Keeping the question word in reported questions

Level 3

Indirect questions report a question within a sentence. While words like 'where' or 'when' stay, you must drop the 'est-ce que' or inversion used in direct questions.

How It Works

An indirect question is a subordinate clause that often functions as the direct object of a main verb.

1. The Retention Rule:
Most interrogative words from direct questions are retained in the indirect form. This includes:

2. Word Order:
Unlike direct questions, indirect questions in standard French never use est-ce que or subject-pronoun inversion. The word order is usually Subject + Verb.
Direct: Où va-t-il ?
Indirect: Je ne sais pas où il va.
(Note: In informal spoken French, you might occasionally hear native speakers retain est-ce que, such as Je ne sais pas où est-ce qu'il va, but this should be avoided in writing.)

3. The 'What' Exception:
Note that 'what' changes form in indirect questions. The object forms 'que' or 'qu'est-ce que' change to ce que, while the subject form 'qu'est-ce qui' changes to ce qui. The word 'ce' acts as a mandatory placeholder meaning 'that which' or 'the thing that' (e.g., Je ne sais pas ce qu'il fait = 'I do not know the thing that he is doing'). However, when 'what' follows a preposition, it is retained as quoi (e.g., Je me demande de quoi il parle.).

4. The 'Who' Exception:
Unlike 'what', if a direct question uses the long forms of 'who' (qui est-ce qui or qui est-ce que), they simply revert to the short form qui in indirect questions (e.g., Qui est-ce que tu regardes ? -> Je me demande qui tu regardes.).

5. Yes/No Questions:
For direct yes/no questions, use si (if/whether) to form the indirect question: Je ne sais pas s'il vient. Note that 'si' ONLY elides with 'il' and 'ils' (s'il, s'ils), and never with 'elle', 'on', or other vowels.

6. Stylistic Inversion:
If the subject is a noun (not a pronoun) and the verb doesn't have its own object, it is very common to place the subject after the verb: Je me demande où habite Pierre.

7. Punctuation:
Indirect questions end with a period (full stop), not a question mark, unless the main clause is itself a question (e.g., Pouvez-vous me dire où il habite ?).

8. Sequence of Tenses:
If the main introductory verb is in a past tense (e.g., Il a demandé...), the verb in the indirect question must shift tenses according to the rules of reported questions in the past. Common shifts include:

  • Present -> Imperfect (e.g., Il demande où elle va. -> Il a demandé où elle allait.)
  • Passé composé -> Plus-que-parfait (e.g., Il a demandé où elle était allée.)
  • Futur simple -> Conditionnel présent (e.g., Il a demandé où elle irait.)

Examples (5)

  1. Je me demande pourquoi elle est en retard.

    I wonder why she is late.

    Word by Word: I me wonder why she is in delay.

    The interrogative 'pourquoi' is retained, followed by the subject 'elle' and the verb 'est'.

  2. Dis-moi quand le train arrive.

    Tell me when the train arrives.

    Word by Word: Tell me when the train arrives.

    The question word 'quand' is kept, and the sentence uses standard subject-verb order.

  3. Il ne sait pas comment on utilise cette machine.

    He doesn't know how to use this machine.

    Word by Word: He not knows not how one uses this machine.

    The word 'comment' links the main clause to the indirect question.

  4. Nous ignorons combien de personnes viendront.

    We don't know how many people will come.

    Word by Word: We ignore how many of people will come.

    'Combien de' is retained to express an unknown quantity.

  5. Je ne sais pas où est la gare.

    I don't know where the station is.

    Word by Word: I not know not where is the station.

    This shows stylistic inversion with a noun subject (la gare) after the verb (est).

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping 'est-ce que' in the indirect question.

    Je me demande quand est-ce qu'il part.
    Je me demande quand il part.

    'Est-ce que' is only for direct questions. In indirect questions, it must be removed.

  • Using subject-pronoun inversion.

    Dis-moi où vas-tu.
    Dis-moi où tu vas.

    While inversion is common in direct questions, indirect questions with pronouns must use Subject + Verb order.

  • Using 'que' instead of 'ce que' for 'what'.

    Je ne sais pas que tu fais.
    Je ne sais pas ce que tu fais.

    Unlike 'où' or 'quand', the word 'que' (what) must transform into 'ce que' in indirect questions.

How It Connects

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Keeping the question word in reported questionsLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn indirect questions, you must first be familiar with the standard interrogative words (who, what, where, etc.) and how direct questions are constructed. Additionally, understanding the general concept of reported speech (indirect discourse) is essential, as indirect questions follow the same logic of embedding a question within a statement while reverting to standard subject-verb word order.

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Words in This Pattern

quandpourquoiqui