Which alternative is the correct indirect form of the sentence?
He said to me, "When will you come back?"

Question

Which alternative is the correct indirect form of the sentence? 
He said to me, "When will you come back?"

Accepted Answer

Here is a detailed explanation for the given question:

**Explanation for Option 4 (Correct Option):**

Option 4: "He asked me when I would go back." is the correct indirect form of the sentence "He said to me, 'When will you come back?'" because it correctly applies all the rules of converting direct speech into indirect speech for an interrogative sentence:

1.  **Reporting Verb:** The reporting verb "said to me" changes to "asked me" because it is an interrogative sentence (a question). "Asked" is the appropriate verb for reporting a question.
2.  **Conjunction:** Since it is a 'wh-question' ("When"), the 'wh-word' itself acts as the conjunction, connecting the reporting clause to the reported clause. So, "when" is correctly used.
3.  **Pronoun Change:** The pronoun "you" in the direct speech refers to the object of the reporting verb, which is "me." Therefore, "you" correctly changes to "I" in the indirect speech.
4.  **Tense Change:** The tense "will come back" (Future Simple) in direct speech changes to "would go back" (Conditional) in indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense ("said").
5.  **Word Order:** In indirect speech, the sentence structure becomes assertive (subject + verb) rather than interrogative. So, "will you come back?" becomes "I would go back."
6.  **Verb Change (Come/Go):** "Come back" often changes to "go back" in reported speech, especially when the reporting is done from a different perspective or location, implying movement away from the speaker's current position.

**Explanation for Other Options (Incorrect Options):**

1.  **Option 1: "He asked me when you would go back."**
    *   This option is incorrect because of the pronoun "you." In the direct speech, "you" refers to "me" (the person being spoken to). Therefore, "you" should change to "I" in the indirect speech. Keeping "you" makes the sentence grammatically incorrect in reported speech.

2.  **Option 2: "He asked to me when I would go back."**
    *   This option is incorrect because of the phrase "asked to me." The verb "ask" does not take the preposition "to" before its object when used in this context. The correct form is "asked me," not "asked to me."

3.  **Option 3: "He asked me when he would go back."**
    *   This option is incorrect because of the pronoun "he." As explained for Option 1, "you" in the direct speech refers to "me," so it must change to "I" in the indirect speech. Using "he" completely changes the meaning of the question, implying the question was about the original speaker, not the listener.