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Indirect Questions

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Indirect questions soften your tone by embedding a question inside a statement using phrases like 'tahu tidak' or 'apakah kamu tahu'.

  • Use introductory phrases like 'Saya ingin tahu' (I want to know) before the question.
  • Remove the question particle 'kah' from the embedded part.
  • Maintain standard word order; do not invert the subject and verb.
Introductory Phrase + (apakah/di mana/kapan) + Subject + Verb

Meanings

Indirect questions are used to ask for information in a more polite or formal way by embedding the question into a statement.

1

Polite inquiry

Softening a direct question to avoid sounding demanding.

“Apakah kamu tahu jam berapa rapat dimulai?”

“Saya penasaran mengapa dia tidak datang.”

Indirect Question Structures

Introductory Phrase Connector Subject Verb/Predicate
Saya ingin tahu di mana dia tinggal
Apakah kamu tahu kapan rapat dimulai
Boleh saya tanya apa yang terjadi
Saya penasaran bagaimana cara memasak ini
Apakah Anda tahu siapa yang datang
Saya tidak yakin mengapa dia marah

Common Conversational Openers

Formal Informal
Apakah Anda tahu Tahu tidak
Boleh saya tanya Boleh tanya
Saya ingin tahu Pengen tahu

Reference Table

Reference table for Indirect Questions
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Intro + Question Word + Clause Saya tahu di mana dia.
Negative Intro + Question Word + Clause (negated) Saya tidak tahu di mana dia.
Question Apakah + Intro + Question Word + Clause Apakah kamu tahu di mana dia?
Formal Boleh saya tanya + Clause Boleh saya tanya siapa namanya?
Informal Tahu tidak + Clause Tahu tidak di mana dia?
Past Intro + Question Word + Clause (past) Saya ingin tahu apa yang terjadi kemarin.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Boleh saya tahu jam berapa sekarang?

Boleh saya tahu jam berapa sekarang? (Asking for time)

Neutral
Apakah kamu tahu jam berapa sekarang?

Apakah kamu tahu jam berapa sekarang? (Asking for time)

Informell
Tahu jam berapa nggak?

Tahu jam berapa nggak? (Asking for time)

Umgangssprache
Jam berapa nih?

Jam berapa nih? (Asking for time)

Indirect Question Anatomy

Indirect Question

Openers

  • Saya ingin tahu I want to know

Connectors

  • di mana where

Clause

  • dia tinggal he lives

Direct vs. Indirect

Direct
Di mana dia? Where is he?
Indirect
Saya ingin tahu di mana dia. I want to know where he is.

Formation Logic

1

Is it polite?

YES
Use Indirect
NO
Use Direct

Common Question Words

❓

Who/What/Where

  • • Siapa
  • • Apa
  • • Di mana
🕒

When/Why/How

  • • Kapan
  • • Mengapa
  • • Bagaimana
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Examples by Level

1

Apakah kamu tahu di mana toilet?

Do you know where the toilet is?

2

Saya ingin tahu jam berapa.

I want to know what time it is.

3

Tahu tidak di mana dia?

Do you know where he is?

4

Apakah kamu tahu namanya?

Do you know his name?

1

Boleh saya tanya di mana kantornya?

May I ask where the office is?

2

Saya penasaran mengapa dia pergi.

I am curious why he left.

3

Apakah Anda tahu kapan toko ini buka?

Do you know when this shop opens?

4

Saya ingin tahu bagaimana cara membuatnya.

I want to know how to make it.

1

Apakah Anda bisa memberi tahu saya di mana lokasi rapat?

Can you tell me where the meeting location is?

2

Saya tidak yakin apakah dia akan datang.

I am not sure if he will come.

3

Boleh saya tahu berapa harga barang ini?

May I know how much this item costs?

4

Saya ingin tahu apa yang terjadi kemarin.

I want to know what happened yesterday.

1

Saya ingin menanyakan apakah kebijakan ini masih berlaku.

I would like to ask if this policy is still in effect.

2

Apakah Anda tahu alasan mengapa dia tidak setuju?

Do you know the reason why he disagrees?

3

Saya penasaran bagaimana mereka menyelesaikan masalah itu.

I am curious how they solved that problem.

4

Boleh saya tahu siapa yang bertanggung jawab di sini?

May I know who is responsible here?

1

Saya ingin tahu sejauh mana pengaruh keputusan tersebut.

I want to know to what extent the decision has influence.

2

Apakah Anda bisa menjelaskan bagaimana proses ini bekerja?

Could you explain how this process works?

3

Saya tidak tahu harus mulai dari mana.

I don't know where to start.

4

Boleh saya tahu apa pertimbangan Anda?

May I know what your considerations are?

1

Saya ingin tahu apakah ada kemungkinan untuk meninjau kembali proposal ini.

I would like to know if there is a possibility to review this proposal.

2

Apakah Anda tahu bagaimana dampak jangka panjangnya?

Do you know what the long-term impact is?

3

Saya penasaran bagaimana dia bisa mencapai posisi itu.

I am curious how he managed to reach that position.

4

Boleh saya tahu apa yang mendasari keputusan Anda?

May I know what underlies your decision?

Easily Confused

Indirect Questions vs. Direct vs Indirect

Learners often use direct question word order in indirect questions.

Indirect Questions vs. Question Particles

Learners keep '-kah' in indirect questions.

Indirect Questions vs. Punctuation

Learners use question marks for indirect questions.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Di manakah dia?

✓

Saya ingin tahu di mana dia.

Don't use -kah in indirect questions.
✗

Saya tahu di manakah dia.

✓

Saya tahu di mana dia.

Remove the particle.
✗

Tahu di mana dia?

✓

Apakah kamu tahu di mana dia?

Needs an opener.
✗

Saya ingin tahu di mana dia tinggal?

✓

Saya ingin tahu di mana dia tinggal.

No question mark needed if the whole sentence is a statement.
✗

Boleh saya tanya di manakah kantor?

✓

Boleh saya tanya di mana kantornya?

Missing possessive suffix.
✗

Saya penasaran mengapa dia tidak datang?

✓

Saya penasaran mengapa dia tidak datang.

Statement punctuation.
✗

Apakah kamu tahu apa itu?

✓

Apakah kamu tahu apa itu.

Punctuation error.
✗

Saya ingin tahu apakah dia akan datang atau tidak?

✓

Saya ingin tahu apakah dia akan datang atau tidak.

Statement punctuation.
✗

Boleh saya tanya siapa yang bertanggung jawab?

✓

Boleh saya tanya siapa yang bertanggung jawab.

Punctuation.
✗

Saya tidak yakin kapan dia akan tiba?

✓

Saya tidak yakin kapan dia akan tiba.

Punctuation.
✗

Saya ingin tahu sejauh mana pengaruhnya?

✓

Saya ingin tahu sejauh mana pengaruhnya.

Punctuation.
✗

Apakah Anda tahu bagaimana prosesnya berjalan?

✓

Apakah Anda tahu bagaimana prosesnya berjalan.

Punctuation.
✗

Saya penasaran apa yang mendasari keputusan itu?

✓

Saya penasaran apa yang mendasari keputusan itu.

Punctuation.
✗

Boleh saya tahu apa pertimbangan Anda?

✓

Boleh saya tahu apa pertimbangan Anda.

Punctuation.

Sentence Patterns

Saya ingin tahu ___.

Apakah kamu tahu ___?

Boleh saya tanya ___?

Saya penasaran ___.

Real World Usage

Job Interview very common

Boleh saya tahu apa tanggung jawab utama posisi ini?

Texting common

Tahu nggak di mana dia?

Travel very common

Apakah Anda tahu di mana stasiun kereta?

Food Delivery occasional

Saya ingin tahu apakah pesanan saya sudah siap.

Social Media common

Ada yang tahu bagaimana cara beli ini?

Email constant

Saya ingin menanyakan apakah proposal sudah diterima.

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💡

The Buffer Rule

Always use a buffer phrase like 'Saya ingin tahu' to soften your question.
⚠️

No -kah

Never use the -kah particle in an indirect question. It's for direct questions only.
🎯

Punctuation

If the sentence starts with a statement opener, end it with a period, not a question mark.
💬

Politeness First

In Indonesia, being indirect is a sign of respect. Don't worry about being 'too wordy'.

Smart Tips

Always start with 'Boleh saya tanya'.

Di mana stasiun? → Boleh saya tanya di mana stasiun?

Use 'Saya ingin menanyakan'.

Kapan deadline-nya? → Saya ingin menanyakan kapan deadline-nya.

Use 'Saya tidak yakin'.

Apakah dia datang? → Saya tidak yakin apakah dia datang.

Use 'Apakah Anda tahu'.

Siapa namanya? → Apakah Anda tahu siapa namanya?

Aussprache

↘

Intonation

Indirect questions usually end with a falling intonation because they are grammatically statements.

Statement intonation

Saya ingin tahu di mana dia. ↘

Conveys that the sentence is a statement, not a direct question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of the 'Polite Sandwich': The bread is your polite opener, and the filling is the question.

Visual Association

Imagine you are handing someone a gift box. The box is your polite phrase, and inside is the question you want to ask. It makes the question much easier to accept.

Rhyme

To be polite and sound like a pro, add a phrase before you go.

Story

Budi wanted to ask his boss for a raise. He didn't just say 'Give me more money.' He said, 'Boleh saya tanya apakah ada peluang untuk kenaikan gaji?' His boss smiled because Budi was so polite. Budi got the raise.

Word Web

tahutanyainginpenasaranapakahdi manakapan

Herausforderung

Ask three people today 'Apakah kamu tahu jam berapa sekarang?' instead of just 'Jam berapa sekarang?'

Kulturelle Hinweise

In Javanese culture, indirectness is a sign of respect. Using indirect questions is highly valued.

In business, indirect questions are the standard for avoiding confrontation.

Youth often use 'sih' to soften questions instead of full indirect structures.

Indirect questions evolved as a way to incorporate politeness markers from Javanese and other regional languages into standard Indonesian.

Conversation Starters

“

Apakah kamu tahu di mana tempat makan enak di sini?

“

Boleh saya tanya apa rencana kamu akhir pekan ini?

“

Saya penasaran bagaimana kamu belajar bahasa Indonesia.

“

Boleh saya tahu apa pendapatmu tentang proyek ini?

Journal Prompts

Write about a time you had to ask a stranger for help using a polite question.
Describe your ideal job and ask three indirect questions about it.
Reflect on why politeness is important in your culture compared to Indonesia.
Write a formal email to a professor asking about a deadline.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

Saya ingin tahu ___ dia tinggal.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: di mana
Location requires 'di mana'.
Find the error in this sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya ingin tahu di manakah dia.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: di manakah
Remove -kah.
Choose the most polite version. Multiple Choice

Which is the most polite?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu di mana dia.
The indirect structure is the most polite.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu tahu di mana dia
Correct word order.
Translate to Indonesian. Übersetzung

I want to know what happened.

Answer starts with: Say...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu apa yang terjadi.
Standard structure.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Di mana kantornya? B: ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu di mana kantornya.
Polite response.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Boleh / saya / tanya / kapan / rapat / dimulai

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Boleh saya tanya kapan rapat dimulai
Correct structure.
Sort into direct or indirect. Grammar Sorting

Siapa dia?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Direct
No opener used.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

Saya ingin tahu ___ dia tinggal.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: di mana
Location requires 'di mana'.
Find the error in this sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya ingin tahu di manakah dia.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: di manakah
Remove -kah.
Choose the most polite version. Multiple Choice

Which is the most polite?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu di mana dia.
The indirect structure is the most polite.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

tahu / di mana / apakah / kamu / dia

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu tahu di mana dia
Correct word order.
Translate to Indonesian. Übersetzung

I want to know what happened.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu apa yang terjadi.
Standard structure.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Di mana kantornya? B: ____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya ingin tahu di mana kantornya.
Polite response.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Boleh / saya / tanya / kapan / rapat / dimulai

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Boleh saya tanya kapan rapat dimulai
Correct structure.
Sort into direct or indirect. Grammar Sorting

Siapa dia?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Direct
No opener used.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

The -kah particle is specifically for direct questions. Once a question is embedded, it loses its interrogative status.

Not always, but in formal or new social settings, it can sound blunt. Indirect questions are safer.

Yes, but you might sound a bit formal. Use 'Tahu nggak...' for friends.

You can use 'apakah' to ask yes/no questions.

No, it stays the same as a statement.

Absolutely, they are perfect for professional emails.

Yes, some regions use different particles, but the structure remains consistent.

Use 'Boleh saya tanya' or 'Saya ingin menanyakan'.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Preguntas indirectas

Spanish often keeps the question mark, whereas Indonesian uses a period.

French high

Questions indirectes

French has more complex pronoun placement.

German moderate

Indirekte Fragen

German verb-final rule is unique compared to Indonesian.

Japanese moderate

間接疑問文

Japanese is agglutinative, making the structure very different.

Arabic partial

أسئلة غير مباشرة

Arabic has complex gender and case agreement.

Chinese partial

间接疑问句

Chinese has no verb conjugation, making it simpler than Indonesian.

Previous
Reported Speech with 'Bahwa'
Next
Indirect Statements

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Question Words (Di mana, Kapan)
A1

Question Words (Apa, Siapa)
A1

Formulating Questions
A1

Question Particles
A1

Asking for Quantities
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