si

Reported Yes/no Questions with Si

Level 3

Use si to embed a yes/no question inside a report or statement.

How It Works

Em va preguntar si venia reports the question without quoting it. Si here means whether, not an affirmative yes. It has no accent, unlike sí in a positive answer.

The embedded question does not require a question mark unless the whole sentence is itself a question: saps si ve? A statement such as no sé si ve ends with a period. Ordinary Catalan word order remains available inside the embedded clause.

For a question with its own question word, keep that word instead: em va preguntar on vivia, not si on vivia. Adjust tense, person and place or time expressions to the reporting viewpoint where necessary. A future seen from a past report can use a conditional, but the intended timing determines the choice.

Examples (3)

  1. No sé si hi ha lloc.

    I do not know whether there is room.

  2. Em va preguntar si podia venir.

    She asked me whether she could come.

  3. Saps si el tren arriba aviat?

    Do you know whether the train arrives soon?

How It Connects

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

siLevel 3Reported Yes/no Questions with Si

Learn This First

Recognize the underlying yes/no question. Distinguish questions with their own question word.

Words in This Pattern