En esta lección aprenderás a reportar preguntas sí/no (Do you like…?) y preguntas con wh- (Where do you live?) sin usar comillas, cambiando el orden y los tiempos.
1) Mapa rápido
Modelo yes/no:
ask + (objeto) + if/whether + S + V
• Directo: “Do you like pizza?”
• Reportado: He asked me if I liked pizza.
Modelo wh-:
ask + (objeto) + wh- + S + V
• Directo: “Where do you live?”
• Reportado: She asked me where I lived.
Importante: en reported questions NO usamos el orden de pregunta (do you…?), sino el orden normal de oración (you…).
2) Preguntas sí/no → if / whether
Las preguntas que se responden con yes/no usan if o whether en estilo indirecto.
A) Estructura básica
| Directo | Reported | Notas |
|---|---|---|
| “Do you like tea?” | He asked me if I liked tea. | do desaparece, orden: I liked. |
| “Are you tired?” | She asked me if I was tired. | am → was (backshift). |
| “Did you see the film?” | They asked me whether I had seen the film. | did see → had seen. |
B) Modelos útiles
- He asked (me) if…
- She wanted to know if…
- They wondered whether…
• She wanted to know if I could help her.
• They asked whether we were ready.
3) Preguntas con wh- (what, where, why…)
Las preguntas con wh- mantienen la palabra interrogativa, pero usan orden de afirmativa y backshift.
A) Estructura básica
| Directo | Reported | Comentario |
|---|---|---|
| “Where do you live?” | He asked me where I lived. | Sin do, orden: I lived. |
| “What are you doing?” | She asked me what I was doing. | are → was. |
| “Why did you leave?” | He asked me why I had left. | did leave → had left. |
| “How much does it cost?” | She asked how much it cost. | Orden: it cost (no “does it cost”). |
B) Preguntas con sujeto interrogativo (who…?)
Si who/what es el sujeto, el orden ya es “normal”, así que casi no cambia.
• Directo: “Who called you?”
Reportado: He asked who had called me.
• Directo: “What happened?”
Reportado: She asked what had happened.
4) Orden de palabras y backshift (recordatorio)
Igual que en las afirmaciones, si el verbo de reporte está en pasado usamos backshift.
| Directo | Cambio de tiempo | Reported question |
|---|---|---|
| “Do you work here?” | Present Simple → Past Simple | He asked me if I worked there. |
| “Are you waiting for someone?” | Present Continuous → Past Continuous | She asked me if I was waiting for someone. |
| “Did you finish your homework?” | Past Simple → Past Perfect | He asked if I had finished my homework. |
| “Will you come tomorrow?” | will → would | She asked if I would come the next day. |
NO pongas el auxiliar delante del sujeto en reported questions: ❌ if did I finish → ✅ if I had finished.
5) Verbos comunes para reportar preguntas
| Verbo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| ask | ask + (objeto) + if/wh- + S + V | He asked me where I lived. |
| ask (sin objeto) | ask if/wh- + S + V | He asked if I was ready. |
| want to know | want to know if/wh- + S + V | She wanted to know why I was late. |
| wonder | wonder if/wh- + S + V | They wondered if it would rain. |
NO usamos el orden de pregunta después de estos verbos: siempre S + V.
6) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *He asked me if did I like pizza.* | He asked me if I liked pizza. | Orden de afirmativa: subject + verb, sin “did”. |
| *She asked me where did I live.* | She asked me where I lived. | Igual: “where + S + V”, no “where did I live”. |
| *He asked me that if I was happy.* | He asked me if I was happy. | No usamos “that” antes de “if”. |
| *She asked to me if I was ready.* | She asked me if I was ready. | Con ask normalmente no usamos “to me” en este caso. |
| *He asked me if I am tired.* (en contexto pasado) | He asked me if I was tired. | Verbo de reporte en pasado → aplicamos backshift. |
7) Mini-práctica
- Convierte a reported speech (yes/no):
a) “Do you like coffee?” (he / ask / me)
b) “Are you free tomorrow?” (she / ask / me)
c) “Did you finish the homework?” (my teacher / ask / us)
d) “Will you come to the party?” (they / ask / me)
e) “Can you help me?” (she / want to know) - Convierte a reported speech (wh-):
a) “Where do you live?” (he / ask / me)
b) “Why are you late?” (she / ask / me)
c) “What did you buy?” (my friend / ask / me)
d) “How much does it cost?” (he / want to know)
e) “When will they arrive?” (she / ask) - Completa con if / whether y el tiempo correcto:
a) He asked me ______ I ______ (be) hungry.
b) She wanted to know ______ I ______ (can) speak English.
c) They asked ______ we ______ (will) be there the next day.
d) My boss asked me ______ I ______ (finish) the report. - Corrige las oraciones si es necesario:
a) He asked me if did I have a car.
b) She asked where did I go.
c) They asked me that if I was happy.
d) He asked to me why I was late.
e) She asked me if I am busy. - Traduce al inglés usando reported questions:
a) Él me preguntó si me gustaba el inglés.
b) Ella quería saber por qué yo estaba triste.
c) Mi jefe me preguntó si podía trabajar el sábado.
d) Me preguntaron dónde vivía.
e) Ella me preguntó cuánto costaba.
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) He asked me if I liked coffee.
b) She asked me if I was free the next day.
c) My teacher asked us if we had finished the homework.
d) They asked me if I would come to the party.
e) She wanted to know if I could help her.
2) a) He asked me where I lived.
b) She asked me why I was late.
c) My friend asked me what I had bought.
d) He wanted to know how much it cost.
e) She asked when they would arrive.
3) a) if / was b) if / could c) if / would be d) if / had finished
4) a) He asked me if I had a car.
b) She asked where I had gone. / She asked where I went. (según contexto)
c) They asked me if I was happy.
d) He asked me why I was late.
e) She asked me if I was busy.
5) a) He asked me if I liked English.
b) She wanted to know why I was sad.
c) My boss asked me if I could work on Saturday.
d) They asked me where I lived.
e) She asked me how much it cost.
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Reported speech: imperativos (tell/ask sb to…) para aprender a reportar órdenes, peticiones y consejos como “Sit down” → He told me to sit down.