дали in Reported Questions

Reporting a Yes or No Question

Level 3Sounds Like dali vo indirektni prašan̂a

After verbs like know, ask or wonder, дали means whether or if: Не знам дали ќе дојде. (I do not know if he will come.)

How It Works

A direct question such as Дали ќе дојде? or Ќе дојде ли? (see дали; ли) can be placed inside a larger sentence. The inner clause then starts with дали:

  • Не знам дали ќе дојде. (I do not know if he will come.)
  • Прашај ја дали сака кафе. (Ask her if she wants coffee.)
  • Се прашувам дали е дома. (I wonder if he is home.)

Not ако. English uses if for both conditions and reported questions. Macedonian keeps them apart: ако is only for conditions (see ако + сегашно време), and дали is for whether.

No change of tense. English often shifts the tense back (He asked if I was free). Macedonian keeps the tense of the original question: Ме праша дали сум слободен. A past tense here would mean a different time: дали бев слободен asks about an earlier moment. See директен и индиректен говор.

Whether ... or: Не знам дали да одам или да останам. (I do not know whether to go or to stay.) With да, this asks what to do (see што да правам).

Use only one question marker. In a clause with дали, there is no ли. For a clause with a question word such as каде or што, see индиректни прашања со прашален збор.

Examples (6)

  1. Не знам дали ќе дојде.

    I do not know if he will come.

    Word by Word: Not I-know whether will he-come.

  2. Ме праша дали сум слободен.

    He asked me if I was free.

    Word by Word: Me he-asked whether I-am free.

    The present сум is kept from the original question.

  3. Прашај ја дали сака кафе.

    Ask her if she wants coffee.

    Word by Word: Ask her whether she-wants coffee.

  4. Не сум сигурен дали го заклучив станот.

    I am not sure if I locked the flat.

    Word by Word: Not I-am sure whether it I-locked flat-the.

  5. Се прашувам дали е дома.

    I wonder if he is home.

    Word by Word: Myself I-ask whether is home.

  6. Не знам дали да одам или да останам.

    I do not know whether to go or to stay.

    Word by Word: Not I-know whether to I-go or to I-stay.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ако for a reported question.

    Не знам ако ќе дојде.
    Не знам дали ќе дојде.

    English if has two jobs. For a yes-or-no question inside a sentence, Macedonian uses дали. Ако is only for conditions.

  • Shifting the tense back as in English.

    Ме праша дали бев слободен.
    Ме праша дали сум слободен.

    If he asked Are you free?, keep the present сум. Бев would mean he asked whether you had been free at some earlier time.

  • Using both дали and ли.

    Не знам дали ќе дојде ли.
    Не знам дали ќе дојде.

    One question marker is enough. Use дали at the start of the clause, or ли after the verb, but not both.

How It Connects

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дали in Reported QuestionsLevel 3Reporting a Yes or No Question

Learn This First

Reported yes-or-no questions combine дали and clauses.

Words in This Pattern