Embedded and indirect questions

In brief

An indirect question places a question inside another sentence. In Brazilian Portuguese, you can use one to ask politely, report what someone asked, or say what you do not know. The embedded part keeps its question word, or starts with se for a yes-or-no question.

Form

Main clause (Você sabe / Eu queria saber / Não sei) + question word (onde, quando, por que…) or se + the rest of the question.

Usage

• Use a question word for specific information: Você sabe onde fica a farmácia? (Do you know where the pharmacy is?)
• Use se for a yes-or-no question: Não sei se ele vem. (I don’t know if he’s coming.)
• Put a question mark at the end only when the whole sentence is a question. Unlike English, Portuguese does not need to rearrange the verb and subject to embed a question.

Examples

• Você sabe onde fica a farmácia? — Do you know where the pharmacy is?
• Eu queria saber se você pode vir amanhã. — I wanted to know if you can come tomorrow.
• Não sei por que ela saiu cedo. — I don’t know why she left early.
• Pode me dizer quando a reunião começa? — Can you tell me when the meeting starts?

Common mistake

❌ Não sei se onde fica a farmácia.

✅ Não sei onde fica a farmácia.

Use onde alone for an embedded ‘where’ question; se introduces an embedded yes-or-no question, not a question that already has onde.

Remember

Use se for ‘whether/if’ and the question word itself for ‘where’, ‘when’, or ‘why’.