Reported Speech – Question Formation

To report someone else’s questions:

1) change Pronouns:
Nick: Do you need help?
Nick asked me if I needed help.

2) change Tenses:
Nick: Do you need help?
Nick asked me if I needed help.

3) change Time Expressions:
Nick: Do you need help today? (on Monday)
Nick asked me if I needed help yesterday. (on Tuesday)

4) use the Verb “Ask”:
Nick: Do you need help?
Nick asked me if I needed help.

5) change the Word Order So That It is No Longer a Question:
Nick: Do you need help?
Nick asked me if I needed help. (No inversion is used and the auxiliary verb is no longer necessary.)

For reported yes/no questions, which are made with the inverted word order, use the word “if” or “whether” (it is preferred in more formal contexts):
Nick: Do you need help?
Nick asked me if/whether I needed help.

For reported detailed questions, which are made with question words (such as: what, where, why, etc.), repeat the question word from the original question:
Nick: Why do you need help?
Nick asked me why I needed help.