Grammar: B1 - ✨ Grammar Essentials: 🧩 Parts of Speech & 🏗️ Sentence Structure - Lesson 14: Indirect Questions (Could you tell me where the bank is?)

✨ Lesson 14: Indirect Questions (Could you tell me where the bank is?)

We know how to ask direct questions¹ like "Where is the bank?". This is grammatically correct, but sometimes it can sound too direct. To be more polite², especially with strangers, we often use indirect questions³.

An indirect question is a question hidden inside a polite opening phrase.

The Golden Rule of Indirect Questions

This is the most important rule to remember. In the question part of an indirect question, the word order⁴ is like a normal statement (Subject + Verb), not a question (Verb + Subject). We do not use inversion, and we do not use the helping verbs do/does/did.

Direct Question (Question Word Order)	Indirect Question (Statement Word Order)
Where is the market?	Could you tell me where the market is?
What time does the tour start?	Do you know what time the tour starts?
Why did she leave?	I was wondering why she left.

Forming Indirect Questions

1. Start with a polite opening phrase. Common phrases include:

• Could you tell me...
• Do you know...
• I'd like to know...
• I was wondering...

2. For Wh- Questions, add the question word and use statement order.

• Direct: Where is the restroom?
• Indirect: Could you tell me where the restroom is?

3. For Yes/No Questions, use 'if' or 'whether' and use statement order.

• Direct: Is the museum open today?
• Indirect: Do you know if the museum is open today?
• Direct: Do you accept credit cards?
• Indirect: I'd like to know if you accept credit cards.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Make it Polite

Change these direct questions into more polite indirect questions using the phrase in parentheses ( ).

1. "What time does the performance start?" (Could you tell me...)
   → Could you tell me what time the performance starts?
2. "Is this the bus to Phnom Penh?" (Do you know...)
   → Do you know if this is the bus to Phnom Penh?
3. "Where did he buy that shirt?" (I was wondering...)
   → I was wondering where he bought that shirt.
4. "How much is this?" (I'd like to know...)
   → I'd like to know how much this is.

📝 Homework: Asking for Help

You are a tourist in Siem Reap and you are lost. Write two polite, indirect questions to ask a stranger for help.

Example: Could you tell me where the nearest ATM is?

---

1: ___________________________________?

2: ___________________________________?

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Direct Question: (Noun) - សំណួរផ្ទាល់ (sâm'nuŏr phtŏəl) - A regular question that uses question word order (e.g., Where is it?). ↩
2. Polite: (Adjective) - សុភាពរាបសា (so'phĭəp'rĭəp'saa) - Having good manners and showing respect for others. ↩
3. Indirect Question: (Noun) - សំណួរដោយប្រយោល (sâm'nuŏr daoy prâyoŭl) - A question hidden inside a statement or another question to be more polite. ↩
4. Word Order: (Phrase) - លំដាប់ពាក្យ (lum'dap peak) - The arrangement of words in a sentence. ↩