Indirect Questions

Level 6

Indirect questions, also known as embedded questions, report a question within another sentence without using quotation marks. They use question words (qué, cómo, etc.) or 'si' (if/whether).

How It Works

Indirect questions are a crucial part of reported speech and complex sentence structures. They allow you to talk about a question without asking it directly.

1. Structure
The basic structure is: Main Clause + Interrogative Word/Conjunction + Subordinate Clause.

  • Main Clause: No sé... (I don't know...), Me pregunto... (I wonder...), Dime... (Tell me...), ¿Sabes...? (Do you know...?)
  • Interrogative Word: These are the standard question words like qué, quién, cuál, cómo, dónde, cuándo, por qué, cuánto(s). They always keep their accent marks in indirect questions.
  • Conjunction 'si': Used to embed yes/no questions. It means 'if' or 'whether'.

2. Word Order
While direct questions often invert the subject and verb (e.g., ¿Dónde está el coche?), the word order in indirect questions is flexible. In Spanish, it's very common and natural for the verb to come before the subject. This is the most frequent and recommended structure.

  • Direct: ¿Cuándo llega el tren? (When does the train arrive?)
  • Indirect (Common Order): No sé cuándo llega el tren. (I don't know when the train arrives.)

The statement order (Subject + Verb) is also grammatically possible, but it's much less common in everyday speech. This order is typically used to add special emphasis to the subject or for clarity when the subject is very long.

  • Indirect (Less Common/Emphatic): No sé cuándo el tren llega.

3. Mood: Indicative vs. Subjunctive
The verb in the embedded clause is usually in the indicative mood because it refers to a piece of information, even if that information is unknown to the speaker.

  • Dime dónde estás. (Tell me where you are.) - Indicative
  • Me preguntó si yo había visto la película. (He asked me if I had seen the movie.) - Indicative

The subjunctive can appear in specific contexts, such as when the main clause gives a command or expresses influence about a future, uncertain action within the question.

  • Pregúntale a qué hora quiere que lleguemos. (Ask him what time he wants us to arrive.) - The arriving is a desired, non-factual event.

4. Punctuation
The entire sentence takes the punctuation of the main clause. If the main clause is a statement, it ends with a period. If the main clause is a question, it ends with a question mark.

  • Quiero saber por qué no viniste.
  • ¿Puedes decirme dónde está la estación?

Examples (5)

  1. No sé qué hacer.

    I don't know what to do.

    Word by Word: Not I-know what to-do.

    The question '¿Qué hago?' (What do I do?) is embedded in the statement 'No sé...'. Note that 'qué' keeps its accent.

  2. ¿Sabes dónde vive Carlos?

    Do you know where Carlos lives?

    Word by Word: You-know where lives Carlos?

    Here, the indirect question 'dónde vive Carlos' is part of a larger question. The entire sentence uses question marks, but the embedded part does not.

  3. Pregúntale si quiere venir con nosotros.

    Ask him if he wants to come with us.

    Word by Word: Ask-him if he-wants to-come with us.

    This embeds a yes/no question ('¿Quiere venir?'). The conjunction 'si' (if/whether) is used to introduce it.

  4. La profesora explicó cómo funciona el sistema solar.

    The teacher explained how the solar system works.

    Word by Word: The teacher explained how functions the solar system.

    An indirect question can be the object of many verbs, not just 'saber' or 'preguntar'. Here, it's the object of 'explicó'.

  5. Nunca entendí por qué tomaron esa decisión.

    I never understood why they made that decision.

    Word by Word: Never I-understood for why they-took that decision.

    This example uses the preterite tense in both the main clause and the embedded question, showing how tenses can align.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the accent mark on the question word.

    No sé que decir.
    No sé qué decir.

    In indirect questions, interrogative words like 'qué', 'cómo', 'dónde', etc., always require a tilde (accent mark) to distinguish them from their non-interrogative counterparts ('que', 'como', 'donde').

  • Using direct question marks when you want an embedded question.

    Different MeaningDime, ¿cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
    Dime cuándo es tu cumpleaños.

    'Dime, ¿cuándo es tu cumpleaños?' is correct: it is a separate direct question after 'Dime'. When the question is part of the main sentence, as in 'Dime cuándo es tu cumpleaños', it has no question marks of its own.

  • Using 'que' instead of 'si' for yes/no questions.

    Me preguntó que yo tenía hambre.
    Me preguntó si yo tenía hambre.

    To embed a yes/no question, you must use 'si' (if/whether). Using 'que' (that) changes the meaning and makes it a statement report, not a question report.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Indirect QuestionsLevel 6

Learn This First

To learn embedded questions, you must first be familiar with Spanish question words (interrogatives) and how they function within a sentence. Since embedded questions are a type of indirect speech, understanding the general principles of reported speech is crucial. Additionally, a grasp of basic clause linking helps in positioning the indirect question correctly within the main sentence.

Words in This Pattern

quéquéquéquiénquiénescuálcuáldóndeadóndecuándocómocuántocuántocuántaspor qué