Indirekte Fragesätze
An indirect question embeds a question inside a bigger sentence - "Do you know if he's coming?" instead of the direct "Is he coming?" It is more polite and more common in real conversation than firing direct questions at people. It uses the same subordinate-clause word order you already know from weil and dass: the verb moves to the end.
A direct yes/no question ("Kommt er?") has no question word. When you embed it, add ob ("if/whether") and push the verb to the end.
Direct: Kommt er? (Is he coming?)
Indirect: Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt. (I don't know if he's coming.)
Quick check: which word introduces an embedded yes/no question?
A direct question with a question word (wann, wo, wie, warum...) keeps that same word when embedded - just move the verb to the end.
Direct: Wann fährt der Zug? (When does the train leave?)
Indirect: Kannst du mir sagen, wann der Zug fährt? (Can you tell me when the train leaves?)
Direct: Wo ist der Bahnhof? (Where is the station?)
Indirect: Wissen Sie, wo der Bahnhof ist? (Do you know where the station is?)
Quick check: in "Kannst du mir sagen, wann der Zug ______?" what goes in the blank?
Starting a question with "Kannst du mir sagen..." or "Wissen Sie..." and embedding the real question softens it - useful for asking strangers or in formal situations, the same social function as English "Could you tell me where the station is?" versus the blunter "Where's the station?"
Quick check: is an embedded question generally more or less polite than a blunt direct question?
1. "I don't know if he's coming." - Ich weiß nicht, ______ er kommt.
2. What happens to the verb in an embedded question?
Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.
Want to practice turning your own direct questions into polite indirect ones? Ask your teaching agent.