An embedded question packages an unknown answer inside a larger sentence: No sé si vindrà (“I don't know whether she will come”) or Explica'm per què has marxat (“Tell me why you left”). The embedded clause is not asserted in the way a declarative complement is; it identifies a choice or a missing piece of information. Catalan marks the difference with si for yes-no alternatives and an interrogative word for open questions.
English learners must resist two transfers: adding English auxiliary order inside the clause, and leaving a preposition at the end. Catalan keeps the interrogative expression—including its preposition—at the left edge and follows Catalan patterns of subject placement.
The direct wh-question guide introduces the interrogative inventory; here the same words are examined as dependents of verbs such as saber, preguntar, and explicar.
Decision table
| Missing information | Introducer | Example pattern | Punctuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | si | No sé si vindrà | No question mark unless the whole sentence is a question |
| Person | qui | Digues-me qui ve | As above |
| Thing | què | No entenc què vol | Interrogative accent retained |
| Place/time/manner | on, quan, com | Recordes on viu? | Question mark only because the matrix is interrogative |
| Reason | per què | Explica per què ho fas | Two words; interrogative què accented |
| Prepositional complement | preposition + interrogative | No sé amb qui parla | Do not strand the preposition |
Yes-no complements with si
Embedded si corresponds to English whether or embedded if. It presents two logical possibilities, even when the negative alternative is not spoken.
Encara no sabem si el banc aprovarà el préstec.
We still do not know whether the bank will approve the loan.
Pregunta-li si necessita que l'acompanyem.
Ask her whether she needs us to go with her.
The word si is unstressed and has no accent. It is also used in conditional clauses, but the syntactic job differs: No sé si plourà embeds the question “Will it rain?”, whereas Si plou, no sortirem states a condition. English also uses if for both, so meaning and position—not a one-to-one dictionary label—identify the structure.
When both alternatives matter, add o no or state the alternatives explicitly.
Confirma'ns si vindràs o no abans de les sis.
Confirm whether or not you will come before six.
No recordo si la reunió és dimecres o dijous.
I don't remember whether the meeting is on Wednesday or Thursday.
Negation changes scope. No sé si vindrà negates the speaker's knowledge about her coming, whereas No sé si no vindrà embeds the negative possibility “Will she not come?” If both outcomes matter, No sé si vindrà o no is usually clearer. Once the answer is asserted rather than left open, ordinary Catalan normally uses Sé que vindrà or Sé que no vindrà; sé si… is reserved for contexts in which knowing which alternative holds is itself relevant.
Open questions with interrogative words
An open embedded question retains the same interrogative word used in a direct question: qui, què, quin, quant, on, quan, com, per què. The accent in què remains because the word is still interrogative.
No entenc què et preocupa exactament.
I do not understand what exactly is worrying you.
Ens han explicat com s'ha de presentar la sol·licitud.
They have explained to us how the application must be submitted.
La directora vol saber quants alumnes participaran en l'intercanvi.
The headteacher wants to know how many students will take part in the exchange.
Do not confuse per què (“why,” literally “for what reason”) with causal perquè (“because”) or purpose perquè (“so that”). The spelling carries structural information.
Explica'm per què has rebutjat l'oferta.
Explain to me why you rejected the offer.
The embedded clause supplies the unknown reason. By contrast, L'he rebutjada perquè el sou era massa baix supplies the answer (“because the salary was too low”).
Word order and subject placement
Catalan does not insert an English-style auxiliary equivalent to do, and it does not copy English subject–auxiliary inversion. The interrogative element comes first; the remaining order follows Catalan syntax and information structure. Postverbal subjects are especially natural in many interrogative clauses.
Ja saps quan arribarà la Mercè?
Do you already know when Mercè will arrive?
No sé què ha decidit el comitè.
I do not know what the committee has decided.
For a learner, the safest neutral pattern in examples like these is interrogative + verb + lexical subject. A topical subject can appear before the verb in suitable discourse, particularly with a pause or contrast, but it is not an English rule mechanically transplanted into Catalan.
Prepositions remain attached to their interrogative complement.
No ens han dit amb qui es reunirà demà la consellera.
They have not told us who the minister will meet with tomorrow.
Here amb qui is fronted as a unit; Catalan does not strand amb at the end. The sentence also contains the reordered time adverb demà before the postverbal subject la consellera. Despite that ordering, amb qui remains the complement selected by reunir-se amb.
Mood and tense
An embedded question normally takes the indicative because the speaker asks which factual alternative is or will be valid. Uncertainty alone does not automatically trigger the subjunctive.
Dubto si arribaran a temps.
I doubt whether they will arrive on time.
Using a present subjunctive here under direct Spanish influence—Dubto si arribin—is not the standard Catalan pattern. The subjunctive can occur when licensed by another construction inside the embedded material, but si itself is not a subjunctive trigger.
Catalan tense sequence is meaning-based rather than an automatic English-style backshift. After a past reporting verb, the future-in-the-past is often conditional when viewed from that past point.
Ahir em va preguntar si l'endemà treballaria des de casa.
Yesterday she asked me whether I would work from home the next day.
But a fact that is still current can remain present:
Ahir em va preguntar on visc.
Yesterday she asked me where I live. (My current residence is still relevant.)
Compare on vivia if the question concerned where I lived at that past time. The choice is semantic, not a mechanical requirement to shift every tense.
Punctuation
An indirect question does not receive question marks merely because it contains unknown information. Punctuation follows the force of the whole sentence.
No sabem quan obriran les inscripcions.
We do not know when registration will open. (Statement: no question mark.)
Saps quan obriran les inscripcions?
Do you know when registration will open? (The whole sentence is a question.)
Do not place a comma between a selecting verb and its embedded question: No sé, si vindrà incorrectly detaches the complement. A comma is possible only when independent discourse material intervenes.
A natural dialogue
—Saps si l'Arnau ja ha parlat amb la propietària? —No, però m'agradaria saber què li ha proposat l'Arnau i quan li contestarà la propietària. —Doncs pregunta-li també amb qui pensa revisar el contracte.
—Do you know whether Arnau has already spoken with the owner? —No, but I would like to know what Arnau proposed to her and when the owner will reply to him. —Then also ask him who he plans to review the contract with.
The dialogue combines a yes-no complement, two coordinated open questions, and a fronted prepositional interrogative. Clitics remain governed by the verbs inside their own clauses.
Regional and register guidance
These patterns belong to both IEC and AVL standards and are shared across Central, Valencian, Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese Catalan. On is the broad neutral place interrogative; a on is also possible when motion toward a destination is explicitly relevant, though everyday usage varies regionally. In (formal) prose, preserve the selected preposition (de què, amb qui, per a quin motiu) and avoid colloquial preposition loss. No variety licenses Spanish ¿…? opening punctuation in Catalan: Catalan normally uses only the closing question mark, except when editorial clarity calls for marking an unusually long question from its beginning under specific style conventions.
Short correction task
Correct the introducer, order, or punctuation.
- No sé que volen fer demà.
- Explica'm perquè has canviat d'opinió.
- Ens preguntava amb qui la directora parlaria amb.
No sé què volen fer demà.
I do not know what they want to do tomorrow.
Explica'm per què has canviat d'opinió.
Explain to me why you changed your mind.
Ens preguntava amb qui parlaria la directora.
She was asking us who the headteacher would speak with.
Common Mistakes
❌ No sé si vindrà?
Incorrect punctuation when the whole sentence is a statement.
✅ No sé si vindrà.
I do not know whether she will come.
❌ Voldria saber què tu penses.
This copies neutral English embedded-question order and sounds marked in this context.
✅ Voldria saber què penses tu.
I would like to know what you think.
❌ No recordo amb qui treballa amb.
Incorrect — the selected preposition is stranded and duplicated.
✅ No recordo amb qui treballa.
I do not remember who she works with.
❌ Dubto si arribi a temps.
Incorrect in standard Catalan — uncertainty does not make embedded si select the subjunctive.
✅ Dubto si arribarà a temps.
I doubt whether she will arrive on time.
Key Takeaways
- Use unstressed si for embedded yes-no questions and an interrogative word for the missing person, thing, place, time, manner, quantity, or reason.
- Retain interrogative spelling: què and per què, not complementizer que or causal perquè.
- Keep prepositions with the interrogative phrase: amb qui, de què, per a què.
- Mood is normally indicative; tense reflects the intended time perspective rather than automatic backshift.
- Only the force of the whole sentence determines whether a question mark is needed.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Embedded QuestionsA2 — How Catalan places questions inside statements and larger questions with si or an interrogative phrase, declarative punctuation, and non-inverted word order.
- Yes–No QuestionsA1 — How Catalan asks total questions through intonation and punctuation, without English do-support, and how subject position, tags, and short answers shape the expected response.
- Question WordsA1 — How to ask for people, things, choices, quantities, manner, time, place, and reasons with Catalan interrogatives and the prepositions they require.
- Subject Position in QuestionsA2 — How Catalan places, omits, or postpones a question's subject according to grammatical role, information status, and contrast rather than English auxiliary inversion.
- Questions with PrepositionsA2 — How Catalan keeps required prepositions before qui, què, quin, and on in questions, including purpose, destination, source, and verb government.
- Reported SpeechB2 — Report Catalan statements, questions, and commands while managing viewpoint, pronouns, time expressions, and optional tense backshifting.