When we ask questions in English, sometimes we want to sound more polite. Instead of asking directly, we can use an indirect question.

👉 We often start with:

• Could you tell me …?
• Do you know …?

Direct vs. Indirect Questions 📝

• Direct question:
  Where is the bank?
• Indirect question:
  Could you tell me where the bank is?
  Do you know where the bank is?

Notice:

• In the indirect question, the word order is like a normal sentence (subject + verb).
• ❌ We don’t use do/does/did in the second part.

More Examples ✅

• Direct: What time does the movie start?
• Indirect:
  • Could you tell me what time the movie starts?
  • Do you know what time the movie starts?
• Direct: Where is the supermarket?
• Indirect:
  • Could you tell me where the supermarket is?
  • Do you know where the supermarket is?

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Put the words in the correct order.

Practice 2

Quiz

Practice 3

Match the halves

Speaking

Practice 1

Open a box

Ask an indirect question to your classmates