Indirect questions: sé on és, no sé què dir
A question tucked inside a statement loses its question mark but keeps the question word and the straight order. For example: “Sé on és la consulta del metge” — I know where the doctor's office is. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A question tucked inside a statement loses its question mark but keeps the question word and the straight order.
Sé on és la consulta — I know where the surgery is. No sé què dir — I do not know what to say. Explica'm quan arriba el paquet — tell me when the parcel arrives.
Nothing needs rearranging: the order here is the straight one all the way.
A yes/no question lives in the word si: No sé si vindrà — I do not know whether he will come.
Table
| direct question | indirect question | translation |
|---|---|---|
| On és? | Sé on és | I know where |
| Què vols? | No sé què dir | I do not know what |
| Vindrà? | No sé si vindrà | whether he will come |
By example
- Sé on és la consulta del metgeI know where the doctor's office is
- No sé què dirI do not know what to say
- No sé si vindrà demàI do not know whether he comes tomorrow
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Indirect questions: how does it work in Catalan?
A question tucked inside a statement loses its question mark but keeps the question word and the straight order.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Sé on és la consulta del metge” — I know where the doctor's office is. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.