문에서did를 썼던 습관 때문에 간접 의문문에서도 이를 유지하려 합니다. 평서문으로 전환할 때는did를 삭제하고 동사를 과거형으로 바꾸는 것을 잊지 마세요. - 3시제 일치 무시:
He asked where I live.
(현재형 유지). 주절이asked(과거)라면 종속절도 과거로 맞추는 것이 영어의 원칙입니다. 한국어는 시제 일치가 영어만큼 엄격하지 않기 때문에 한국인 학습자들이 가장 자주 놓치는 부분입니다.
? | . |Reporting verb가 현재형일 때도 시제를 바꿔야 하나요?He asks where I live.처럼 주절이 현재형이면 뒤의 시제는 그대로 유지해도 됩니다. 시제 일치는 주절이 과거일 때만 필수입니다.Who took my pen?의 경우 Who가 주어이므로 어순을 바꿀 필요가 없습니다. He asked who had taken his pen.처럼 의문사+동사 순서를 그대로 유지하세요.Reported Questions를 쓰면 항상 더 공손한가요?Could you tell me where the station is?처럼 Could you tell me를 앞에 붙이면 훨씬 정중한 표현이 됩니다.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
| 직접 질문 | 전달된 질문 | 왜 바뀌나요? |
|---|---|---|
|
"What is your name?"
|
She asked what my name was.
|
평서문 순서로 바뀌고 시제가 과거로 바뀌었어요.
|
|
"Where do you live?"
|
He inquired where I lived.
|
'do'가 없어지고, 평서문 순서가 되었어요.
|
|
"Why are you late?"
|
They wondered why I was late.
|
평서문 순서로 바뀌고 시제가 과거로 바뀌었어요.
|
|
"When will it start?"
|
I wanted to know when it would start.
|
'will'이 'would'로 바뀌었어요.
|
|
"Who took my book?"
|
He asked who had taken his book.
|
Who가 주어이고, 시제가 과거완료로 바뀌었어요.
|
|
"How can I help you?"
|
She asked how she could help me.
|
'can'이 'could'로 바뀌었어요.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
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)
Wh- 질문 전달하기
주요 변화
- No Inversion 주어 + 동사 순서
- No Question Mark 마침표로 끝남
- Wh- word as Connector What, where, why 등
- Tense Backshift 동사 시제가 과거로 바뀜
전달 동사
- Ask 가장 흔함
- Wonder 궁금해하는 표현
- Inquire 더 격식 있음
- Want to know 흔한 표현
흔한 Wh- 단어
- What 사물 정보
- Where 장소 정보
- Why 이유 정보
- When 시간 정보
- How 방법 정보
직접 vs. 전달된 Wh- 질문
Wh- 질문 전달하기 규칙
Wh- 질문인가요?
전달 동사의 시제는 무엇인가요?
어순이 주어 + 동사인가요?
물음표로 끝나나요?
Wh- 질문 전달은 언제 사용하나요?
일상 대화
- • 친구에게 문자 보내기
- • 카페 대화
- • 이야기 다시 들려주기
업무 환경
- • 취업 면접
- • 공식 이메일
- • 대학교 조별 과제
미디어 & 학습
- • 넷플릭스 자막
- • 강의 요약하기
- • 뉴스 보도
매일의 상황
- • 앱으로 음식 주문하기
- • 결정 설명하기
- • 행사 계획하기
수준별 예문
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.
혼동하기 쉬운
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.
자주 하는 실수
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.
문장 패턴
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?
뒤집지 않는 연습을 하세요!
what I wanted'라고 소리 내어 말하며 'what wanted I'가 아님을 익숙하게 만드세요. She asked what I wanted.'if'나 'whether'는 안 돼요!
He asked where I was.'평서문 구조'를 떠올리세요!
She asked what her name was.보고할 때의 공손함
Could you tell me what time the store closes?처럼 직접적인 질문보다 훨씬 부드럽게 들려요.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.
발음
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.
암기하기
기억법
Remember: 'Wh- word, then the person, then the action.' No 'do' allowed!
시각적 연상
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
챌린지
Look at your last 3 sent text messages. If they were questions, try to report them to an imaginary friend using 'I asked...'.
문화 노트
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.
대화 시작하기
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?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
The teacher asked `what the answer ___` .
asked가 과거 시제이므로, 전달되는 질문 속 동사도 과거 시제(was)로 바뀌어요.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
연습 문제
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:
직접 질문의 시작 부분과 전달된 형태를 짝지으세요:
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
자주 묻는 질문 (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
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
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
관련 동영상
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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Overview 뉴스 리포터들이 왜 그렇게 진지하게 들리는지 궁금한 적이 있나요? 그들은 "내 생각에 이런 일이 일어난 것 같다"라고...
조동사 및 수동태 보고 화법 (C1)
### Overview 영어를 학습하면서 B2 수준을 넘어 C1(Advanced) 단계에 도달한다는 것은 단순히 문장을 정확하게 만드는 것을 넘...
수동태를 사용하는 시점 (뉴스 및 소문 보도)
### 개요 수동태는 영어에서 행위의 주체(agent)가 알려지지 않았거나, 중요하지 않거나, 혹은 의도적으로 생략될 때 사용되는...
수동형 보도 구조 (그는 ~라고 합니다...)
### Overview 영어에서 `He is said to be...`와 같은 수동태 전달 구문(Passive Reporting Structures)은 정보, 의견, 또는 믿...
수동태: 동작에 초점 (현재 단순 수동태)
### Overview 영어를 배우는 한국인 학습자 여러분, 안녕하세요! 오늘은 영어 문법의 핵심 중 하나인 **수동태(The Passive Voi...
