Examples of indirect questions in English. Questions in English. Examples of introductory phrases for constructing an indirect question

Indirect questions and statements (indirect questions and statements) are used in English when we want to be polite. They begin with the following introductory phrases: Can/could you tell me...? Do you have any idea…? Do you know...? I wonder … I don’t know … I’m interested to know … Tell me (please) … Please explain … + special question word or if/whether.

When an ordinary (direct) question is part of a longer sentence beginning with the above introductory phrases, the word order changes. Compare the examples in the table:

That is, indirect questions in English have a direct word order, such as in: after the introductory phrase, the order changes to subject + predicate.

Be careful with questions containing do/does/did!

Forms of the auxiliary verb do are not used in indirect questions:

How far did they travel? Do you happen to know how far they traveled? Do you happen to know how far did they travel? If not, then use an introductory conjunction. if / whether (=whether)

Using it we enter .

These are the basic rules for constructing indirect questions in English. Read about how to convey questions in indirect speech in the next article.

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To the entry "Indirect questions in English" 4 comments

Hello! Please tell me the correct structure of an interrogative sentence, which is a complex sentence with a subordinate clause, for example:
Option 1 without inversion: If we don’t help him, what our friends will think?
Option 2 with inversion: If we don’t help him, what will our friends think?
Which option is correct, and will there be any difference depending on the location of the conditional clause in the sentence:
If we don't help him, what will our friends think?

• What will our friends think if we don't help him? Niko, sorry for responding late, I’ll try to help you figure it out. The “correct-standard” answer is: What will our friends think if we don’t help him? A typical question begins with a special question word What , and is followed by will . Please note that the comma before if . Please note that the comma before in the middle of a sentence. Your option 2 is also viable, it's more conversational. Option 1 is without inversion, so there is an error here, this is not an indirect question. In questions we put the auxiliary verb before the subject, . There is not much difference, but in a question it is more typical to start with a Wh-word. Plus, a comma is needed if the sentence begins with . Please note that the comma before, If . Please note that the comma before in the middle - no need.

1. Thanks for the question, Tatyana. The first sentence is correct: I do not know if anyone loves ice cream. Why? In English there are words that are rarely used in statements, the so-called “non-affirmative” words (“non-affirmative” or “non-assertive” words), for example, any, anyone, anybody, ever and others. In statements we use other words, some and derivatives, somebody... Words with any often used in questions and negatives, in clauses with . Please note that the comma before, as well as with various parts of speech with a negative meaning, as in your sentence. Compare:
   Someone telephoned.
   Did anyone telephone?
   I don’t know if anyone is telephoned.

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It's no secret that many students indirect questions in English cause some difficulty. But, as popular wisdom says: It's as easy as ABC. In this article we will try to figure out what an indirect question is, how it differs from a direct question and how to construct it.

I hope you have already familiarized yourself with the rules for constructing direct questions ( direct questions) of different types: general, alternative, special and dividing (or, as they are also called - even goosebumps - dismembered). If not, then follow the link to the page and study this topic. This is very important, because you have to take the Unified State Exam in English! On the exam in the section Letter Task 39 You will be asked to write a personal letter to a nominal pen pal and ask him three questions. You will also have to formulate questions in Oral part of the exam, in Task 2. The condition strictly stipulates that these must be direct questions.

Imagine the following situation: Sally really liked a new student from 10th grade, but she doesn’t know anything about him yet. Let's look at the following pairs of questions:

1. What is his name? - What's his name? (This direct question special type, begins with the question word “what”, followed by a verb and then a subject, that is, word order back)
2. I wonder what his name is. – I wonder what his name is? (This indirect question, in which the word “what” is followed by a subject and then a verb, that is, word order straight)

Another example:

1. Where does he live? - Where does he live? (This direct question, word order back: auxiliary verb does, subject he). "Naked question"
2. Could you tell me where he lives? - Tell me, please, where does he live? (this is an indirect question, which is introduced by the polite phrase “could you tell me”, and therefore the word order straight: where he lives) “The question is within the question”

Unfortunately, none of Sally's classmates knew anything about the new student. And suddenly she saw him in the garden of her neighbor Nick, a passionate fan of Kurt Cobain and the group Nirvana. They sat under a maple tree and played guitars. In the evening Sally attacked Nick with questions:

1. Does he like rock music? – Does he like rock music? ( direct question, word order reversed: auxiliary verb does, subject he) “Naked question”
2. Nick, would you mind telling me . Please note that the comma before he likes rock music? - Nick, could you tell me how you like it? whether rock music for him? ( indirect question, word order straight: he likes. Pay attention to the meaning of the word . Please note that the comma before. In an indirect question it is translated as "LI" not “if.”) “The question is the question”
3. How long has he beenplaying the guitar? (direct question)
4. Do you know how long hehasbeenplaying the guitar? (indirect question)

Having satisfied her curiosity and received answers to all her questions, Sally went home. Nick invited her to spend the weekend in the company of rock lovers, where Greg would be present (that, it turns out, was the name of the boy Sally liked).

So, to summarize:

1) IN direct questions(“naked question”) – word order back:

How long have you been studying French?

2) IN indirect issues(“question within a question”) – word order straight:

Could you tell me how long you have been studying French?

3) In two tenses (Present Simple and Past Simple) direct questions have auxiliary verbs Why do do you like studying French? and When did you start learning it?, and in indirect questions do, does, did not used: I wonder why you like studying French./Can you tell me when you started learning it?

4) If the question can be answered yes or no (that is, a direct question is a general type question), then in an indirect question you need to use the word . Please note that the comma before= whether: Would you mind telling me . Please note that the comma before do you like studying French?

5) Indirect questions are introduced with phrases:

• Could you tell me... /Can you tell me...
• Would you mind telling me...
• I wonder...
• I wonder if you could tell me...
• Do you know...
• Do you happen to know...
• I want to know...
• I don't know
• I can't remember...
• I have no idea...

To better remember the structure of indirect questions, do the following exercise:

Make a new sentence from a question in brackets.

1. (Where has Tom gone?) - Do you know where Tom has gone?

2. (Where is the post office?) — Could you tell me where...

3. (What"s the time?) - I wonder what...

4. (What does this word mean?) - I want to know what...

5. (When did they leave?) — Do you know when...

6. (Is Sue going out tonight?) - I don"t know if...

7. (Where does Caroline live?) — Do you have any idea where...

8. (Where did I park the car?) — I can"t remember where...

9. (How far is it to the airport?) — Can you tell me how...

10. (Who is that girl?) - I have no idea who...

Indirect questions in English can only formally be called such. They grammatically correspond to the norms of direct speech, and only convey the original content of the request. The composition of the questions corresponds to the affirmative sentence. Such constructions are used in indirect speech. in this case it is not installed. The forms of verbs, pronouns, adjectives and other parts of speech change according to the same rules as for indirect statements. Let's look at the general rules of education, as well as examples of use.

Examples of introductory phrases for constructing an indirect question

This grammatical construction is used mainly for paraphrasing, or to make a question polite. In this regard, there is a whole list of introductory phrases that form indirect questions.

• Can I ask you? - May I ask you?
  
• I wonder/I was wondering? - I'm interested/I'm interested..
  
• Would you mind telling me? - Do you mind giving me a hint?
  
• Do you know/Do you happen to know? - You know?
  
• Can/could you tell me? - Could you tell me?
  

Where are you going?

Could you tell me where you are going?

Where are you going? -Can you tell me where you are going?

Why is the girl crying?

Do you happen to know why the girl is crying?

Why is the girl crying? - Do you, by any chance, know why the girl is crying?

When does he start working?

Can I ask you when he starts working?

When will it start working? - Can I ask you when it starts working?

General rules for converting direct questions into indirect ones

A direct question requires the presence of an auxiliary or one of the interrogative words who, whose, which, why, when, how many, how long, how much. The indirect one is constructed differently. It does not use auxiliary verbs. Question words are also followed by direct sentence order. If there are none, then the union whether or if is introduced instead. Direct and indirect questions require compliance with the rules of tense agreement during conversion. To construct the latter, the first part of the sentence is introduced with verbs like ask, wonder, inquire, want to know and the like.

Can she type?

He asked if she can type.

Can she type? - He asked if she could type.

Is it raining?

She required if it was raining.

It's raining. - She asked if it was raining.

Where is the bus station?

The boy asked where the bus station was.

Where is the bus-stop? - The guy asked where the bus stop was.

Summarizing the above, we can highlight the following three features of constructing an indirect question:

1. Presence of an introductory phrase at the beginning.
2. Direct word order according to the type of affirmative sentence.
3. Lack of auxiliary verbs do, did, does.

Let's look at examples of converting general and special questions into indirect ones separately. The former are introduced into a sentence by conjunctions if or whether, while the latter require a question word (why, where, how, when, etc.).

Converting general and indirect

These questions are formed by using an auxiliary verb, which is placed at the beginning of the sentence. They imply a “Yes” or “No” answer. To convert them into indirect questions, a parenthetical phrase, if/whether, direct word order, and the absence of an auxiliary verb are used.

Have you got a smartphone?

He asked if I had a smartphone.

Do you have a smartphone? - He asked if I had a smartphone.

Did you come by bus?

She asked whether I had come by bus.

Did you come by bus? - She asked if I came by bus.

Have you been to Paris before?

He asked if I had been to Paris before.

Have you already been to Paris? - He asked if I had been to Paris before.

Converting Special Questions to Indirect Questions

The given one is transformed by using an introductory phrase, a question word and maintaining the direct word order in the sentence.

“How old is your brother?”, she asked.

She asked how old his brother was.

« How old is your brother? » , she asked. - She asked how old his brother was.

“When can we have breakfast?”, he asked.

He asked when they could have breakfast.

He asked: « When can we have breakfast? » - He asked when they could have breakfast.

Joanne said to Mary, “Why are you so tired?”

Joanne asked Mary why she was so tired.

Joanna told Marie: “Why are you so tired?” - Joan asked Marie why she was so tired.

in indirect matters

Since indirect questions are in the nature of narration or retelling, then, if necessary, the rules for coordinating tenses are observed, as when moving into indirect speech. The conversion formulas established for this should be followed. They consist in the fact that indirect questions are constructed with an indentation one time back in time in the second part of the structure. For example, sentences with (Present Simple/Continuous/Complete) use Past Simple/Continuous/Perfect. And in the case of the original past, the Past Perfect (past completed tense) is used in the indirect sentence. In cases with the future, we use the rules for using Future in the Past.

He asked, “What are you watching?”

He asked what I was watching.

He asked: "What are you watching?" - He asked what I was watching.

She asked, “Where have you been last night?”

She asked where I had been last night.

She asked: "Where were you last night?" - She asked where I was last night.

Indirect questions in English significantly expand the possibilities of communication, expression of thoughts and use of grammatical structures. They make speech more polite, and make it possible to more fully describe or retell events on their own behalf or from a third party.

Life situations often force us to convey the statements of one to another. Sometimes such phrases sound not only incomprehensible, but also funny and illogical. This is especially true for indirect questions in English. To master this aspect, you need to learn several rules, and then any “retelling” will not be scary for you.

First of all, I would like to note that the Indirect Question cannot exactly be called a “type of question.” This is more of a sentence with a questioning meaning. A clear indicator of this idea is the period at the end of the statement. You can learn how to competently convey thoughts, ideas, and requests of others from the article “Direct and indirect speech in English.” How to build indirect questions you will find out right now.

What is this - an indirect question?

First, let's compare Direct and Indirect questions. If you want to literally reflect someone’s statement or quote it, then it is better to use ordinary questions using direct speech (read more in “Types of questions in English”). But, to convey other people's words, you can use Inderect questions, which consist of two parts: the main one, where it says “who asked, took an interest” and the secondary one - “what exactly, the question itself,” and they are connected by a conjunction or a pronoun. But that is not all. It is necessary to grasp the essence of only two rules:

• Valid tense agreement rule (the entire diagram can be found in the article “Time Coordination Table”). In other words, the time used in the main part of the sentence must be sent one step back, into the past. This way we remove the quotes, and the logical chain of events is not interrupted. Please note that neither do nor does can be used in this case. For example: in the main sentence we have the verb “speak” in quotation marks - Present Simple. According to the transition of tenses, Present Simple changes to Past Simple: spoke.

I would also like to remind you about pronouns, which change from direct speech to indirect speech according to the same principle as in Russian.

He said: " Have youtranslated this article? - He said: “Have you translated the article?” (Present Perfect goes according to the rule into Past Perfect).

He asked if Ihad translated that article. — He asked if I translated the article.

• Although we call such sentences questions, we do not observe the familiar violation of word order. Namely: the structure of the affirmative sentence is preserved: subject + predicate + object + etc.

She said: "Where did she ski in summer?" “She said, 'Where did she ski in the summer?'

She asked where she had skied in summer. — She asked where she skied in the summer.

Two models of indirect questions in English

So, we know that there are several types of questions: general, special, alternative, dividing and question to the subject. In indirect speech we can construct only some of them.

1. General and alternative indirect question is built using the conjunctions if or whether, which in Russian sound like a particle “li”. Thus, maintaining the direct word order, we can derive the following diagram:

Subject + predicate + if (whether) + subject + predicate + minor members

2. B special indirect question two parts are connected by interrogative words: what, why, where, which, whose (in the article “Interrogative words” you will find complete information about use and meaning). And everything else is the same as in the previous model.

Subject + predicate + question word + subject + predicate + minor members

A few more secrets!

• must be distinguished if in subordinate clauses and If in indirect questions. So, in the first case we translate with the meaning “if”, and in the second - with the particle “whether”.

If you come home late, we will have to punish you. - If you come home late, we will be forced to punish you.

She asked me if I would come home late the next day. — She asked if I would come late tomorrow.

• short answers indirect questions in English are answered using auxiliary or modal verbs, as in direct speech, but taking into account the rule of tense agreement. And the connection of two parts in this model occurs due to the conjunction “that”, and yes/no are omitted.

“Does she live in the hostel?” - she asked. — Yes, she does (No, she doesn’t).

She asked if she lived in the hostel. — Ianswered that shedid (she didn’t).

There is nothing complicated here! It is worth remembering that the direct word order is observed, having a table of tense coordination at hand, working through the exercises, and soon you will easily overcome this, at first glance, difficult topic.