Indirect Questions with ці

Indirect Yes-No Questions with Ці

Level 3Sounds Like uskosnae pytanne z cí

Я не ведаю, ці ён прыйдзе. (I don't know whether he will come.) Put ці at the start of the clause.

How It Works

A direct yes-no question can start with ці: Ці ёсць білеты? (Are there tickets?) To embed it after a verb like ведаць, спытаць, сказаць, памятаць or after цікава, keep ці at the front of the clause and add a comma: Спытай, ці ёсць білеты. (Ask if there are tickets.)

English if = ці. In I don't know if he will come, if means whether. Belarusian uses ці here, never калі. Я не ведаю, калі ён прыйдзе means I don't know when he will come.

Ці comes first. It opens the clause, and the rest follows in normal order: Я не ведаю, ці ён прыйдзе. or Я не ведаю, ці прыйдзе ён. Ці is not placed after a verb, as Russian ли is.

Keep the tense. The clause keeps the tense of the original question. If you asked someone Ці ты заняты?, you report it as Я спытаў, ці ён заняты. (I asked if he was busy.) English shifts is to was; Belarusian does not. See reported speech.

Or not. Add ці не: Скажы, ці ты пойдзеш з намі, ці не. (Tell me whether you will go with us or not.)

For questions with a question word, see indirect questions with question words. For statements, use што.

Examples (6)

  1. Я не ведаю, ці ён прыйдзе.

    I don't know whether he will come.

    Word by Word: I not know, whether he will-come.

  2. Спытай, ці ёсць білеты.

    Ask if there are tickets.

    Word by Word: Ask, whether there-are tickets.

  3. Я спытала, ці ён заняты.

    I asked if he was busy.

    Word by Word: I asked, whether he busy.

    The question was Ці ты заняты?, so the present stays.

  4. Цікава, ці яна памятае мяне.

    I wonder if she remembers me.

    Word by Word: Interesting, whether she remembers me.

  5. Не ведаю, ці паспеем мы на цягнік.

    I don't know if we will make the train.

    Word by Word: Not know, whether will-make-it we to train.

  6. Скажы, ці ты пойдзеш з намі, ці не.

    Tell me whether you will go with us or not.

    Word by Word: Tell, whether you will-go with us, or not.

Common Mistakes

  • Using калі for if when it means whether.

    Я не ведаю, калі ён прыйдзе.
    Я не ведаю, ці ён прыйдзе.

    The first sentence is correct Belarusian, but it means I don't know when he will come. For whether, use ці.

  • Putting ці after the verb, like Russian ли.

    Я не ведаю, прыйдзе ці ён.
    Я не ведаю, ці прыйдзе ён.

    Ці opens the clause. Placed after a word, ці reads as or, so the sentence falls apart.

  • Shifting the tense back as in English.

    Я спытаў, ці ён быў заняты.
    Я спытаў, ці ён заняты.

    To report the question Ці ты заняты?, keep the present. With быў the sentence asks whether he had been busy earlier.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Indirect Questions with ціLevel 3Indirect Yes-No Questions with Ці

Learn This First

Indirect yes-no questions need ці and content clauses.

Words in This Pattern

ці