कौन, कब and कहाँ Inside Sentences

Questions Inside Sentences

Level 3Sounds Like āśrita praśna: kauna, kaba aura kahām̐

Question words like कौन, कब and कहाँ can sit inside another sentence, as in I know who... or Tell me where....

How It Works

To say I don't know where he lives, Hindi takes the direct question वह कहाँ रहता है? and places it after कि: मुझे नहीं पता कि वह कहाँ रहता है।

Three things stay the same as in the direct question:

  • Word order. The question word stays where it was, usually just before the verb: कि बैठक कब शुरू होगी.
  • Forms. Question words keep the form their clause needs: किसने, किसको, किससे. मुझे याद नहीं कि यह किताब मुझे किसने दी थी.
  • Tense. मैंने पूछा कि बैठक कब शुरू होगी keeps the future होगी, where English says would start.

Common outer phrases are मुझे नहीं पता, पता नहीं, मुझे याद नहीं, मैंने पूछा, बताइए and क्या आप जानते हैं. After पता नहीं, speech often leaves out कि: पता नहीं वह आज इतनी चुप क्यों है.

Punctuation follows the whole sentence. If the outer part is a statement, end with a danda. If it is a question, use a question mark: क्या तुम जानते हो कि दरवाज़े पर कौन है?

Examples (5)

  1. मुझे नहीं पता कि रवि कहाँ रहता है।

    I don't know where Ravi lives.

    कहाँ stays before the verb, as in the direct question.

  2. मैंने पूछा कि बैठक कब शुरू होगी।

    I asked when the meeting would start.

    Hindi keeps the future होगी; English shifts to would.

  3. क्या तुम जानते हो कि दरवाज़े पर कौन है?

    Do you know who is at the door?

    The whole sentence is a question, so it ends with a question mark.

  4. मुझे याद नहीं कि यह किताब मुझे किसने दी थी।

    I don't remember who gave me this book.

    किसने keeps ने, which its own verb दी needs.

  5. पता नहीं वह आज इतनी चुप क्यों है।

    I don't know why she's so quiet today.

    After पता नहीं, कि is often left out.

How It Connects

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कौन, कब and कहाँ Inside SentencesLevel 3Questions Inside Sentences

Learn This First

Embedded questions put an ordinary question word inside a कि clause.

Words in This Pattern

कौनकबकहाँकि