❓ Grammar · Questions & Negation
Indirect Questions
A politer, softer way to ask — learn how the word order changes once a question hides inside another sentence.
Grammar › Questions & Negation › Indirect Questions
The rule in one sentenceAn indirect question hides inside a longer, politer sentence — Do you know where The Neon Demon was filmed? — and the moment it hides, the word order switches back to a normal statement, with no do/does/did.
What’s the difference?
A direct question inverts the auxiliary and the subject: Where does Tomas Alfredson film his movies? An indirect question wraps that same question inside a longer, more polite sentence — Could you tell me where Tomas Alfredson films his movies? — and once it’s wrapped, the inversion disappears. Inside the embedded part, the word order goes back to subject-then-verb, exactly like a statement.
This is one of the most common mistakes learners make, because the instinct is to keep the question-shape you already know. But English treats the embedded clause as a mini-statement, not a mini-question, even though the whole sentence still ends with a question mark: Do you know who directed American Fiction? not “Do you know who did direct American Fiction?”
🎬 Compare: “Where was Taare Zameen Par filmed?” (direct — auxiliary “was” comes before the subject “Taare Zameen Par”) vs “Do you know where Taare Zameen Par was filmed?” (indirect — “Taare Zameen Par was filmed” keeps statement order once it’s tucked inside the longer question).
The direct question inverts; the indirect question doesn’t.
For yes/no questions, indirect English needs a small connector word — if or whether — because there’s no question word to do the joining job. Did Ryusuke Hamaguchi win an award at Cannes? becomes Do you know if Ryusuke Hamaguchi won an award at Cannes? — notice “did” disappears entirely and the main verb returns to its plain past form, “won”.
How to build it
Starting an indirect question
Could you tell me where Priscilla was filmed?
Do you know who composed the score for Festen?
I wonder why the studio delayed the new Susanne Bier film.
Do you have any idea when the next Thomas Vinterberg film might come out?
Word order inside — always statement order
Could you tell me what time Drive (2011) starts?
direct: What time does Drive (2011) start?Do you know if Dancer in the Dark won the Palme d’Or?
yes/no questions need if/whetherWhen to use which
Use direct questions when…
- You’re speaking informally, face to face: Did Nicolas Winding Refn direct Drive (2011)?
- Speed and directness matter more than politeness: Who won the Oscar for The Holdovers?
- You’re talking to friends or family about a film: What did you think of Le Havre?
Use indirect questions when…
- You’re being polite, especially to a stranger: Could you tell me whether Dream Scenario was directed by Kristoffer Borgli?
- You’re asking in a formal or written context: The interviewer asked what had inspired Drifting Clouds, and whether Bird Box had been just as intense to shoot.
- You’re embedding a question inside a longer sentence or opinion: I’m not sure who composed the soundtrack for In a Better World.
Signal words
Certain polite starters almost always introduce an indirect question — and yes/no versions almost always need if or whether.
Common starters
Yes/no connectors
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Could you tell me where does Aftersun take place?
✅ Could you tell me where Aftersun takes place?
No auxiliary do/does/did inside an indirect question — statement word order takes over.
❌ Do you know when was Tár released?
✅ Do you know when Tár was released?
Even with “was”, the subject still comes before the verb — never invert inside the embedded clause.
❌ I wonder Another Round won an Oscar.
✅ I wonder if Another Round won an Oscar.
Yes/no indirect questions need “if” or “whether” to link the two parts of the sentence.
❌ Can you tell me what time does the screening start?
✅ Can you tell me what time the screening starts?
Drop “does” and put the verb straight after the subject, just as in a statement.
Exceptions & tricky cases
1. The question mark still depends on the whole sentence. If the introducing phrase itself asks something, keep the question mark, even though the embedded part is statement order.
✅ Do you know who directed Dogville?
2. If the introducing phrase is a statement, drop the question mark. “I wonder” and “I’d like to know” aren’t themselves questions, so the whole sentence ends with a full stop.
✅ I wonder if Justine Triet will make another courtroom drama.
3. Subject questions look identical direct or indirect. When the question word is already the subject, there was never an auxiliary to remove.
✅ Do you know who directed Flow? = Who directed Flow? — both have no auxiliary.
4. Reported questions after “ask” follow the same rule. The word order flips back to a statement even when reporting what someone asked.
✅ She asked me if I had seen The Substance.
Practice: direct or indirect word order?
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually say — you get the explanation either way.
1. Could you tell me ___ Breaking the Waves starts?
Indirect questions use statement word order — no “does” inside the embedded clause.
2. Do you know ___ The Hunt (2012) stars Mads Mikkelsen?
This is a yes/no question embedded inside another sentence, so it needs “if” (or “whether”) — not the auxiliary “did”.
3. I wonder ___ Wish won the Oscar for Best Song.
“I wonder” introduces an indirect yes/no question, so it needs “if” or “whether”, not “that”.
4. I’d like to know ___ Sean Durkin filmed The Iron Claw.
After “I’d like to know”, switch back to statement word order — no “did”.
5. Do you have any idea ___ Antichrist is set?
The embedded question keeps subject-verb order — “is” stays after the subject, with no extra “does”.
6. Can you tell me ___ After the Wedding was directed by Susanne Bier?
This is a yes/no question inside a polite request, so it needs “whether” (or “if”), not a question word.
7. She asked me ___ I had seen Sing Sing.
A reported yes/no question needs “if” (or “whether”) — there’s no question word to ask about here.
8. Do you know who ___ the score for Only God Forgives?
“Who” is the subject of “composed” (Cliff Martinez) — subject questions never take do/does/did, direct or indirect.
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