Indirect Questions

Kurz erklärt

An indirect question is embedded inside a statement or another question. In Spanish, information questions keep their interrogative word, including its written accent: qué, quién, cuál, cómo, cuándo, cuánto or dónde. Embedded yes-no questions use si. A sentence that reports uncertainty or a question normally has no question marks; question marks are used only when the complete sentence is itself a direct question.

Bildung

Main clause + interrogative word + conjugated verb (+ subject), or main clause + si + clause.

Verwendung

• Use indirect questions to ask for information politely.
• Use them after expressions such as no sé, dime, me preguntó and quisiera saber.
• Keep the accent on an interrogative word even when there are no question marks.
• In neutral Spanish, a stated subject commonly follows the verb in an embedded information question.

Beispiele

• ¿Sabes dónde está el banco? — Do you know where the bank is?
• No sé cuándo llega el autobús. — I don’t know when the bus arrives.
• Me preguntó si quería acompañarla. — She asked me if I wanted to go with her.
• Quisiera saber cuánto cuesta la entrada. — I would like to know how much the ticket costs.

Typischer Fehler

❌ No sé dónde María vive.

✅ No sé dónde vive María.

Do not copy English embedded-question word order. In neutral Spanish, the expressed subject normally comes after the conjugated verb here.

Merke

Keep the accent on the interrogative word. Use question marks only if the whole sentence is a direct question.