Indirect Questions

Level 3

An embedded question uses subordinate-clause order: Ik weet niet waar hij woont. The verb or verb group normally comes near the end. With multiple verbs, the finite verb is not necessarily the last word.

How It Works

Indirect questions function as noun clauses, usually acting as the object of verbs like weten (to know), vragen (to ask), or begrijpen (to understand).

1. The Word Order Shift
In direct questions, the verb position depends on the question type: it is in the first position for yes/no questions ('Is hij hier?') and the second position for open questions ('Waar is hij?'). In an indirect question, a single finite verb normally follows the subject and other clause elements: 'Ik weet niet of hij hier is' or 'Ik weet niet waar hij is.' This applies to all question words, including wat, wie, waar, wanneer, waarom, hoe, and welke/welk.

2. Yes/No Questions with 'Of'
When embedding a question that would normally be answered with yes or no, Dutch uses the conjunction of. Note that English often uses 'if' here, but in Dutch, you must use of, not als. You can also use the 'of... of...' construction to express 'whether... or': 'Ik weet niet of hij komt of niet.'

3. Indefinite Subjects and 'Er'
With an indefinite subject such as wat, Dutch often uses er as a placeholder: 'Ik vraag me af wat er aan de hand is'. When wie is the subject, the use of er is more flexible and often omitted.

4. Pronominal Adverbs vs. People
When a question word refers to a thing preceded by a preposition, Dutch uses a pronominal adverb (waar + preposition). A common way to ask about a thing is waarop: 'Ik weet niet waarop je wacht'. For people, the usual careful choice is preposition + wie: 'Ik weet niet op wie je wacht'.

5. Splitting Pronominal Adverbs
In spoken Dutch, it is very common to split the pronominal adverb. In the following example, the prepositional part stands immediately before the verb group: 'Ik weet niet waar je op hebt gewacht'.

6. Verb Clusters
If the clause contains multiple verbs, the entire verb cluster moves to the end. You can often choose between the green or red order. The 'green' order places the past participle before the auxiliary verb (e.g., ...gekocht heeft), while the 'red' order places the auxiliary before the participle (e.g., ...heeft gekocht). Both are correct. Their frequency varies with region, register and speaker; the finite verb therefore need not be the last verb. Some clause elements can also follow the verb group.

7. Punctuation
Indirect questions end with a full stop (period) because the main sentence is a statement: 'Ik weet niet wie hij is.' However, if the main clause itself is a question, use a question mark: 'Weet jij wie hij is?'

Examples (5)

  1. Ik weet niet waar hij woont.

    I don't know where he lives.

    Word by Word: I know not where he lives.

    The direct question 'Waar woont hij?' changes to SOV order, moving 'woont' to the end.

  2. Zij vraagt of je morgen komt.

    She is asking if you are coming tomorrow.

    Word by Word: She asks whether you tomorrow come.

    For a yes/no question, 'of' is used as the conjunction and the verb 'komt' moves to the end.

  3. Weet jij wie dit gedaan heeft?

    Do you know who did this?

    Word by Word: Know you who this done has?

    The verb cluster 'gedaan heeft' moves to the end of the indirect clause.

  4. Ik begrijp niet waarom ze boos is.

    I don't understand why she is angry.

    Word by Word: I understand not why she angry is.

    The question word 'waarom' introduces the clause, and the verb 'is' moves to the final position.

  5. Hij vertelt me wanneer de trein vertrekt.

    He is telling me when the train leaves.

    Word by Word: He tells me when the train departs.

    The finite verb 'vertrekt' is placed after the subject 'de trein'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using direct question word order (V2) in an indirect clause.

    Ik vraag me af waar is de sleutel.
    Ik vraag me af waar de sleutel is.

    Here the subject de sleutel must precede is in the embedded question: waar de sleutel is. Do not retain the order of the direct question Waar is de sleutel?

  • Using 'als' instead of 'of' for 'if/whether'.

    Ik weet niet als hij komt.
    Ik weet niet of hij komt.

    When English if introduces a yes/no question, use Dutch of. When it introduces a condition, use als. Als also has other uses, so this distinction concerns these two meanings of English if.

  • Using a question mark just because a statement contains an indirect question.

    Ik weet niet wat er is gebeurd?
    Ik weet niet wat er is gebeurd.

    The main clause determines the final punctuation. Ik weet niet is a statement, so this sentence takes a full stop. A main-clause question such as Weet jij... takes a question mark.

How It Connects

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Indirect QuestionsLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn indirect questions, you need to understand how direct questions are formed and how Dutch word order shifts in subordinate clauses, where the conjugated verb moves to the final position.

Words in This Pattern

ofóf