Indirect yes/no question with 'ob' (whether)
Indirekte Frage mit 'ob'
Indirect yes/no questions use 'ob' (whether/if) and send the conjugated to the end of the clause.
Structure
Hauptsatz, ob + … + Verb (Satzende)
main clause, ob + … + verb (end of the clause)
Details
- Part of Speech
- Sentence Structure
- Word Type
- Indirect question
- Register
- Standard
Explanation
An indirect yes/no question is reported inside a longer sentence using the ob (whether / if). Because it is a , the conjugated moves to the end, and a comma separates it from the introductory clause.
A direct question like Kommt er? (Is he coming?) becomes: Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt.
- Ich weiß nicht, ob er heute kommt. - I don't know whether he is coming today.
- Sie fragt, ob das Geschäft offen ist. - She asks whether the shop is open.
- Kannst du sehen, ob der Bus kommt? - Can you see whether the bus is coming?
Common mistakes: Use ob, not wenn, for indirect yes/no questions; wenn means "if" only in the conditional sense. And keep the at the end: it is ob er kommt, never ob kommt er. Reserve ob for questions that could be answered with yes or no.
About Indirect yes/no question with 'ob' (whether)
Indirect yes/no questions use 'ob' (whether/if) and send the conjugated to the end of the clause.
Direct 'Kommt er?' becomes 'Ich weiß , ob er kommt.' 'ob' replaces the direct question, the finite stands last.
Indirekte Ja/Nein-Fragen benutzen 'ob'; das konjugierte steht am Ende.
Caution
Use 'ob' (not 'wenn') for indirect yes/no questions, and put the verb last: 'Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt' - not 'ob kommt er'.