What are Indirect Questions?

Indirect questions are a way of asking questions without (grammatically speaking) asking a question directly. The question is often implied or embedded within the context.

Examples:

„Wie heißt deine Tochter? Ich habe es vergessen.“ (Direct question)
„Ich habe vergessen, wie deine Tochter heißt.“ (Indirect question)

The indirect question is somewhat more polite and less direct. Even though it's not framed as a question, the conversation partner will likely still tell you the name of their daughter.

Indirect Yes/No Questions

Indirect yes/no questions are formed using the conjunction „ob“:

„Ich weiß nicht mehr, ob ich den Herd ausgemacht habe.“ ( → „Habe ich den Herd ausgemacht?“)
„Kannst du mir sagen, ob Maria gestern mit deiner Frau telefoniert hat?“ ( → „Hat Maria gestern mit deiner Frau telefoniert?“)
„Wissen sie, ob Herr Meier schon an seinem Arbeitsplatz ist?“ ( → „Ist Herr Meier schon an seinem Arbeitsplatz?“ )

Attention:

As you can see from the examples, “Indirect Question” doesn't necessarily mean that you're not asking a question. It simply means that you're not asking directly for the information you want.

Indirect W-Questions:

Indirect W-questions remain the same, but they are used as subordinate clauses:

Examples:

„Ich wüsste gern, was bei der Prüfung abgefragt wird.“ (→ „Was wird bei der Prüfung abgefragt?“)
„Können sie mir sagen, wo hier die Kantine ist?“ (→ „Wo ist hier die Kantine?“)
„Weißt du, warum wir alle warten müssen?“ (→ „Warum müssen wir alle warten?“ )

Here too, indirect questions are much more polite than direct questions.

Summary:

Indirect questions are questions "between the lines" or questions that do not directly ask for the sought-after information.
Indirect questions are subordinate clauses, hence the conjugated verb is at the end of the sentence.
Indirect questions appear more polite than direct questions.
Indirect yes/no questions are formed with „ob“.
Indirect W-questions remain the same, only the verb is placed at the end.

You can also have Jan explain the grammar to you in a video lesson:

W2: Formulate the direct or indirect question sentences.

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Claudia is answering...

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Grammar Training – Indirect Questions

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