for learners of English
How to report a general question?
Use if or whether (more formal) to report a general question.
If the action in the question happens at the same time as the action in the main clause, use the same tense (here: past simple and past continuous).
example sentence:
I asked if they were staying overnight.
At PhraseCat.com you can study a brief grammar rule and start creating new phrases based on it right away.