Indirect Questions: Asking Politely
Indirect questions are more polite than direct questions. They use phrases like Can you tell me… / Do you know… / I wonder… followed by affirmative word order (not question word order).
Rule: Indirect questions do NOT use auxiliary before the subject. The word order is: question word + subject + verb.
Direct: “Where is the station?” → Indirect: “Can you tell me where the station is?”
Direct: “What time does the bus leave?” → Indirect: “Do you know what time the bus leaves?”
Yes/No questions: Use if or whether. “Is he a doctor?” → “Can you tell me if he is a doctor?”
Examples
- “Do you know where Ali lives?”
- “Can you tell me how much this costs?”
- “I wonder if she is coming to the party.”
- “Could you explain why you were late?”
Exercises
Exercise: Rewrite as indirect questions: 1. Where is the post office? → Can you tell me _______________. 2. What time is it? → Do you know _______________. 3. Does this bus go to the airport? → Can you tell me _______________. 4. Why did she leave? → I wonder _______________.
Answers
1. where the post office is 2. what time it is 3. if/whether this bus goes to the airport 4. why she left
Related Lessons
Check our other English grammar lessons for more practice: Present Simple, Past Simple, Present Perfect, and Future Tenses. Practice makes perfect!
📍 دروس مشابهة
- اللغة الإنجليزية — Present Simple: Formation, Usage and Exercises — 1st Year M
- اللغة الإنجليزية — Present Continuous: Formation, Usage and Exercises — 1st Ye
- اللغة الإنجليزية — Simple Past: Regular and Irregular Verbs — 2nd Year Middle
- اللغة الإنجليزية — Future with Will and Going To — 2nd Year Middle School — A
مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.