чи / де / коли

Indirect Questions

Level 3Sounds Like neprâme pitannâ z či / de / koli

Indirect questions embed a question inside a statement (e.g., 'I don't know where he is'). Use чи for 'whether' and standard question words like де (where) or коли (when) for others. Always place a comma before the question word.

How It Works

Indirect questions allow you to report what someone asked or express uncertainty within a larger sentence. They follow verbs like запитати (to ask), знати (to know), or цікавитися (to be interested/wonder).

1. Yes-No Questions (The particle 'чи'):
When a question can be answered with 'yes' or 'no', Ukrainian uses the particle чи. It translates to 'whether' or 'if'.
Example: Я не знаю, чи він прийде. (I don't know if/whether he will come).

2. Content Questions:
If the original question used a specific question word like хто (who), що (what), де (where), or коли (when), that word introduces the indirect question.

3. Tense Consistency:
Ukrainian is simpler than English here: you keep the tense of the original thought. If you are asking about a future event, use the future tense, even if the main verb is in the past.

4. Punctuation and Word Order:

  • A comma must precede the question word or particle.
  • The question word/particle must come at the very beginning of the subordinate clause.
  • The word order within the indirect question usually follows a standard Subject-Verb pattern.

Examples (5)

  1. Вона запитала, чи ти прийдеш на вечерю.

    She asked whether you would come to dinner.

    Word by Word: She asked, whether you will-come to dinner.

    Note that 'прийдеш' is in the future tense because the coming happens after the asking. 'Чи' is used for the yes-no question.

  2. Я не знаю, де він зараз живе.

    I do not know where he lives now.

    Word by Word: I not know, where he now lives.

    The question word 'де' (where) introduces the clause, preceded by a mandatory comma.

  3. Скажи мені, коли розпочнеться концерт.

    Tell me when the concert will start.

    Word by Word: Tell me, when will-start concert.

    The indirect question uses 'коли' (when) to embed the inquiry about time.

  4. Ми цікавилися, що вони роблять.

    We wondered what they were doing.

    Word by Word: We wondered, what they are-doing.

    The present tense 'роблять' is used because it describes the action happening at the time of wondering.

  5. Він не пам'ятає, кому він дзвонив.

    He doesn't remember who he called.

    Word by Word: He not remembers, to-whom he called.

    The interrogative pronoun 'хто' changes to the dative 'кому' to match its role in the sub-clause.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'якщо' (if) instead of 'чи' (whether) for indirect questions.

    Я не знаю, якщо він прийде.
    Я не знаю, чи він прийде.

    'Якщо' is only for conditions (e.g., 'If it rains, I stay home'). For questions, always use 'чи'.

  • Using the past tense when asking about being ready right now.

    Different MeaningВін запитав, чи я був готовий.
    Він запитав, чи я готовий.

    This sentence is correct, but it asks whether you were ready earlier. To ask whether you are ready at the moment of the question, Ukrainian keeps the present tense: Він запитав, чи я готовий.

  • Forgetting the comma before the indirect question.

    Я запитав де він.
    Я запитав, де він.

    Ukrainian grammar strictly requires a comma to separate the main clause from the subordinate indirect question clause.

How It Connects

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

чи / де / колиLevel 3Indirect Questions

Learn This First

To understand indirect questions, a learner must first be familiar with the basic question markers and interrogative words (чи, де, коли) used in direct questions, as these serve as the subordinating conjunctions in the indirect structure.

Words in This Pattern

деколиколи