Change the following sentence into Indirect Speech.
She said to him, "Can you meet me tomorrow?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → She asked him if he could meet her the next day.
Yes/no question in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to | asked | “Said to” becomes asked, because a question is reported. |
| Joining word | “ ” (inverted commas) | if | A yes/no question is joined with if (or whether). |
| Word order | Can you | he could | The question becomes a statement, subject before verb: he could. |
| Tense change | can | could | “Can” becomes could. |
| Pronoun change | you, me | he, her | “You” becomes he and “me” becomes her. |
| Words of nearness (time and place) | tomorrow | the next day | “Tomorrow” becomes the next day. |
| Full sentence | She said to him, “Can you meet me tomorrow?” | She asked him if he could meet her the next day. |
Example: He said to me, “Are you ready?” → He asked me if I was ready.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: He asked her if you could meet her the next day. — Incorrect. It turns the speaker into "He" and keeps "you" unchanged.
Option 3: She asked him to meet her the next day. — Incorrect. It reports the question as a request or order. The original asks whether he is able to meet her.
Option 4: She told him to meet the next day. — Incorrect.
- "Told him to" turns the question into a command.
- The object "her" (from "me") is lost.