Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
He said to her, “Do you know French?”
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. He asked her if she knew French.
The given sentence is in direct speech and is a yes/no question:
'Do you know French?'
When converting yes/no questions to indirect speech, follow these rules:
The reporting verb 'said to' changes to 'asked' (because it is a question).
Use 'if' or 'whether' to connect the reported clause.
Change the tense:
'do/does' (present simple) becomes 'did' (past simple) or just use the past form of the verb.
'know' changes to 'knew'.
Change pronouns appropriately:
'you' (referring to 'her') becomes 'she'.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Option 1: 'He asked her that does she know French.'
Incorrect — Mixing direct question form ('does she') with indirect speech is grammatically wrong. Also, 'that' is not used for questions.
Option 3: 'He asked her if she knows French.'
Incorrect — Tense is not changed to past tense. 'Knows' should be 'knew' since the reporting verb is in past tense ('asked').
Option 4: 'He asked her whether she has known French.'
Incorrect — 'Has known' is present perfect, which is not the correct tense change from present simple ('do you know').