Level: B1-B2

Indirect Questions — Practice

Where is the station? is direct. Could you tell me where the station is? is indirect — and the word order flips back to a statement. This trips up even advanced learners. Drill it with 22 click-to-hear examples and unscramble quizzes.

📝 Sentences unit · lesson 5 of 6 ⏱ about 6 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Question Word Order Next in unit Negatives →

Quick guide

After a polite opener (Could you tell me…, Do you know…, I wonder…, I am not sure…), use statement order — subject before verb, and no do / does / did.

Could you tell me where is the station?

Could you tell me where the station is?

Do you know what time does the store open?

Do you know what time the store opens?
Yes/no questions get if or whether: I wonder if she called. (direct: Did she call?)
Punctuation follows the whole sentence: a question mark only if the opener itself is a question. Do you know where he went? / I wonder where he went. (period — "I wonder" is a statement)

📖 Want the word order of direct questions first? Practice Question word order, or see Building Sentences → Questions on the main guide page.

How to use this page

🔊 Listen: click the speaker icon to hear the whole line read aloud.
Word audio: click any word to hear it spoken on its own.
🌐 Translate: choose a language then click the globe icon to open Google Translate.
☑️ Select & practice: tick the checkboxes to choose items, then print them, make a worksheet or flashcards, or start a quiz.

Question word + statement order
Could you tell me where the station is? – Where is the station?
Do you know what time the store opens? – What time does the store open?
Can you tell me how much it costs? – How much does it cost?
I wonder where he went. – Where did he go?
Do you know who that man is? – Who is that man?
Could you tell me when the movie starts? – When does the movie start?
Do you know where I can buy tickets? – Where can I buy tickets?
I wonder how old she is. – How old is she?
I do not know why she left. – Why did she leave?
I do not remember where I parked the car. – Where did I park the car?
Do you know why the train is late? – Why is the train late?
I wonder what he wants. – What does he want?
Could you tell me how this works? – How does this work?
I am not sure when they arrive. – When do they arrive?
Yes/no questions: if / whether
I wonder if she called. – Did she call?
Do you know if the bank is open? – Is the bank open?
Could you tell me whether the bus stops here? – Does the bus stop here?
I am not sure if he got the message. – Did he get the message?
Do you know whether they won? – Did they win?
Can you tell me if this seat is taken? – Is this seat taken?
I wonder whether it will rain tomorrow. – Will it rain tomorrow?
I do not know if we need tickets. – Do we need tickets?

Where to go from here