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

Grammar: Indirect Questions

B2 Lesson 18: Sounding More Polite

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form polite indirect questions for both Wh- and Yes/No questions using correct statement word order.

Why Use Indirect Questions?

A direct question like "Where is the bank?" is grammatically perfect. However, when speaking to strangers or in more formal situations, it can sound a little demanding. To be more polite, we often use an indirect question. This is a question hidden inside a polite opening phrase.

The Golden Rule: Use Statement Word Order 📖

From Direct to Indirect

The most important rule is that the question part of the sentence uses normal statement word order (Subject + Verb), not question word order (Verb + Subject). We also remove the helping verbs do/does/did.

Direct Question (Question Order)	Indirect Question (Statement Order)
Where is the market?	Could you tell me where the market is?
What time does the bus leave?	Do you know what time the bus leaves?
Why did she move?	I was wondering why she moved.
Is this seat free?	Do you know if this seat is free?

In Conversation

Here is how a tourist might politely ask for help in Siem Reap.

Tourist: Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Could you tell me where the nearest ATM is?

Local: Of course. It's just down that street, next to the pharmacy.

Tourist: Oh, great. And do you know if the museum is open today? It's Sunday.

Local: Yes, I think it is. It opens at 9 AM.

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: 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 does this cost?" (I'd like to know...)
   → I'd like to know how much this costs.
5. "Do you accept credit cards?" (Could you tell me...)
   → Could you tell me if you accept credit cards?

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

Asking for Help

Imagine you are a tourist in a new city. Write two polite, indirect questions to ask a stranger for information or directions. Start with one of these phrases:

• Could you tell me...
• Do you know...
• I was wondering...

Key Vocabulary

• Indirect Question (Noun) | សំណួរដោយប្រយោល
  A question hidden inside a statement or another question to be more polite.
• Polite (Adjective) | សុភាពរាបសា
  Having good manners and showing respect for others.
• Word Order (Phrase) | លំដាប់ពាក្យ
  The arrangement of words in a sentence (e.g., Subject + Verb).