Indirect Questions: Form, Word Order and Examples

An indirect question is a question inside another sentence. We put a polite phrase at the start, such as Could you tell me, Do you know or I was wondering, and then the real question.

We use indirect questions to sound more polite, especially with strangers, at work, in shops and hotels, and when the question is personal or a little difficult. A direct question like How old are you? can sound too direct. Can I ask how old you are? is softer.

Direct questions are not rude. With friends and family they are completely normal. Indirect questions just give you a more polite choice. For the basics of direct questions, see question words and how to ask questions in English.

This is the most important rule. In a direct question, the verb (or helper verb) comes before the subject: Where is the station? In an indirect question, we use statement word order: subject first, then verb. Could you tell me where the station is?

The question word stays at the start of the second part, but after it the sentence looks like a normal statement. Think of it as: polite phrase + question word + subject + verb.

This is true for all tenses and all helper verbs: is, are, was, have, can, will. Where has he gone? becomes Do you know where he has gone? What can we do? becomes I wonder what we can do.

In direct questions in the present simple and past simple, we use do, does or did: Where does she live? When did you arrive? In indirect questions, these helpers disappear, and the main verb takes its normal statement form.

So does she live becomes she lives (the -s comes back), and did you arrive becomes you arrived (the past form comes back). This is the mistake learners make most often, so practise it carefully.

In a question about the subject, like Who called?, there is no do in the direct question, so the indirect question keeps the same order: Do you know who called? See subject and object questions.

Some direct questions have no question word, because the answer is yes or no: Is it ready? Do they speak English? To make these indirect, use if or whether, then statement word order.

Is it ready? becomes Do you know if it is ready? Do they speak English? becomes I'm not sure whether they speak English. Notice again that do disappears.

If and whether are both correct. Whether is slightly more formal, and we usually use it with or not: I don't know whether or not he's coming.

Indirect questions follow the same word order as reported questions. The difference is that an indirect question is a polite question now, while a reported question tells someone what another person asked.

Indirect: Could you tell me where you live? Reported: She asked me where I lived. In reported questions, the tense often moves back, but the word order rule is the same: subject before verb, no do or did. Learn more in our guide to reported speech.

You will hear indirect questions everywhere people want to be polite: asking for directions, at reception desks, in shops, on the phone and in job interviews. Combining them with please, excuse me and sorry to bother you makes them even softer.

The phrase I was wondering if is especially useful for requests: I was wondering if I could leave a bit early today. The past tense here does not mean the past; it just makes the request gentler. For more phrases like this, read polite requests in English and English phone calls.