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Indirect Question
What Is an Indirect Question? (with Examples)
An indirect question is a question embedded inside a statement, an order, or another question. Let's start with a direct question:- Do you like cheese?
Indirect question in a statement:
- She asked if I liked cheese.
Indirect question in an order:
- Please ask me if I like cheese.
Indirect question in a question:
- Did she ask if I liked cheese?
Table of Contents
- Easy Examples of Indirect Questions
- Real-Life Examples of Indirect Questions
- Word Order of an Indirect Question
- Indirect Questions Are Noun Clauses
- Why Indirect Questions Are Important
- Printable Test

Easy Examples of Indirect Questions
An indirect question can be embedded in a statement, another question, or an order.- I wonder whether Anne is happy. (The embedded direct question is "Is Anne happy?". This is a direct question within a statement, i.e., within a declarative sentence.)
- Do you know if anyone was listening? (The embedded direct question is "Was anyone listening?". This is a direct question within a question, i.e., within an interrogative sentence.)
- Please find out what time the train is due. (The embedded direct question is "What time is the train due?". This is a direct question within an order, i.e., within an imperative sentence.)
Real-Life Examples of Indirect Questions
- I wonder whether other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. (Comedian Rita Rudner)
- Does anyone know if Lamborghini makes wheelchair vehicles? (American footballer Steve Gleason, who is battling Lou Gehrig's disease)
- In order to know what he is, a man must first know what the sum of this mysterious humanity is, a humanity made up of people who, like himself, do not understand what they are. (Russian author Leo Tolstoy)
Word Order of an Indirect Question
Indirect questions are worded like statements not questions. When the direct question starts with a question word like how, what, when, where, which, who, whose, or why (called interrogative pronouns or interrogative adjectives), the indirect question will start with the question word, but the word order is like a statement not like a question.- I'm asking what the time is. (The embedded direct question is "What time is it?". Notice that the indirect question has the word order "the time is" (i.e., subject + verb) not "is the time" (i.e., verb + subject). In other words, an indirect question has the same word order as a statement, not a question.)
- I'm asking where you are going. (The embedded direct question is "Where are you going?". The word order for the indirect question is "you are going", i.e., subject + verb.)
- I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. (American president Abraham Lincoln)
Indirect Questions Are Noun Clauses
Indirect questions are classified as noun clauses. (A noun clause is a multi-word noun that features a subject and a verb.)
(Issue 1) Don't use a question mark with a non-question.
By far the most common mistake with indirect questions is using a question mark at the end of a sentence that isn't a question.- She needs to know where you're going?
- Tell the staff if you feel cold?
- Mark is trying to determine whether he's allergic to cats?
- Does she need to know where you're going?
- Will you tell the staff if you feel cold?
- Is Mark trying to determine whether he's allergic to cats?
(Issue 2) Use "whether" unless you're presenting a condition.
When the direct question is a yes-no question, the indirect question will start with if or whether.- I'm asking if you are cold.
- I'm asking whether you are cold. (The embedded direct question is "Are you cold?". This is a yes-no question.)
- Tell the staff if you need a seat. (This means tell the staff only if you need a seat. In other words, needing a seat is a condition that needs to be true before the staff are told. This is called a conditional sentence.)
- Tell the staff whether you need a seat. (This means tell the staff about your seating needs. There are two alternatives: needing a seat and not needing a seat. The staff are to be told in either case. In other words, there is no condition that needs to be true.)
(Issue 3) Get the word order right.
Remember that the word order in an indirect question is the same as for a declarative sentence (i.e., a statement) and not an interrogative sentence (i.e., a question). For example:Word Order in a Question:
- Where are you? (The word order is verb-subject: verb (are) then subject (you).)
- You are there. (The word order is subject-verb: subject (you) then verb (are).)
- I want to know where you are.
- I want to know where are you.
- An indirect question does not warrant a question mark. Only a direct question does.
- Bear in mind that "if" and "whether" are not always interchangeable. "If" heads a condition. "Whether" doesn't.
- The word order of an indirect question is the same word order as a statement (subject-verb) not a question (verb-subject).
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