Here’s something most coursebooks won’t tell you: when native speakers ask each other questions in everyday life, they often don’t ask directly. Walk up to a stranger in London and bark, “Where is the station?” — and even though your grammar is perfect, you’ll sound a little abrupt, maybe even rude. Native speakers soften almost everything with what we call indirect questions. They sound polite, careful, and considerate, and they’re one of the fastest ways to make your English feel more natural. In this lesson, we’ll look at how indirect questions are built, when to use them, the mistakes learners make most often — and there’s a 10-question quiz at the end to test yourself.
How indirect questions work
The trick with indirect questions is that the second half of the sentence stops behaving like a question and starts behaving like a statement. In a normal direct question, we invert the subject and the auxiliary: Is he at home? Where does she live? What time does the shop open? But the moment you put a polite opening phrase in front of it, that inversion disappears. The word order goes back to subject + verb, and the auxiliary verbs do, does, did vanish completely.
Compare these two sentences:
- Direct: Where does she live?
- Indirect: Could you tell me where she lives?
Notice three things. First, we added a polite opener (Could you tell me…). Second, the word order flipped from does she live to she lives. Third, does disappeared, and the verb live took the proper third-person ending -s on its own. That’s the whole grammar lesson in one example. The rest is just practice.
Common opening phrases
You can build an indirect question with any of these openers. They range from neutral-polite to extra-polite, and they’re all very common in real spoken English:
- Could you tell me…? — the workhorse, polite and natural in almost any situation.
- Do you know…? — slightly more casual, perfect for asking a stranger or a colleague.
- I was wondering… — softer still, often used when you’re asking for a favour or bringing up something delicate.
- Would you mind telling me…? — very polite, good for formal contexts or when you sense the person might be busy.
- Have you any idea…? — friendly and conversational, common in British English.
- Can I ask…? — useful when the topic itself is a bit personal.
All of these trigger the same grammar shift in the second half of the sentence.
Yes/No questions become "if" or "whether"
If your direct question can be answered with yes or no, you’ll need to glue the two halves of your indirect question together with the word if or whether. They mean the same thing here; whether just sounds a touch more formal. Watch what happens:
- Direct: Is the bank open? → Indirect: Could you tell me if the bank is open?
- Direct: Does this bus go to the airport? → Indirect: Do you know if this bus goes to the airport?
- Direct: Did Sarah call yesterday? → Indirect: I was wondering whether Sarah called yesterday.
- Direct: Are you free on Friday? → Indirect: Can I ask if you’re free on Friday?
Notice again how does and did disappear, and the main verb takes whatever ending it needs (goes, called).
Wh-questions keep the wh-word
If your direct question already starts with a question word — where, when, why, how, what, who, which — you don’t need if or whether. The wh-word itself is the bridge between the two halves. The only thing you have to remember is, again, that the second half becomes a statement.
- Direct: Where is the station? → Indirect: Could you tell me where the station is?
- Direct: What time does the museum close? → Indirect: Do you know what time the museum closes?
- Direct: Why did he leave? → Indirect: I was wondering why he left.
- Direct: How much does this cost? → Indirect: Have you any idea how much this costs?
One small thing to watch: even though the sentence reports a question, if your opener is itself a question (Could you…? Do you…?), you still finish with a question mark.
When to use indirect questions
Indirect questions aren’t decoration — they do real social work. You’ll want them in these situations:
- Asking strangers for information. Stopping someone in the street, asking a passer-by for directions, asking a stranger the time.
- Formal situations. A job interview, a meeting with a teacher, talking to officials, hospital reception.
- Customer service. Phoning your bank, talking to a hotel receptionist, ordering at a restaurant.
- Polite enquiries. Anywhere you’d like to sound respectful — emails to people you don’t know, written enquiries, complaints.
- Sensitive topics. Asking about salary, age, relationships, health, or anything that might feel intrusive. The indirect form gives the other person room to dodge or answer briefly.
In casual chat with friends and family, direct questions are completely fine — you don’t have to sound like a butler at home. But the moment there’s any social distance, indirect questions earn their keep.
Common mistakes
Two mistakes account for almost every error learners make with indirect questions. The good news is, once you spot them, they’re easy to fix.
Mistake 1: keeping question word order in the second half.
- ✗ Could you tell me where is the station?
- ✓ Could you tell me where the station is?
- ✗ Do you know what time does the shop open?
- ✓ Do you know what time the shop opens?
Your ear will tell you the wrong version sounds wrong once you’ve practised the right one a few times. The rule of thumb: after the comma in your head, write a statement, not a question.
Mistake 2: hanging on to do, does, did.
- ✗ I was wondering where do you live.
- ✓ I was wondering where you live.
- ✗ Could you tell me when did the film start?
- ✓ Could you tell me when the film started?
The auxiliaries do, does, did only exist in English to help us make direct questions and negatives. The moment your sentence becomes a polite, statement-shaped indirect question, they have no job to do, so they go away. The main verb just takes its proper form (live, lives, started).
Mini quiz: rewrite these as indirect questions
Rewrite each direct question as an indirect one, using the opener in brackets. Cover the answers below and check yourself when you’re done.
- Where is the post office? (Could you tell me…?)
- Does this train stop at Sliema? (Do you know…?)
- What time does the lesson start? (Could you tell me…?)
- Is Mr Brown in the office today? (I was wondering…)
- How much does a taxi to the airport cost? (Have you any idea…?)
- Did you receive my email? (Can I ask…?)
- Why is the museum closed? (Do you know…?)
- When does the next bus leave? (Could you tell me…?)
- Are the shops open on Sunday? (Would you mind telling me…?)
- Who is the new manager? (Have you any idea…?)
Answers:
- Could you tell me where the post office is?
- Do you know if this train stops at Sliema?
- Could you tell me what time the lesson starts?
- I was wondering if Mr Brown is in the office today.
- Have you any idea how much a taxi to the airport costs?
- Can I ask if you received my email?
- Do you know why the museum is closed?
- Could you tell me when the next bus leaves?
- Would you mind telling me if the shops are open on Sunday?
- Have you any idea who the new manager is?
How many did you get right? If you’re scoring 7 or more, you’ve got the structure. If you’d like to practise indirect questions — and the rest of polite, natural English — with real teachers and real classmates in Malta, request a quotation here and we’ll send you a tailored course plan.