Indirect Questions
Put the question inside a larger sentence with the same question word: Къде живееш? → Кажи ми къде живееш. The verb tense does not change.
How It Works
1. Keep the question word. The direct question becomes a clause after a verb of asking, knowing or telling:
- Кога започва филмът? → Не помня кога започва филмът.
- Какво искаш? → Кажи ми какво искаш.
- Защо не се обажда? → Питам се защо не се обажда.
Nothing is added before the question word: Bulgarian does not use че here.
2. Keep the tense. English shifts tenses after a past verb (where you lived). Bulgarian keeps the tense the speaker used: Той ме попита как се казвам. (He asked me what my name was.) A past form is possible, but it suggests the situation is over: Попита ме къде живеех means he asked where I lived back then. The same rule holds for reported statements.
3. Yes-no questions. A question without a question word is introduced by дали: Идва ли? → Не знам дали идва. (I don't know whether he is coming.) You will also meet the original ли order, which is standard in writing too: Не знам идва ли.
4. Question word + да. For what should be done, use the question word with да: Не знам какво да правя. (I don't know what to do.)
5. Punctuation. The whole sentence is a statement, so it ends with a full stop, not a question mark (unless the main clause is itself a question: Знаеш ли къде е гарата?). Under the 2012 official spelling rules, no comma goes before a question word that introduces a clause explaining the verb: Кажи ми къде живееш. This is an exception to the general rule about commas before subordinate clauses.
Examples (6)
- Кажи ми къде живееш.
Tell me where you live.
No comma before къде.
- Не помня кога започва филмът.
I do not remember when the film starts.
The subject филмът often follows the verb, as in the direct question.
- Той ме попита как се казвам.
He asked me what my name was.
The present tense stays even after the past verb попита.
- Не знам какво да правя.
I don't know what to do.
A question word followed by да.
- Питам се защо не се обажда.
I wonder why he isn't calling.
- Попитай я дали иска кафе.
Ask her whether she wants coffee.
A yes-no question uses дали.
Common Mistakes
Shifting to a past tense after a past verb, as in English, when the situation still holds.
Той ме попита къде живеех.Той ме попита къде живея.You still live there, so keep the present tense of the original question. Живеех would put your living there in the past, as if you had moved.
Ending an indirect question with a question mark.
Не знам кога идва автобусът?Не знам кога идва автобусът.The sentence is a statement about what you don't know, so it ends with a full stop.
Putting a comma before the question word.
Кажи ми, къде живееш.Кажи ми къде живееш.The official spelling rules put no comma before a question word that introduces a clause explaining the verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Indirect questions follow дали and че clauses.
Related Patterns
- Reported Speech
Reported statements follow the same keep-the-tense rule.
Level 4 - къдеAsking Where
One of the question words that can start an indirect question.
Level 1 - каквоAsking What
Often used in indirect questions and in какво да.
Level 1 - Commas Before Subordinate Clauses
The general comma rule, which has an exception for question words.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Indirect Questions in Bubblegum
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