Indirect questions with ob and question words

In brief

An indirect question embeds a question inside another sentence. In German, introduce a yes/no question with ob (‘whether/if’) or keep its question word, such as wann or wo. The conjugated verb moves to the end of the embedded clause.

Form

Main clause + comma + ob/question word + subject and other details + conjugated verb.

Usage

• Use ob when you want to know whether something is true: Ich weiß nicht, ob der Laden offen ist.
• Keep the question word when asking for specific information: Weißt du, wann der Zug ankommt?
• Put a question mark at the end only if the whole sentence is a question; a statement containing an indirect question ends with a period.

Examples

• Ich weiß nicht, ob sie morgen Zeit hat. — I don’t know whether she has time tomorrow.
• Kannst du mir sagen, wo der Bahnhof ist? — Can you tell me where the train station is?
• Er fragt, wann der Film beginnt. — He’s asking when the movie starts.
• Weißt du, ob wir hier bezahlen können? — Do you know if we can pay here?

Common mistake

❌ Kannst du mir sagen, wo ist der Bahnhof?

✅ Kannst du mir sagen, wo der Bahnhof ist?

Keep the conjugated verb at the end of the indirect question, even when the whole sentence is a question.

Remember

After ob or a question word, the conjugated verb comes last in the embedded clause.