中級者向け英文法：【英語の時制の一致】完全ガイド④｜that節は使わない？間接話法の疑問文・命令文をマスター！whether/ifの使い方と語順の注意点

2026年3月29日

前回の記事では、平叙文（ふつうの文）を間接話法に書き換える「3つのステップ（時制・代名詞・時場所の語）」を学びました。

しかし、実際のコミュニケーションでは「〜ですか？（疑問）」と尋ねたり、「〜してください（依頼・命令）」と伝えたりする場面が非常に多くあります。実は、疑問文や命令文を間接話法にする場合、平叙文とは全く異なる「型」を使う必要があります。

「She asked me that…」や「He said me to…」といった、日本人が陥りやすい「that節の誤用」を防ぎ、ビジネスや日常会話で相手の言葉を正確に伝えるためのスキルを身につけていきましょう。

本セクションでは、以下のポイントを詳しく解説します。

動詞のニュアンス： ask, tell, advise などの自然な選び方
疑問文の変換： 語順の変化と whether / if の使い分け
命令文の変換： to不定詞 を使ったスマートな伝え方

1. 疑問文の変換

誰かが質問した内容を第三者に伝えるとき、引用符（” “）と疑問文の語順はそのまま使いません。「埋め込み疑問文（embedded question）」と呼ばれる構造に変換します。

疑問文変換の2大ポイント：

疑問文の語順（助動詞が主語の前）→「平叙文の語順（主語＋動詞）」に直す
Yes/No疑問文 → whether / if を使う
Wh疑問文 → 疑問詞（what / where / when など）をそのまま使う

1-1　Yes/No 型の疑問文 → whether / if 節

「はい／いいえ」で答える疑問文（Are you…? / Do you…? / Can you…? など）を間接話法にするとき、whether または if を使って平叙文の語順に変えます。

構造式：主語+asked / wondered / wanted to know+whether / if+主語+動詞（平叙文の語順）

現代ビジネス・日常シーンでの実例：

実際のシチュエーション	直接話法	間接話法
リモートワーク確認	“Are you working from home tomorrow?” my manager asked.	My manager asked if I was working from home the next day.
オンライン会議参加	“Are you joining the Zoom meeting?” my colleague asked.	My colleague asked whether I was joining the Zoom meeting.
チャットツール確認	“Did you check the Slack channel?” she asked.	She asked if I had checked the Slack channel.
予算承認状況	“Has the client approved the budget?” he asked.	He wanted to know whether the client had approved the budget.
スケジュール調整	“Can we push the deadline back?” the team lead asked.	The team lead asked if we could push the deadline back.
アプリの使用経験	“Have you used this project management tool before?” she asked.	She asked whether I had used that project management tool before.
残業の可能性	“Will you be able to work overtime this Friday?” my boss asked.	My boss asked if I would be able to work overtime that Friday.
資料の準備状況	“Is the presentation ready to submit?” he asked.	He asked whether the presentation was ready to submit.

日常会話での例文：

“Are you free for a coffee this afternoon?” she asked.
→ She asked if I was free for a coffee that afternoon.
“Did you see my message on LINE?” my friend asked.
→ My friend asked whether I had seen her message on LINE.
“Can you pick up some groceries on your way home?” he asked.
→ He asked if I could pick up some groceries on my way home.
“Have you been to this restaurant before?” she asked.
→ She asked whether I had been to that restaurant before.
“Will you be at home tonight?” my roommate asked.
→ My roommate asked if I would be at home that night.

1-2　Wh 型の疑問文 → 疑問詞＋平叙文の語順

what / where / when / why / who / how などの疑問詞を含む疑問文（Wh疑問文）を間接話法にするとき、疑問詞をそのまま使い、その後を平叙文の語順（主語＋動詞）に変えます。

構造式：主語+asked / wondered / wanted to know+疑問詞+主語+動詞（平叙文の語順）

ビジネスシーンでの実例：

疑問詞タイプ	直接話法	間接話法
what系	“What time is the daily stand-up?” the new hire asked.	The new hire asked what time the daily stand-up was.
where系	“Where did you save the shared document?” my coworker asked.	My coworker asked where I had saved the shared document.
when系	“When are you planning to take your vacation?” my boss asked.	My boss asked when I was planning to take my vacation.
why系	“Why did they cancel the contract?” the sales director asked.	The sales director asked why they had cancelled the contract.
who系	“Who is handling the social media campaign?” she asked.	She wanted to know who was handling the social media campaign.
how系	“How long will it take to reboot the server?” the client asked.	The client asked how long it would take to reboot the server.

疑問詞別実例：

what / which 系

“What are you working on right now?” my manager asked.
→ My manager asked what I was working on at that moment.
“Which laptop do you recommend for remote work?” he asked.
→ He asked which laptop I recommended for remote work.
“What did you think of the online workshop?” she asked.
→ She asked what I had thought of the online workshop.

where / when 系

“Where can I find the Wi-Fi password?” the visitor asked.
→ The visitor asked where he could find the Wi-Fi password.
“When did you join this company?” she asked.
→ She asked when I had joined that company.
“Where should we meet for the lunch meeting?” he asked.
→ He asked where we should meet for the lunch meeting.

why / how 系

“Why is the system running so slowly today?” my colleague asked.
→ My colleague asked why the system was running so slowly that day.
“How much does the new software subscription cost?” the boss asked.
→ The boss inquired how much the new software subscription cost.
“How often do you check your email?” she asked.
→ She asked how often I checked my email.

語順ミスに注意：

✗ よくある誤り：She asked where did I live. ← 疑問文の語順のまま
✓ 正しい形：She asked where I lived. ← 疑問詞＋主語＋動詞

✗ よくある誤り：He asked what time does the store close.
✓ 正しい形：He asked what time the store closed.

1-3　ask 以外の動詞と自然な表現

疑問文の話法では ask が最も基本的ですが、場面によって以下の動詞も使います。

動詞	使う場面・ニュアンス	例文
ask	最も基本。質問した	She asked where the office was.
wonder	自問した・〜かなと思った	He wondered if she had received his message.
want to know	知りたがった・尋ねた	She wanted to know when the meeting would start.
inquire	公式・フォーマルな問い合わせ	The client inquired whether the deadline could be extended.
find out	情報を得ようとした	He tried to find out how much it would cost.

使い分け例：

内心の疑問（wonder）:
He thought, “Is she still at the office?“
→ He wondered if she was still at the office.
情報収集（want to know）:
“Do you know if the restaurant accepts credit cards?” he asked.
→ He wanted to know if the restaurant accepted credit cards.
フォーマルな問い合わせ（inquire）:
“Can the delivery date be changed?” the customer asked.
→ The customer inquired whether the delivery date could be changed.

2. 命令文の変換

「〜しなさい」「〜してください」という命令文・依頼文は、that 節を使わずに「動詞＋人＋ to不定詞」という形に変換します。これは英語の命令文には主語がなく、that 節に入れると文が不自然になるためです。

2-1　肯定命令文 → to不定詞

構造式（肯定命令文）：主語+told / asked / advised / reminded+人+to+動詞の原形

現代ビジネスシーンでの実例：

実際のシチュエーション	直接話法	間接話法	動詞選択のポイント
ファイル共有依頼	“Please share the Google Drive link,” she said.	She asked me to share the Google Drive link.	asked = 丁寧な依頼
期限付き作業指示	“Update the spreadsheet by EOD,” my manager said.	My manager told me to update the spreadsheet by the end of the day.	told = 指示・命令
会議マナー指導	“Make sure to mute your microphone when not speaking,” the host said.	The host reminded us to mute our microphones when not speaking.	reminded = 念押し
メンタルケア助言	“Take some time off if you feel burnt out,” HR advised.	HR advised me to take some time off if I felt burnt out.	advised = 専門的助言
技術サポート指示	“Restart your computer to apply the updates,” IT support said.	IT support told me to restart my computer to apply the updates.	told = 技術的指示

日常会話での実例：

“Call me when you get home safely,” she said.
→ She told me to call her when I got home safely.
“Try this new coffee shop. It’s really good,” my friend said.
→ My friend encouraged me to try that new coffee shop because it was really good.
“Remember to bring your ID to the bank,” he said.
→ He reminded me to bring my ID to the bank.
“Please send me the photos from the trip,” she said.
→ She asked me to send her the photos from the trip.
“Take an umbrella. It looks like rain,” my father said.
→ My father told me to take an umbrella because it looked like rain.

2-2　否定命令文（Don’t…）→ not to不定詞

「〜しないで」という否定命令文（Don’t / Never…）は、not to + 動詞の原形 で表します。

構造式（否定命令文）：主語+told / asked / warned+人+not to+動詞の原形

現代ビジネス・日常シーンでの実例：

実際のシチュエーション	直接話法	間接話法
メール宛先注意	“Don’t CC everyone on this email,” my supervisor said.	My supervisor asked me not to CC everyone on that email.
スケジュール調整	“Please don’t schedule any meetings for Friday afternoon,” he said.	He asked us not to schedule any meetings for Friday afternoon.
セキュリティ警告	“Never share the API keys publicly,” the lead engineer warned.	The lead engineer warned us never to share the API keys publicly.
経費申請注意	“Don’t forget to submit your expenses by the 25th,” accounting said.	Accounting reminded us not to forget to submit our expenses by the 25th.
クライアント対応	“Don’t contact the client until we review the proposal,” the manager said.	The manager told us not to contact the client until we reviewed the proposal.

日常会話での追加例文：

“Don’t worry about the cost,” he said.
→ He told me not to worry about the cost.
“Please don’t post this on social media yet,” she said.
→ She asked me not to post it on social media yet.
“Don’t stay up too late studying,” my mother said.
→ My mother told me not to stay up too late studying.
“Never drive when you’re tired,” my instructor warned.
→ My instructor warned me never to drive when I was tired.
“Don’t touch the wet paint,” the sign said.
→ The sign warned people not to touch the wet paint.

2-3　動詞の選択によるニュアンスの調整

told / asked / advised など、どの動詞を使うかによって「どんな調子で言ったか」が変わります。文脈に合った動詞を選ぶことで、より正確に状況を伝えられます。

動詞	ニュアンス	使用例
told	指示的・権威的（上から命令）	My manager told me to finish the report by noon.
asked	丁寧な依頼（頼み・お願い）	She asked me to check the document.
advised	助言・アドバイス（専門的見解）	The doctor advised me to get more sleep.
warned	警告・注意（危険・リスクを示す）	She warned me not to touch the cables.
reminded	思い出させた（忘れないよう念押し）	He reminded me to bring my ID.
encouraged	励まし・背中を押す	She encouraged me to apply for the position.
urged	強く促した（説得・圧力）	They urged us to make a decision quickly.

同じ命令文でも動詞で意味が変わる例：

元の文： “Join this project,” she said.

She told me to join the project. ← 指示した（上下関係あり）
She asked me to join the project. ← 丁寧に頼んだ
She encouraged me to join the project. ← やる気を引き出した
She invited me to join the project.← 参加を促した（対等・歓迎）

2-4　that節は使わない重要性

命令文の間接話法で最もよくある間違いは、that 節を使ってしまうことです。

よくある間違い（that節の誤用）：

✗ “Close the door,” he said. → He said that close the door. ← 非文法的
✗ “Please send it,” she said. → She said that please send it. ← 非文法的
✓ 正しい形：He told me to close the door. / She asked me to send it.

理由： 命令文には主語がなく（”Close the door” に「誰が」はない）、that 節の中の動詞は活用形が必要ですが、命令文の原形動詞はそのまま入れられません。英語の命令の間接話法は「誰かに〜するように言った（told / asked + 人 + to…）」という形が最も自然で正確です。

これらの例文は、現代のビジネス環境や日常生活で実際に遭遇するシチュエーションを反映しています。多くの自然な英語パターンに触れることで、文法規則を暗記するのではなく、自然に口から出てくる実践的なコミュニケーション力を身につけることができます。