INDIRECT QUESTIONS

direct vs indirect questions

• Do you know him? Direct question

• Could you tell me if you know him? embedded question

• I would like to know if you know him. indirect question

direct vs indirect questions

• Does he play chess? Direct question

• Could you tell me if he plays chess? embedded question

• I would like to know if he plays chess. indirect question

direct vs indirect questions

• Are you coming with us?

• Can you tell me if/wether you are coming with us?

• I would like to know if you are coming with us.

direct vs indirect questions

• Do you play football?

• Can you tell me if/whether you play football?

• I would like to know if/whether you play football.

THE RULES

• Indirect questions normally have the same order as a positive sentence.

• We don’t need the auxiliary verbs do/did

• Yes/no questions are introduced by “if” or “whether”

WHEN DO WE USE THEM?

• When we want to sound more polite with people we don’t know very well.