In English when we explain what someone said we change the words slightly. Look at this example:
“Can I see a doctor today?” —> She asked if she could see a doctor today.
In the example above “can …. see” changed to “could … see”. “I” changed to “she”. It’s important to make these changes so the English is clear.
Here are more examples:
“I’m so tired.” —> He said he was so tired.
“Where is the exit?” —> The patient asked me where the exit was.
“The dinner was wonderful.” —> She said the dinner was wonderful.
“Can I help you?” —> She asked if she could help me.
“Where do you live?” —> She asked me where I lived.
“Do you want some coffee?” —> He asked me if I wanted some coffee.
Explaining what someone said is called “Reported speech” or “Direct speech”. The best way to understand it is to read simple novels.(stories) Novels for teenagers are best, you can buy them from Book-Off.