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Is it correct to say

When you reached home.

or

When did you reach home?

As per my knowledge,

When you reached home (When you reach home you will find something)
When did you reach home (when you reached home in past)

Is that correct?

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  • The topic is too broad. But just to answer your concern - If it's a question, prefer the format - When did you reach home? However, When you reached home? is also correct (and mean same) but is informal, generally used in a day-to-day conversation.
    – Maulik V
    Feb 3, 2014 at 4:47
  • 2
    As a general note, I have noticed many of my coworkers from India also say, "reached home" which is not wrong, just not idiomatic. Americans, at least, will generally talk about getting home. For example: When did you get home? When you get home you'll find a letter for you on the desk
    – Jim
    Feb 3, 2014 at 6:03
  • It is idiomatic, in Indian English. Actually, in Indian English, "I reached" is often used to indicate one finished a planned trip.
    – oerkelens
    Feb 3, 2014 at 9:08

2 Answers 2

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When you reach home

is not a question, but rather a part of a sentence. Something like 

"When you reach home, you will find your lunch served on the table."

The latter, i.e. "When did you reach home?"is a question, asking when that person reached home. Also, please note, it is
"When you reach home,......"
and not "When you reached home"

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A question headed by a Wh- interrogative always requires an auxiliary verb in the second position; this is followed by the subject, then the lexical verb in its infinitive form.

If the 'answer' form of your question involves an auxiliary verb, you use that in the second position ...

[A: I can be there tomorrow.] ← Q: When auxcan subjyou infbe there?

If it does not involve an auxiliary verb, you use do as a ‘generic’ auxiliary in the second position ...

[A: I reached home yesterday.] ← Q: When auxdid subjyou infreach home?

As others have noted in the Comments, reach home is an unusual way of expressing this thought in Standard Englishes; it’s not incorrect, but we usually use get (colloquial) or arrive (formal):

When did you get home?
When did you arrive home?

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