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E10 G - Report questions and commands

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Einleitung

E10 G - Report questions and commands

Mini-Beschreibung: Du gibst einfache Fragen und Aufforderungen sinngemäß wieder. Du achtest dabei besonders auf word order und passende reporting structures. Der Kurs ist für Englisch als erste Fremdsprache in Klasse 10, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg angelegt.

English first: First understand the message. Then choose the right reporting structure. German is only a short support. Eine Vollübersetzung ist nicht das Ziel.

Freies Medium: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Media start

Maya asks: “Can you help me?”

Later, Ben reports: Maya asked me if I could help her.

Think: What changed? Look at if, the word order and the pronouns.

Video: BBC Learning English, “How to use reported speech – 6 Minute Grammar”. Nutze Pause und Wiederholung. Kein Reupload.

Lernweg

English first → understand → respond → analyse → communicate → feedback → revise → transfer

Du arbeitest in kurzen Schritten. Receptive tasks sind oft leichter als productive tasks. Was Du beim Hören erkennst, musst Du nicht sofort frei sprechen können.

I-can-Ziele

Reported speech: I can understand when someone reports a question or command.
Questions: I can report a yes/no question with if or whether.
Wh-questions: I can keep the question word and use statement word order.
Commands: I can report commands with to + verb or not to + verb.
Communication: I can check my sentence, ask for help and improve it after feedback.

Vorwissen aktivieren

Read the three lines.

A: “Do you need a pen?” B: “Where is the bus stop?” C: “Close the window, please.”

Decide: Which one is a yes/no question, a wh-question and a command/request?

Quick help:

yes/no question → answer can be yes or no
wh-question → starts with what, where, when, why, who or how
command/request → asks somebody to do something

Input: Report questions and commands

The core idea

Reported speech gives the meaning of what another person said. It does not copy every word.

Direct: “Do you need help?” Reported: He asked me if I needed help.

Direct: “Where is the meeting?” Reported: She asked where the meeting was.

Direct: “Open the door.” Reported: He told me to open the door.

Direct: “Don’t touch the cable.” Reported: She warned us not to touch the cable.

Functional grammar: three useful structures

Meaning	Useful structure	Example
yes/no question	ask + object + if/whether + subject + verb	He asked me if I needed help.
wh-question	ask + object + wh-word + subject + verb	She asked me where I lived.
command/request	tell/ask + object + to + verb	He told us to wait.
negative command	tell/warn + object + not to + verb	She warned us not to enter.

G-level focus: Learn these patterns first. More complex tense changes can come later.

Word order in reported questions

A reported question normally uses statement word order.

Direct: “Where is Tom?” Reported: She asked where Tom was.

Not: She asked where was Tom.

Direct: “Do you play basketball?” Reported: He asked me if I played basketball.

Not: He asked me if did I play basketball.

Key check: In the reported part, do not build a new direct question.

Yes/no questions

Use if or whether.

Direct: “Are you ready?” Reported: The coach asked us if we were ready.

Direct: “Can you come at six?” Reported: Mia asked me whether I could come at six.

For this course, if is the easier default. Whether is also correct in many cases.

Wh-questions

Keep the question word.

Direct: “Where do you live?” Reported: He asked me where I lived.

Direct: “Why are you late?” Reported: She asked me why I was late.

Useful question words: what, where, when, why, who, how.

Commands and requests

Use a person after tell or ask, then to + verb.

Direct: “Wait here.” Reported: The teacher told us to wait there.

Direct: “Please send the file.” Reported: The teacher asked me to send the file.

Negative:

Direct: “Don’t open the box.” Reported: The technician told us not to open the box.

Important: tell + person + to ... ask + person + to ...

Not: He told to wait.

Small tense changes

When the reporting verb is in the past, a tense often moves one step back.

Direct	Often reported as
am / is	was
are	were
do / does	did
can	could
will	would

Example:

Direct: “Can you help?” Reported: She asked if I could help.

If information is still true, real English sometimes keeps the present tense. For the central G-level target, first practise the clear past-reporting pattern.

Context words and pronouns

Meaning comes first. Check who is speaking and when.

Direct: Mia said to Leo, “Can you help me today?” Reported later by Leo: Mia asked me if I could help her that day.

Possible changes include I → he/she, my → his/her, today → that day, but only change words when the context requires it.

Listening and Viewing

Freies Medium: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Video: BBC Learning English, “Live English Class: Reported questions”. Höre in kurzen Abschnitten. Pause, replay, then check.

Before viewing

Look at these words: ask – if – whether – where – statement word order.

Predict: Which two words can introduce a reported yes/no question?

During viewing

Do not write every word. Listen for the pattern.

Listen for	Your note
a yes/no question	__________________
a wh-question	__________________
statement word order	__________________

Play a short part again. A second listen is part of the task, not a failure.

After viewing

Complete orally or in writing:

The speaker asked ... if ... The speaker asked ... where ...

Use one clear sentence. Accuracy target: statement word order.

Multi-voice classroom listening

Three learners or the teacher can read this slowly at a moderate pace. Repeat it once.

Voice A: “Do you have the room key?” Voice B: “No. Ask Sam.” Voice C: “Where is Sam?” Voice A: “Wait by the office.”

After listening, complete:

B asked whether ... B asked where ... A told B to ...

Recordings are optional and should stay private unless everybody involved has agreed to sharing.

Reading

Freies Medium: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Short text: A work-experience morning

All people and organisations in this text are fictional.

At the fictional Bright Steps Centre, Maya starts a work-experience morning. Mr Lewis asks, “Do you know the safety rules?” Maya says no. He tells her, “Read the green card first.” Later, Jo asks, “Where is the sports room?” Maya does not know. At lunch, Maya reports the morning: “Mr Lewis asked me if I knew the safety rules. He told me to read the green card. Jo asked me where the sports room was.”

Reading check

Understand: Who asked a yes/no question?
Find: Which sentence reports a command?
Analyse: Why is it where the sports room was and not where was the sports room?
Check meaning: Did Maya quote every original word exactly?

Context vocabulary

Word	Simple English meaning	Short German help
ask	say a question	fragen
tell	give information or an instruction to a person	sagen / mitteilen
command	a strong instruction	Aufforderung / Befehl
request	a polite ask to do something	Bitte
warn	tell someone about danger	warnen
report	tell what another person said	wiedergeben
whether	a word used in some yes/no reports	ob
word order	the order of words in a sentence	Wortstellung

Pronunciation

Freies Medium: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Focus on clear chunks, not on sounding “native”.

asked me if → say it as one smooth chunk. told us to → keep the final consonants clear enough to understand. whether → stress the first syllable.

Use the video audio as a model. Repeat once slowly and once at normal classroom speed. Different standard accents are acceptable. Verständlichkeit geht vor Akzentfreiheit.

Speaking

Safe sentence frames

Use these frames first:

He asked me if ... She asked me where ... They told us to ... He asked her to ... She warned them not to ...

Partner task: One person reads a direct question or command. The other reports it. Then swap roles.

Useful repair phrases:

Could you say that again, please? Do you mean ...? I think the word order is ... Can I try again?

Writing

Freies Medium: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mini-message

You received these fictional messages:

Kai: “Can you start at nine?” Nora: “Please bring your ID card.” Leo: “Where is the entrance?”

Write a short message to a classmate. Report all three ideas in 3–4 sentences.

Start:

Kai asked me if ... Nora asked me to ... Leo asked me where ...

Keep your own first draft. Revise it after feedback instead of replacing it with an automatically generated text.

Optional Mediation

German note: „Frag bitte, ob wir um zehn anfangen. Sag Mia bitte, sie soll die Tür schließen.“

Do not translate word by word. Pass on the important meaning in simple English.

Possible start:

Could you ask if ...? Please tell Mia to ...

More viewing: questions and commands together

Video: English with Alex · engVid, “3 Grammar Rules for REPORTED SPEECH”. The lesson includes commands and yes/no questions. Pause after an example and say the structure before the explanation continues.

Help ladder

Use only as much help as you need.

Help	What to do
Help 1	Decide: yes/no question, wh-question or command?
Help 2	Choose: if/whether, wh-word or to + verb.
Help 3	Use a frame: asked me if ... / asked me where ... / told me to ...
Help 4	Check subject before verb in a reported question.
Help 5	Read the sentence aloud and ask: Is the meaning still clear?

Feedback and revision

Partner feedback should be short and useful.

Check	Yes / not yet
The meaning is correct.	□ / □
The reporting verb fits.	□ / □
A reported question has statement word order.	□ / □
A command uses to + verb.	□ / □
Pronouns fit the context.	□ / □

Feedback sentence:

Your meaning is clear. Check ... Try ... because ... Now revise one sentence.

Error analysis

Find and repair the central error.

Error 1: She asked me where was I. → Help: subject before verb.
Error 2: He told to open the door. → Help: tell needs a person.
Error 3: She asked if did I need help. → Help: no direct-question word order after if.
Error 4: He said me to wait. → Help: use told me to or asked me to.

Transfer

Scenario: You are at a fictional school event.

Teacher: “Can you help at the welcome desk?” Visitor: “Where is Room 12?” Team leader: “Please stay near the entrance.” Safety helper: “Don’t block the door.”

Report the important information to a classmate. You may use notes first.

Target:

asked ... if ... asked ... where ... told/asked ... to ... warned ... not to ...

Can-do check

I can ...	Yes	Partly	Not yet
identify a yes/no question, wh-question and command	□	□	□
use if or whether for a reported yes/no question	□	□	□
use statement word order in a reported question	□	□	□
report a command with to + verb	□	□	□
report a negative command with not to + verb	□	□	□
improve a sentence after feedback	□	□	□

If you tick Not yet, return to the help ladder and practise one structure at a time.

Data, media and AI safety

Use only fictional profiles, applications and personal details in classroom tasks. Audio or video recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless all participants agree to sharing. Do not upload classmates’ work, voices or images without permission.

If an AI tool is used outside this course, check grammar claims and sources. Keep your own draft and mark what was changed. Do not send personal data to an external AI system without a clear school-approved reason and consent.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

How do you usually introduce a reported yes/no question? (with if or whether) (!with because) (!with but) (!with so)

Which sentence has correct reported-question word order? (She asked where Tom was) (!She asked where was Tom) (!She asked where did Tom go) (!She asked where does Tom live)

How do you report the command Open the door? (He told me to open the door) (!He told me open the door) (!He asked if I open the door) (!He said me to opening the door)

How do you report the negative command Do not touch it? (She told me not to touch it) (!She told me to not touched it) (!She asked if I do not touch it) (!She said me not touching it)

Which structure is useful after tell in a reported command? (tell plus person plus to plus verb) (!tell plus if plus question order) (!tell plus verb ing only) (!tell plus question mark)

Which word can stay at the start of a reported wh-question? (where) (!did) (!does) (!do)

Which sentence correctly reports Do you need help? (He asked me if I needed help) (!He asked me if did I need help) (!He told me if I needed help) (!He asked me to need help)

Which verb is a good choice for reporting a polite request to do something? (asked) (!became) (!arrived) (!slept)

What is the main word-order rule in a reported question? (use statement word order) (!use direct question word order) (!put the verb before every subject) (!always start with did)

What should you check before changing pronouns in reported speech? (the speaking context) (!the length of the sentence) (!the number of commas) (!the colour of the text)

Memory

Yes-no question	if or whether
Wh-question	question word plus statement word order
Positive command	tell plus person plus to plus verb
Negative command	warn plus person plus not to plus verb
Polite request	ask plus person plus to plus verb
Meaning check	context and pronouns

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Reporting structure
Yes-no question	ask plus person plus if or whether plus subject plus verb
Wh-question	ask plus person plus wh-word plus subject plus verb
Positive command	tell plus person plus to plus verb
Negative command	tell plus person plus not to plus verb
Polite request	ask plus person plus to plus verb

...

Kreuzworträtsel

Whether	Which word can introduce a reported yes-no question besides if?
Asked	What is the past form of ask?
Infinitive	Which verb form follows to in a reported command?
Statement	Which word describes the normal word order used in reported questions?
Command	What do we call a strong instruction?
Warn	Which verb can report a danger or strong caution?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Frame practice: Write four short reported sentences using asked me if, asked me where, told me to and told me not to.
Speech bubbles: Draw three fictional speech bubbles and write one reported sentence under each.
Read and report: Read two direct questions to a partner. Your partner reports them with a sentence frame.
Spot the error: Create two wrong reported questions with one clear word-order error. Exchange them and correct them.

Standard

Mini-dialogue: Write a six-line fictional dialogue with two questions and two commands. Then report the key information in four sentences.
Class listening: In a group of three, read a short script with three voices at moderate speed. A fourth learner notes one question and one command and reports them.
Structured email: Write a short fictional email that reports what a teacher or team leader asked and told you to do.
Mediation note: Turn three short German message points into simple English reported information without translating word for word.

Schwer

One-minute report: Give a one-minute report about a fictional event using at least one yes/no question, one wh-question and one command.
Feedback and revision: Exchange a short text. Give one meaning comment and one grammar comment. Revise your own text afterwards.
Compare structures: Explain in simple English why She asked where Tom was is correct but She asked where was Tom is not.
New context: Create a fictional work-experience situation with a supervisor, visitor and learner. Report the most important questions and instructions.

Lernkontrolle

Meaning first: A fictional supervisor gives two questions and two instructions. Report only the information a new team member needs. Explain why you left out unimportant words.
Word-order repair: Correct three reported questions with different word-order errors and name the rule that solves each problem.
Structure choice: Decide whether ask, tell or warn fits three short contexts. Justify each choice with the communicative intention.
Pronoun transfer: Report a short exchange from a new speaker’s point of view. Explain two pronoun changes.
Feedback loop: Improve a short paragraph after receiving two feedback points. Mark which change improves meaning and which improves grammar.
Real-life transfer: Turn a short fictional workplace message with a question and a safety instruction into a clear report for another person.

Lernnachweis

Für einen Lernnachweis ist wichtig:

Du erkennst die Funktion einer direkten Äußerung: yes/no question, wh-question, request oder command.
Du verwendest in reported questions grundsätzlich statement word order.
Du nutzt if/whether passend für yes/no questions.
Du behältst bei wh-questions das passende question word.
Du verwendest bei commands/requests eine passende Struktur mit person + to + verb oder not to + verb.
Du passt Pronomen und einfache Zeitbezüge an den Kontext an.
Du kannst typische Fehler finden, erklären und überarbeiten.
Du kannst die Strukturen in einem neuen, fiktiven Kommunikationskontext anwenden.

OERs zum Thema

Zusätzliche geprüfte Grammatikquellen:

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