are both tenses possible in these sentences?

[njanja]

I thought that you weren`t (aren`t) here.
I thought that they knew (know) your name.
They thought that their friends would (will) come back.
How did you find out that they were (are) the same?
How did you know that they didn`t (don`t) like you?
Why did he say that his name was (is) Marco?

Can you give me more examples?


Thank You.

[eng]

If i were you, i'd stick with the past tense forms.

For more info, I suggest you look up 'reported speech'.

Note: in conversational English, reported speech rules are sometimes bent.

Guy: "I live in Bristol."
Proper: He said (that) he lived in Bristol.
simple present --> simple past
Accepted: He said (that) he lives in Bristol. (It's a statement of fact/of something that is still true.)

Girl: I (have) tried their chocolate cake.
Proper: She said that she had tried their chocolate cake.
simple past/present perfect --> past perfect
Accepted: She said she (has) tried their chocolate cake.