Unit 21: Welcome to your new job

Indirect questions

Meaning and use

There are two ways to ask questions in English directly and indirectly. Both have the same
meaning, but we use indirect questions if we want to sound more formal or polite, especially
when we are talking to people we dont know.
(direct question) What time is it?
(indirect question) Could you tell me what time it is?
When we create indirect questions, the thing we are asking about becomes part of a longer
question. And we use introductory phrases such as:
Can/could you tell/show me ?
Do you know ?
Would you mind telling (le importara decirme)/showing me ?
Have you any idea ?
I wonder
I wonder (me pregunto) if you would mind telling/showing me ?

This is followed by either a question word, such as what, who, when, where, how, or by
if/whether, and then the information we want to know. The word order changes from the
order of a direct question. Indirect questions have the same word order as statements.
(direct question) Where is the photocopier?
(indirect question) Do you know where the photocopier is?

If we are making an indirect question from a direct question which already contains a question
word, like what, who, when, where or how, we keep that same question word.
(Direct question) - What is the dress code (cdigo de vestimenta) in the office?
(Indirect question) - Could you tell me what the dress code is in the office?

If the direct question doesnt have a question word, then we use if or whether in the indirect
question. We can use these interchangeably (formas indistintas), although (aunque) if is a
little more informal.
(Direct question) - Is the coffee for everyone?
(Indirect question) - Could you tell me if the coffee is for everyone?

Form

Indirect questions have the same word order as statements (afirmacin):

introductory phrase + if or whether/question word + subject + verb
Look at the following:
(statement) - The meeting is at two.
(direct question) - When is the meeting?
(indirect question) - Do you know when the meeting is?
(indirect question) - Do you know if the meeting is at two?

Notice that the subject and verb in indirect questions after the question word when or
if/whether are in the same order as in statements, i.e. subject + verb
(subject) (verb)
The meeting is
the meeting is

In the direct question, however, the order is: verb + subject after the question word.
When is the meeting ?

Take note: do, does and did

In the present and past simple, we use do/does or did to make direct questions. When we
make indirect questions in the present and past simple, we dont use these auxiliaries.

(direct question) - What time does the meeting start?

(indirect question) - Can you tell me what time the meeting starts?
(direct question) - Why did you leave your last job?
(indirect question) - Can you tell me why you left your last job?
(direct question) - Did Mr Yenko ring yesterday?
(indirect question) - Do you know if Mr Yenko rang yesterday?

6 Minute Vocabulary
rendezvous
meet at a time and place you have agreed before; meet up
abandon
(here) stop doing something before you've finished it; give up on something completely
invent
(here) create a story, idea or name which isn't true; make up something

Session Vocabulary
Latin-based verb - phrasal verb
rendezvous - meet up with
abandon - give up on (renunciar a)
invent (a story/an excuse) - make up (inventar) (a story/an excuse)

6 Minute Vocabulary
Multi-word verbs
Rob
In this show were going to find out about (averiguar/enterarse sobre) multi-word verbs.
Catherine
were looking into
(investigando/estudiando) verb
of (compuestos/integrados por) more than one word.

phrases

that

are made

up

Rob
Catherine you said looking into and made up of.
Catherine
and Rob you said find out about. And some people call this type of multi-word verb a phrasal
verb.
Rob
So, lets get started by listening to Andre a student from France who is studying in London.
Catherine
Yep, and hes talking about his weekend. And here are two questions for you while you listen.
First, did Andre meet up (reunirse) with his friends?
Rob
And second, Andres English is pretty good, but it sounds a bit unnatural. Why is that? Heres
Andre.
Andre
I wanted to rendezvous (cita) with friends at the shopping centre, but I couldnt find
them. In the end, I abandoned the day. They said they couldnt find me, but I think they
just invented a story!
Catherine
we asked you if Andre managed (consigui) to meet his friends.
Rob
And sadly he didnt. He said he abandoned the day. Well done if you got that at home. But
why did Andres English sound unnatural?
Catherine
Well, we could understand him OK, but some of the words he used were a little bit too formal
for everyday natural spoken English.
Rob
Yes, thats right. When were speaking, some words, especially verbs that originally come from
Latin make us sound much too formal. Andre used quite a few (unos cuantos) of these for
example he said abandon the day.
Catherine
Yeah - abandon the day. Well, to sound more natural, Andre could use a multi-word verb
instead, and say he gave up on the day. Now, give up on something has a very similar
meaning to abandon in Andres sentence they both mean stop doing something (dejar
de hacer algo), because youre not succeeding (xito). And Andre stopped hoping
(esperanza) he would find his friends. Poor Andre.

Rob
So, give up on is a phrasal verb. In English, these are made up of verbs and prepositions.
Catherine
Yep, so, weve got the verb give and the prepositions up and on. And Andre needs to use
more of these phrasal verbs when hes speaking.
Rob
So, are we saying that these Latinate verbs are wrong? Or not as good as the multi-word
verbs? Can we forget about learning Latinate verbs then?
Catherine
Well, that would be good, Rob. But, actually no, you do need to learn them and theyre not
wrong: its just a question of context. Youll see a lot more of the Latinate verbs in written
English and in formal English, you do need to learn both types, and use the right one in the
right situation. So, for example, Andre said he said he planned to rendezvous with friends.
Now, if he changes the Latin rendezvous to meet up with, the meaning doesnt really
change, it just makes his speaking sound more natural.
Rob
OK, well, lets listen to one more example. Andre: I think they just invented a story!
Catherine
This would sound better as I think they just made up a story. When you make something
up, you say something that isnt true.
Rob
And now, lets listen to Andre again, this time with the multi-word verbs
Andre
I wanted to meet up with friends at the shopping centre, but I couldnt find them. In the
end, I gave up on the day. They said they couldnt find me, but I think they just made
up a story!
Catherine
Well done Andre. Thats a lot better.
.Rob
And now its quiz time! What goes in this gap? Im going to ______ my family next weekend.
Is it a) meet on with b) meet up to or c) meet up with?
Catherine
The verb is c) meet up with. Number 2. My brother isnt very reliable (fiable(confiable). Hes
always a) making on excuses b) making up excuses or c) inventing up excuses.

Rob
Hes always b) making up excuses. And number 3. What multi-word verb has a similar
meaning to the verb abandon?
Catherine
And the answer is: give up on.
Rob
But before we go, heres todays top tip for learning vocabulary: try to learn phrasal verbs and
their Latin-based partners in pairs. That way, youll have the right verb for the right situation.
So, were almost out of time, but Catherine very quickly can you remind us of some of these
multi-word verbs weve heard today?
Catherine
Most certainly (sinduda/seguramente/ciertamente). We had look into, made up of, find out
about, meet up with, give up on and made up.

Making and using indirect questions

Indirect questions: form, meaning and use.
He asks Harry: Do you know if this computer is free? And he asks Catherine: Could you
tell me what I do to log on (conectarse) to the computer?
These are both indirect questions and they are very polite ways to ask for information.
They start with phrases like Could you tell me.? and Do you know if?

Why do we use indirect questions?

Why did Amith use indirect questions? Think about this:
Does Amith know the people in the office?
Is he trying to be polite?
Can he be sure that Catherine and Harry know the answers to his questions?

In this situation, Amith doesnt know the people in the office he has only just met them, so
he wants to be formal and polite (a direct question like Is this computer free? may be
considered impolite). He also doesnt know if Catherine and Harry are the right people to
ask - they might be able to help him or they might not.

By asking indirect questions, Amith sounds more polite and less demanding he gives the
other person the chance to say No, sorry I cant help you, but maybe Finn can...

When should we use indirect questions?

Here are some more examples of indirect questions and the situations when we might ask
them:
Excuse me - do you know where the nearest train station is? (Asking for
information from a stranger on the street)
I wonder if you could tell me what time the next train leaves (dejar/salir). (Asking
for information from a person who works in the train station)
Could you show me where the snack bar is? (Asking for help from the conductor on
the train)

In these examples, we are asking for information or help from people we dont know. We can
also use indirect questions when we want to be formal, polite, or to check information with
people we know.
Hi Mike. Do you know if Catherine has arrived yet? (Giving Mike the option to say
Sorry, I dont know)
Hi Catherine. I was wondering if I could leave early this afternoon. I have a dentist
appointment (cita). (Asking for permission to do something)
Hi Harry. Can you tell me what time the meeting finishes this afternoon? I have to
go somewhere and I dont want to be late. (This is more polite than simply asking What
time does the meeting finish?)

Summary
In summary, we use indirect questions:
To ask for information
To ask for help
To make requests (peticin)
We use them instead of direct questions when:
We want to be polite

We perhaps (tal vez/quizs) dont know the speaker or he/she is someone we should
speak to in a formal way
We may not know if the person knows the answer to our question
We start indirect questions with phrases like:
Can you tell me?
Could you tell me...?
Do you know?
I wonder if you could tell me
I was wondering if you could tell me
Can you show me?
Could you show me?

Word order
But what about the word order after these starting phrases? Compare these direct and
indirect questions what do you notice?
DIRECT: Where is the cinema?
INDIRECT: Do you know where the cinema is?
DIRECT: What time does the film start?
INDIRECT: Can you tell me what time the film starts?
In direct questions, we usually use an auxiliary verb (am/is/are, do/does, have/has, etc.)
before the subject. However, in an indirect question, the auxiliary verb (if there is one) and the
main verb come after the subject.
CORRECT: Could you show me how this computer works?
WRONG: Could you show me how does this computer work?

Question marks (interrogantes)

When the starting phrase has question word order, use a question mark.
Could you tell me how this computer works?
If the starting phrase has statement word order, don't use a question mark.
I wonder if you could tell me how this computer works.

Indirect questions with 'if' and 'whether'

I wonder if you noticed this...
Let's look at yes-no indirect questions. Take a look at this:
Do you know if this computer is free?
Why do we use if in this indirect question? To find out, let's change it back to (cambimoslo) a
direct question. The direct question is: Is this computer free?
This is a yes-no question with the auxiliary verb before the subject. When we change it to an
indirect question, we place (colocamos) the auxiliary verb and main verb after the subject and
add if. Look at some more examples:
Do you know if Catherine has arrived yet? (Direct question: Has Catherine arrived
yet?)
I was wondering if I could leave early this afternoon. (Direct question: Could I leave
early this afternoon?)
Could you tell me if you will be able to join us (unirse a nosotros) this
evening? (Direct question: Will you be able to join us this evening?)

Whether... or not
So that is when and why we use if but what about this question?
I was wondering whether you have corrected my computer details yet.
In this case, we use whether to ask the indirect yes-no question. It has the same use and
meaning as if. The only small difference is that whether can be more formal.
We can also add or not to indirect yes-no questions with if and whether:
Could you tell me if the report is ready (est listo) or not?
Could you tell me whether it will be ready on time or not?
We can use or not directly after whether. However, when we use if, we can only use or
not at the end of the sentence.
Do you know whether or not we have a meeting tomorrow?
Do you know whether we have a meeting tomorrow or not?

Do you know if we have a meeting tomorrow or not?

Instead of or not, we can also offer two alternatives with whether... or... in an indirect
question.
I wonder whether I should finish this task now or take a break and do it later.
Can you tell me whether the train is late or cancelled?

6 Minute Grammar
Indirect questions
Catherine
Today we're talking about indirect questions.
Rob
Let's start with a simple question. Catherine: What time is it?
Catherine
It is 18 minutes past 11, Rob.
Rob
And that question uses normal question word order. What time is it? But there's another
way to ask that question. Let's listen to Mike:
Mike
Could you tell me what the time is?
Rob
This is a much more polite way of asking a question. It's called an indirect question and it
has two parts. The first part is the phrase Could you tell me
Catherine
and the second part is the question word what with the information we want to know. Here
it is again:
Mike
Could you tell me what time it is?
Catherine
And there are lots of phrases that we can use in the first part of an indirect question. Here are
some of them:

Rob
Do you know.?
Mike
Do you know when the film finishes?
Rob
Have you any idea?
Mike
Have you any idea where I left my phone?
Rob
Would you mind telling me ?
Mike
Would you mind telling me how this machine works?
Rob
Now, let's get a closer look at (miremos ms de cerca) the second part of indirect questions.
And it's important to note that we don't use question word order.
Catherine
That's right, the subject and verb are in the same order as they are in statements. So, we
don't say Can you tell me what time is it? We say Can you tell me what time it is? It's
subject - it - plus verb - is. Listen out for the statement word order in these indirect questions:
Mike
Do you know when the film finishes?
Have you any idea where I left my phone?
Would you mind telling me how this machine works?
Rob
let's talk about yes - no questions. Here are some direct questions.
Mike
Is this coffee for everyone?
Does the canteen (comedor) open for breakfast?
Can I use this computer?
Catherine
Now, listen to the indirect questions. They use statement word order again, so listen out for
that, and also listen out for the two words that come after the part one phrases.
Mike
Do you know if this coffee is for everyone?
Do you know if the canteen opens for breakfast?
Do you know whether I can use this computer?

Rob
So, use if or whether in yes - no questions. The meaning is the same, but whether is a bit
more formal than if.
Rob
And we're talking about indirect questions.
Catherine
That's right, and we use indirect questions a lot in English, especially when we are talking to
people we don't know.
Rob
Let's recap: there are two types of indirect questions: those that use question words
like what, where, when, why and how
Catherine
and those that use if or whether.
Rob
But all indirect questions have the same word order as statements.
Catherine
Now, a quick word about tenses. Listen to these direct questions.
Mike
Does this programme finish soon?
Did a package arrive for me this morning?
Catherine
The first question was in the present simple tense. We had the auxiliary does with the
verb finish.
Rob
And the second question was in the simple past, with the auxiliary did and the verb arrive.
Let's hear the indirect questions now.
Mike
Can you tell me if this programme finishes soon?
Could you tell me if a package arrived for me this morning?
Catherine
So, no does or did in the indirect questions. In the first question, it's finishes in the present
simple.
Rob
and in the second question, it's arrived, in the past simple.

Catherine
And now: it's quiz time. Number one. Which is correct? Is it a) Can you tell me where the
coffee machine is? Or b) Can you tell me where is the coffee machine?
Rob
It's a) Can you tell me where the coffee machine is?
Catherine
Good. Number two. a) Do you know if this machine does give change? Or b) Do you know if
this machine gives change?
Rob
It's b) Do you know if this machine gives change?
Catherine
And number three. Have you any idea what the time is? Or b) Have you any idea what is the
time is?
Rob
It's a) Have you any idea what the time is?

Time for a recap...

We use indirect questions when we want to be formal and polite or when we don't know the
person we are asking very well. We can start indirect questions in a few different ways:
Could you tell me...
Do you know...
I wonder...

In indirect questions the word order in the second part is like a statement. Compare it with a
direct question to see the difference:
Are you able to log on to the computer?
Could you tell me if you are able to log on?

What would you like to order?

Imagine you are in a caf. How would you:

ask for a menu?

...get the server's attention?
ask to borrow a pen?

Were your questions direct or indirect? That may depend on the situation. When we ask the
server in a caf to come to our table or to bring a menu, we would most likely ask direct
questions, like these:
Can I have a menu, please?
Excuse me. Can we order, please?
This is because we expect the person who works in the caf to do these things. We are not
asking for a favour. However, we might ask to borrow a pen like this:
Would you mind lending me a pen?
Here we are asking for something extra so an indirect question is better.

Notice the word please. It is a simple but very important word when we are asking for things!
Customers and staff can forget to use it, especially when they are in a rush.
Now, read an article about a caf in France that wants customers to be polite. Here are some
questions that the reporter asked. Can you find the answers to them?
Could you tell us how the idea started?
Can you explain what message you are trying to send with these 'polite prices'?
We wondered whether or not you knew how popular this sign has become online.