An indirect question embeds a question inside a larger sentence instead of asking it directly. For a yes–no question, Romanian uses dacă: Nu știu dacă vine mâine. (I do not know whether he or she is coming tomorrow.) For an information question, Romanian keeps the relevant question word.
How do you form an indirect question?
Start with a verb or expression that introduces an unknown answer. Add dacă or the original question word. Then build the embedded clause with its own subject, verb, and complements.
- Start with an introducing expression such as a întreba (to ask), a ști (to know), a se întreba (to wonder), or a vrea să știe (to want to know): Nu știu... (I do not know...).
- Choose the connector. Use dacă when the direct question expects da or nu: Nu știu dacă... (I do not know whether...). Keep the question word when the direct question asks for information: Nu știu unde... (I do not know where...), Nu știu cine... (I do not know who...).
- Check person, tense, pronouns, and the final punctuation from the viewpoint of the whole sentence.
| Direct question type | Embedded pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yes–no | introducing expression + dacă + clause | Nu știu dacă trenul pleacă la șase. (I do not know whether the train leaves at six.) |
| Place, time, or manner | introducing expression + question adverb + clause | M-a întrebat unde locuiesc. (He or she asked me where I live.) |
| Person or thing | introducing expression + interrogative pronoun + clause | Vreau să știu cine vine. (I want to know who is coming.) |
| Choice or quantity | introducing expression + care or cât + clause | Nu știm care autobuz ajunge primul. (We do not know which bus arrives first.) |
When do you use dacă?
Use dacă to embed a question whose possible answer is yes or no. It does not mean that the answer is yes: M-a întrebat dacă am timp. (He or she asked me whether I have time.) The same word can introduce a condition, so the introducing expression and the meaning of the whole sentence matter.
| Meaning | Romanian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Indirect question | Nu știu dacă plouă. | I do not know whether it is raining. |
| Condition | Dacă plouă, rămânem acasă. | If it rains, we are staying home. |
| Reported yes–no question | M-a întrebat dacă plec mâine. | He or she asked me whether I am leaving tomorrow. |
Use că for a reported statement, not for a yes–no indirect question: M-a întrebat dacă vin, not M-a întrebat că vin. When the direct question already contains a question word, keep that word without adding dacă: Nu știu unde locuiește.
Which question word stays in the clause?
Keep the question word that supplies the missing information. The word still has a grammatical role inside the embedded clause, so keep its required preposition, case form, or agreement.
| Direct question | Indirect question | What remains visible |
|---|---|---|
| Unde locuiești? | M-a întrebat unde locuiesc. | unde still asks about place; locuiești becomes locuiesc because the reporter is speaking about themself. |
| Cine vine? | Nu știu cine vine. | cine is the subject of vine. |
| Pe cine ai văzut? | Nu știu pe cine ai văzut. | The preposition pe stays with the direct object cine. |
| Cui i-ai scris? | Nu știu cui i-ai scris. | The verb phrase still requires the dative form cui. |
For the main question-word meanings, see core Romanian question words. For fuller forms of cine, ce, care, and cât, see interrogative pronouns and determiners.
What word order and punctuation do you use?
An embedded question is a subordinate clause, not a second direct question. Do not add English-style subject–verb inversion, and do not put a question mark inside the sentence. The question mark belongs at the end only when the whole sentence is a question.
| Whole sentence | Punctuation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Nu știu unde este gara. | Period | The whole sentence is a statement. |
| Știi unde este gara? | Question mark at the end | The whole sentence asks whether you know. |
| M-a întrebat când plec. | Period | The reported question is embedded inside a statement. |
Romanian can place a question word before or after other material in a direct question, depending on focus. In a neutral learner pattern, keep the embedded clause together and follow the word order required by the question word's role: Nu știu ce face Ana. (I do not know what Ana is doing.)
How do tense and pronouns change?
The embedded clause has its own tense and viewpoint. Change a pronoun when the person speaking or being addressed changes, but choose the tense for the intended time reference rather than applying an automatic English-style backshift.
- Direct: „Vii mâine?” (Are you coming tomorrow?) → M-a întrebat dacă vin mâine. (He or she asked me whether I am coming tomorrow.) Because the reporter was the original addressee, second-person vii changes to first-person vin.
- Direct: „Unde locuiești?” (Where do you live?) → M-a întrebat unde locuiesc. (He or she asked me where I live.) The question word stays, while the verb agrees with the new subject.
- A past introducing verb does not force one single tense: Nu știam dacă a venit. (I did not know whether he or she had come.) and Nu știam dacă va veni. (I did not know whether he or she would come.) place the event differently in time.
Which word completes the yes–no indirect question Nu știu ___ vine mâine?
- că
- dacă
- să
- unde
Use dacă when the embedded question could be answered with da or nu. Că introduces a statement, unde asks about place, and să is not the connector for this question pattern.
Which sentence means “He or she asked me where I live”?
- M-a întrebat dacă locuiesc.
- M-a întrebat că locuiesc.
- M-a întrebat unde locuiesc.
- M-a întrebat să locuiesc.
Keep the information question word unde: M-a întrebat unde locuiesc. The other connectors either change the question type or do not form the intended indirect-question pattern.
Choose the correct embedded question for “I do not know whom you saw at the station.”
- Nu știu pe cine ai văzut la gară.
- Nu știu cine pe ai văzut la gară.
- Nu știu dacă ai văzut la gară.
- Nu știu unde pe cine ai văzut.
Pe cine is the direct-object question phrase, so the preposition stays before cine: Nu știu pe cine ai văzut la gară.
Which sentence has the correct punctuation for a statement containing an indirect question?
- Nu știu unde este gara?
- Nu știu unde? este gara.
- Nu știu dacă vine?
- Nu știu unde este gara.
The whole sentence is a statement, so it ends with a period: Nu știu unde este gara. An embedded question does not receive its own question mark.
Someone asks you „Vii mâine?” Which report changes the verb from second person to first person?
- M-a întrebat că vii mâine.
- M-a întrebat dacă vin mâine.
- M-a întrebat dacă vii mâine.
- M-a întrebat unde vin mâine.
The reported question is yes–no, so use dacă. Because you are reporting a question addressed to you, vii becomes first-person vin: M-a întrebat dacă vin mâine.