Indirect Questions

Level 6

Indirect questions embed a question inside a statement (e.g., 'I don't know where he is'). They are used for reporting speech or being polite.

How It Works

Orações interrogativas indiretas are essential for advanced communication. They allow you to report what someone else asked or to frame your own inquiries more softly.

1. Structure and Introductory Words
Indirect questions are introduced in two ways:

  • Yes/No Questions: Use the conjunction se (if/whether).
    Example: Não sei se ela vem.
  • Content Questions: Use question words like quem, qual, onde, como, etc. Note that por que becomes por quê if it ends the sentence.

2. The Infinitive Pattern
When the subject of the main verb and the indirect question is the same, Portuguese often uses the infinitive instead of a conjugated verb.
Example: Não sei o que dizer. (I don't know what to say.)

3. Verb Moods and Tense Backshifting
Most indirect questions use the Indicative mood. However, the Subjunctive is triggered if the main clause expresses high uncertainty.
Example: Não sei quem possa nos ajudar.
When reporting a past question, you must shift the tense (e.g., Present becomes Imperfect).
Example: Ele perguntou o que eu fazia.

4. Colloquialisms: The Expletive 'Que'
In informal speech, you may hear a redundant que before the question word (e.g., Perguntou que onde eu ia). This is expletive (extra) and used for emphasis, though it is avoided in formal writing.

5. Punctuation
Indirect questions end with a period (.), not a question mark, unless the entire sentence is a question (e.g., Você sabe onde ele está?).

Examples (6)

  1. Ela me perguntou se eu queria café.

    She asked me if I wanted coffee.

    Word by Word: She me asked if I wanted coffee.

    A classic indirect yes/no question using 'se' and the imperfect tense to match the past reporting verb.

  2. Você poderia me dizer onde fica a farmácia?

    Could you tell me where the pharmacy is?

    Word by Word: You could me tell where stays the pharmacy?

    A polite request using an indirect question. Note that the whole sentence is a question, so it keeps the question mark.

  3. Não sabemos o que fazer nesta situação.

    We don't know what to do in this situation.

    Word by Word: Not we know the what to do in this situation.

    Demonstrates the infinitive pattern used when the subject of the main clause and the indirect question are the same.

  4. Eu queria saber quanto custa este livro.

    I wanted to know how much this book costs.

    Word by Word: I wanted to know how much costs this book.

    A common way to ask for information politely in Brazil by framing it as a statement of desire to know.

  5. Ele indagou quem seria o novo diretor.

    He inquired who the new director would be.

    Word by Word: He inquired who would be the new director.

    Uses the formal verb 'indagar' and the conditional tense to report a question about the future.

  6. Eles não explicaram por quê.

    They didn't explain why.

    Word by Word: They not explained why.

    Shows the use of 'por quê' with a circumflex accent because the interrogative appears at the end of the clause.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the circumflex accent on 'por quê' at the end of a sentence.

    Ele saiu cedo, mas não disse por que.
    Ele saiu cedo, mas não disse por quê.

    In Portuguese, the interrogative por que must be written as 'por quê' when it stands alone or ends a clause.

  • Using a question mark for a statement-based indirect question.

    Não sei onde ele mora?
    Não sei onde ele mora.

    Indirect questions are grammatically statements. Only use a question mark if the main clause itself is a question (e.g., 'Você sabe...?').

  • Failing to shift tenses when reporting past questions.

    Ele perguntou o que eu faço.
    Ele perguntou o que eu fazia.

    If the asking happened in the past, the reported action should usually shift to the imperfect or past perfect.

How It Connects

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Indirect QuestionsLevel 6

Learn This First

To learn indirect questions, you must first be familiar with basic question words and how they function. Since indirect questions are essentially reported speech, understanding the general transformation from direct to indirect discourse is crucial. Additionally, knowing how word order and pronoun placement change when a question is embedded into a statement is necessary for correct sentence structure.

Words in This Pattern