whether or not I need to change words used only in question such as ''any'' for embeded question

Question

I said, ''Are there any biscuits? "

If I change this sentence into reported speech,

I asked if there are any/some biscuits.

I wanted to know whether or not I need to change words used only in question such as ''any'' for embeded question.

Answer 1

You likely need a change from 'are' to 'were' in the transformation below:

[Quotation]: I asked, ''Are there any biscuits?"

[Report]: I asked if there were any biscuits.

It makes sense with some consideration: you ask 'are there?' right now in the present (call this time X); the quotation reflects exactly what you say. But when reporting it at a future time, X has already passed, so the past tense is needed.

One exception: if you're emphasizing that you just gave an unanswered question. Consider this exchange:

Alex: "Are there any biscuits left?"

Sam: "What? I didn't catch that..."

Alex: "I asked you if there are any biscuits left."

Note that in this case, we're discussing the present state of the biscuits, not the past state, even in the reported speech on the last line.