7月8日号：Indirect questions (1) yes/no questions

Indirect questions are very useful when we want to sound more polite, or if we are not sure if a person can answer the question. With yes/no questions, indirect questions start with an introductory phrase like "Do you know" and have the following form:

Do you know + if / whether + statement + ?

For example:

Direct: Does he like sushi?

Indirect: Do you know if he likes sushi?

Direct: Can he speak Japanese?

Indirect: Do you know whether he can speak Japanese?

Some other introductory phrases you can use are:

Can you tell me…? / Are you sure…? / Can I ask…?

If and whether have the same meaning, but if tends to be used more in conversation. We can also add or not to indirect yes/no questions. Or not can come at the end of the sentence or after whether. However, we can't put or not after if. For example:

◆ Do you know if he is a teacher or not?

× Do you know if or not he is a teacher?

この続きは紙面でご覧ください

Ian先生プロフィール

英会話イーオン東京本社教務課コーディネーター。イーオン教師のトレーニングや英語セミナーを企画制作するカリスマ教師として活躍中。カリフォルニア大学バークレー校卒業。趣味は読書、料理、クラフトワーク。