An embedded question fills a slot inside a larger clause: someone knows where the key is, asks when the meeting begins, or checks whether the door is locked. Indonesian retains its ordinary clause order inside that slot. It does not add English subject–auxiliary inversion, do-support, tense backshift, or a separate question mark merely because the embedded content is interrogative.
Yes-no content can use apakah, an atau tidak alternative, or both. Content questions retain words such as siapa, apa, di mana, kapan, mengapa, and bagaimana. The main verb and register determine which packaging is most natural; the direct and embedded functions of apakah are compared in its dedicated guide.
Direct question versus embedded question
A direct question performs the act of asking and ends with ?. An embedded question names the unknown content inside another sentence.
Kapan rapat dimulai?
When does the meeting begin?
Saya bertanya kapan rapat dimulai.
I asked when the meeting began.
Di mana kunci cadangan disimpan?
Where is the spare key kept?
Kami belum tahu di mana kunci cadangan disimpan.
We do not yet know where the spare key is kept.
Apakah pintu belakang sudah terkunci?
Is the back door already locked?
Periksa apakah jendela dapur sudah tertutup rapat.
Check whether the kitchen window is tightly closed.
The internal word order stays the same. The period in the embedded examples belongs to the declarative or imperative main clause.
Whether with apakah
Inside a larger clause, apakah + proposition corresponds to whether. It is common after predicates of knowing, uncertainty, checking, deciding, and investigating, especially in careful or formal Indonesian.
Saya belum tahu apakah Dimas akan ikut pelatihan.
I do not yet know whether Dimas will join the training.
Petugas sedang memeriksa apakah semua jendela sudah tertutup.
The officer is checking whether all the windows are closed.
Kami perlu menentukan apakah rencana itu masih layak dilanjutkan.
We need to determine whether that plan is still worth continuing. (formal)
Belum jelas apakah biaya tambahan akan ditanggung perusahaan.
It is not yet clear whether the additional cost will be borne by the company. (formal)
Peneliti menguji apakah perubahan suhu memengaruhi hasil.
The researchers test whether temperature changes affect the result. (academic)
Apakah opens an alternative set—yes or no—rather than acting as an English auxiliary. The embedded subject remains before its predicate: apakah Dimas akan ikut, not apakah akan Dimas ikut.
Alternative pairs with atau tidak
Everyday Indonesian commonly places atau tidak after a proposition: literally “or not.” This makes both alternatives overt and can occur without apakah.
Saya tidak tahu dia datang atau tidak.
I do not know whether he/she is coming.
Tanyakan kepada Rina dia setuju atau tidak.
Ask Rina whether she agrees or not.
Kami belum memutuskan acara itu dilanjutkan atau tidak.
We have not decided whether the event will continue.
Coba lihat lampu indikatornya menyala atau tidak.
Check whether the indicator light is on.
The full combination apakah ... atau tidak is explicit and common in formal decisions, surveys, or contrasts.
Dewan akan menilai apakah aturan itu perlu diubah atau tidak.
The council will assess whether the regulation needs to be changed. (formal)
Responden diminta menyatakan apakah mereka bersedia diwawancarai atau tidak.
Respondents are asked to state whether they are willing to be interviewed. (formal)
Using both is not redundant when the two alternatives need explicit emphasis. In relaxed speech, the version without initial apakah is often lighter.
Retaining content-question words
An embedded content question keeps its question word. That word still identifies the unknown slot inside the embedded proposition.
Saya tahu siapa yang mengirim paket itu.
I know who sent that package.
Mereka belum memutuskan apa yang akan dibawa ke pameran.
They have not decided what will be taken to the exhibition.
Tolong jelaskan mengapa angka dalam tabel berbeda.
Please explain why the figures in the table differ.
Kami sedang mencari tahu ke mana berkas lama dipindahkan.
We are finding out where the old files were moved to.
Dia bertanya berapa lama pemeriksaan itu berlangsung.
He/She asked how long the inspection took.
Saya lupa dari mana informasi tersebut berasal.
I forget where that information came from.
Prepositions remain separate: ke mana, dari mana, di mana. Likewise berapa lama remains two words. Apa yang and siapa yang are frequent ways to package an unknown thing or subject; this page does not extend that observation into a general account of relative clauses.
No inversion and no tense backshift
Indonesian verbs do not conjugate for tense, and an embedded question does not trigger special word order. Compare the direct and embedded forms:
Mengapa jadwalnya berubah?
Why did the schedule change?
Kami ingin mengetahui mengapa jadwalnya berubah.
We want to know why the schedule changed.
Bagaimana sistem baru itu bekerja?
How does the new system work?
Teknisi menjelaskan bagaimana sistem baru itu bekerja.
The technician explained how the new system works.
Siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas kunci tersebut?
Who is responsible for that key?
Direktur menanyakan siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas kunci tersebut.
The director asked who was responsible for that key.
English changes does ... work? to how ... works and may backshift is to was. Indonesian has neither operation. Time is inferred or marked separately.
Tahu, bertanya, menanyakan, and memeriksa
These predicates give the embedded question different participant structures.
Tahu/mengetahui + embedded question presents knowledge or its absence.
Rudi tidak tahu kapan kereta terakhir berangkat.
Rudi does not know when the last train leaves.
Kami ingin mengetahui berapa banyak dana yang masih tersedia.
We want to know how much funding remains available. (formal)
Bertanya kepada + person + embedded question identifies the addressee; bertanya + embedded question can omit that person. Menanyakan + content/object makes the asked content more object-like.
Saya bertanya kepada petugas apakah loket masih buka.
I asked the officer whether the counter was still open.
Dina bertanya siapa yang akan menjemputnya.
Dina asked who would pick her up.
Wartawan menanyakan mengapa laporan itu belum diterbitkan.
The journalist asked why the report had not yet been published.
Memeriksa + apakah presents investigation of two possibilities, while memastikan bahwa presents confirmation that one proposition holds.
Petugas memastikan bahwa alamat pada formulir sudah benar.
The officer confirms that the address on the form is correct.
Tim memeriksa apakah ada data yang tercatat dua kali.
The team checks whether any data were recorded twice.
Use pastikan bahwa alamatnya benar when the desired outcome is confirmation, while periksa apakah... clearly asks for testing both possibilities.
Nominal packaging in formal prose
Instead of retaining a full interrogative clause, formal Indonesian often packages the missing information as a noun phrase: waktu keberangkatan, alasan penundaan, cara penggunaan, or jumlah peserta. This can make the text denser and less conversational.
Kami belum mengetahui waktu keberangkatan kereta tambahan.
We do not yet know the departure time of the additional train. (formal)
Panitia meminta penjelasan mengenai alasan penundaan acara.
The committee requested an explanation of the reason for the event's postponement. (formal)
Petunjuk itu menjelaskan cara penggunaan alat pemadam.
Those instructions explain how to use the fire extinguisher. (formal)
Jumlah peserta yang hadir belum dapat dipastikan.
The number of participants attending cannot yet be confirmed. (formal)
Compare full kami belum tahu kapan kereta berangkat with nominal kami belum mengetahui waktu keberangkatan kereta. The second is not “more correct”; it fits administrative and technical prose.
Punctuation when the main clause is a question
An embedded question can occur inside a larger direct question. The final question mark belongs to the whole sentence.
Bisakah Anda menjelaskan mengapa permohonan ini ditolak?
Can you explain why this application was rejected? (formal)
Apakah kamu tahu di mana Dodi menyimpan kuncinya?
Do you know where Dodi keeps his key?
Boleh saya bertanya berapa lama prosesnya?
May I ask how long the process takes?
Common Mistakes
1. Using marked predicate-first order where neutral order is intended
❌ Saya bertanya kapan dimulai rapat itu.
Marked and unnatural in this neutral context — Indonesian does not require English-style inversion.
✅ Saya bertanya kapan rapat itu dimulai.
I asked when that meeting began.
2. Adding bahwa before an embedded question
❌ Kami belum tahu bahwa apakah gedung itu aman.
Incorrect combination — apakah itself introduces the embedded whether question.
✅ Kami belum tahu apakah gedung itu aman.
We do not yet know whether that building is safe.
3. Keeping direct-question punctuation in a statement
❌ Saya ingin tahu berapa harga tiketnya?
Incorrect punctuation — the main sentence is declarative.
✅ Saya ingin tahu berapa harga tiketnya.
I want to know how much the ticket costs.
4. Fusing a preposition with mana
❌ Mereka bertanya dimana ruang wawancara berada.
Incorrect standard spelling — di mana is a prepositional phrase.
✅ Mereka bertanya di mana ruang wawancara berada.
They asked where the interview room was.
5. Adding English do-support
❌ Saya tidak tahu kapan melakukan kereta berangkat.
Incorrect — Indonesian does not insert an empty do auxiliary.
✅ Saya tidak tahu kapan kereta berangkat.
I do not know when the train leaves.
Key Takeaways
- Embedded questions preserve ordinary Indonesian subject–predicate order and do not trigger tense backshift.
- Apakah introduces embedded whether content; atau tidak presents the two alternatives explicitly.
- Content question words remain inside the complement, with standard spacing in di mana, ke mana, dari mana, and berapa lama.
- Tahu, bertanya, menanyakan, memeriksa, and related predicates differ in participant structure and communicative function.
- Formal prose may replace a full embedded question with a noun phrase such as waktu keberangkatan or alasan penundaan.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- apakah in Neutral and Formal QuestionsA1 — Use clause-initial apakah to package a proposition as an explicit yes-no question, especially in forms, interviews, and careful writing.
- Question Words and In-Situ SyntaxA1 — Use Indonesian question words in the position where their answers belong, while recognizing when time, reason, and manner expressions are fronted.
- -kah and Focused QuestionsB1 — Attach -kah to a question word or predicate to focus the questioned constituent, especially in formal, rhetorical, and literary styles.
- Yes-No Questions by IntonationA1 — Form everyday yes-no questions by keeping declarative word order and letting intonation, context, and punctuation mark interrogation.
- bagaimana and gimanaA1 — Use bagaimana for method, condition, evaluation, and proposals, then shift to gimana only for an appropriately colloquial voice.
- berapa: Quantity, Price, Age, and MeasurementA2 — Ask for numbers, prices, ages, dates, durations, and measurements by placing berapa directly into Indonesian numeral and classifier syntax.