When you take a direct question and embed it inside a verb of asking — chiedere, domandare, voler sapere, non sapere — Italian transforms it into an interrogativa indiretta. Three things change at the same time: you add a connector word (or use the original wh-word as one), you apply the tense shift if the asking verb is in the past, and you can choose between indicative and subjunctive in the embedded verb. The choice between indicative and subjunctive is the area where colloquial and standard Italian most visibly diverge in this construction.
Yes/no questions: introduce with SE
When the original question could be answered with sì or no, the embedded version begins with se (translated if or whether).
«Sei stanco?» → Mi chiese se fossi stanco.
'Are you tired?' → He asked me if I was tired.
«Vieni alla festa?» → Maria mi ha chiesto se venissi alla festa.
'Are you coming to the party?' → Maria asked me if I was coming to the party.
«Hai mangiato?» → Mi ha chiesto se avessi mangiato.
'Have you eaten?' → He asked me if I had eaten.
«Conosci Roma?» → Volle sapere se conoscessi Roma.
'Do you know Rome?' → He wanted to know whether I knew Rome.
«Posso aiutarti?» → Mi chiese se potesse aiutarmi.
'Can I help you?' → He asked me whether he could help me.
In standard register the embedded verb sits in the subjunctive: fossi, venissi, avessi mangiato, conoscessi, potesse. The indicative version (ero, venivo, avevo mangiato, conoscevo, poteva) is widespread in everyday speech.
Wh-questions: keep the wh-word
For questions introduced by chi, cosa (or che cosa / che), dove, quando, come, perché, quanto, quale — keep the wh-word and let it function as the connector itself. No extra se is needed.
«Cosa fai?» → Marco mi chiese cosa facessi.
'What are you doing?' → Marco asked me what I was doing.
«Dove vai?» → Mi ha chiesto dove andassi.
'Where are you going?' → He asked me where I was going.
«Perché piangi?» → Mi domandò perché piangessi.
'Why are you crying?' → He asked me why I was crying.
«Come si dice in italiano?» → Ha chiesto come si dicesse in italiano.
'How do you say it in Italian?' → He asked how you say it in Italian.
«Chi è quella persona?» → Volevo sapere chi fosse quella persona.
'Who's that person?' → I wanted to know who that person was.
«Quando arriverai?» → Mi ha chiesto quando sarei arrivato.
'When will you arrive?' → He asked me when I would arrive.
«Quanto costa?» → Ha chiesto quanto costasse.
'How much does it cost?' → He asked how much it cost.
«Quale preferisci?» → Mi domandò quale preferissi.
'Which do you prefer?' → He asked me which one I preferred.
Word order: no inversion needed
Italian direct questions don't use auxiliary inversion (no equivalent of English "do you...?"), so the indirect version doesn't need to undo any inversion either. The subject stays where it naturally goes — usually after the verb in direct questions, and in either position in indirect ones.
«Dove vai, Marco?» → Mi ha chiesto dove andasse Marco. / Mi ha chiesto dove Marco andasse.
'Where are you going, Marco?' → He asked where Marco was going. (both word orders ok)
«A che ora arriva il treno?» → Volevo sapere a che ora arrivasse il treno.
'What time does the train arrive?' → I wanted to know what time the train arrived.
In English, indirect questions force a subject-before-verb order ("I asked where Marco was going," not "where was Marco going"). Italian is more flexible: word order matters less because verb endings carry person and number on their own.
Tense shifts apply as elsewhere
The same shifts you learned for indirect statements apply here. Past asking verb → embedded clause shifts back.
| Direct | Indirect (after past asking verb) |
|---|---|
| presente | imperfetto / congiuntivo imperfetto |
| passato prossimo | trapassato prossimo / congiuntivo trapassato |
| futuro | condizionale passato |
| imperfetto | imperfetto (unchanged) |
«Hai visto Marco?» → Mi ha chiesto se avessi visto Marco.
'Did you see Marco?' → He asked me whether I had seen Marco. (passato prossimo → cong. trapassato)
«Verrai?» → Mi ha chiesto se sarei venuto.
'Will you come?' → He asked me whether I would come. (futuro → cond. passato)
«Da quanto tempo abitavi a Roma?» → Mi ha chiesto da quanto tempo abitassi a Roma.
'How long had you been living in Rome?' → He asked me how long I had been living in Rome. (imperfetto stays)
Indicative vs subjunctive in the embedded clause
This is the most disputed area. Two patterns are heard daily.
Standard / formal pattern: the embedded verb takes the subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto, congiuntivo trapassato) when the asking verb is in the past.
Mi chiese se fossi stanco.
He asked me if I was tired. (formal/standard)
Volle sapere dove fossi stato.
He wanted to know where I had been. (formal/standard)
Colloquial pattern: the embedded verb takes the indicative (imperfetto, trapassato prossimo).
Mi chiese se ero stanco.
He asked me if I was tired. (colloquial)
Volle sapere dove ero stato.
He wanted to know where I had been. (colloquial)
When the asking verb is in the present, both indicative and subjunctive work, with subjunctive again being the formally preferred choice:
Mi chiede se sia stanco. / Mi chiede se sono stanco.
He's asking me whether I'm tired. (sub. formal / ind. colloquial)
Embedded questions with prepositions
Italian doesn't strand prepositions the way English does. The preposition stays attached to the wh-word, both in direct and indirect questions.
«Con chi vai?» → Mi ha chiesto con chi andassi.
'Who are you going with?' → He asked me who I was going with.
«Di che cosa parli?» → Volle sapere di che cosa parlassi.
'What are you talking about?' → He wanted to know what I was talking about.
«A chi hai dato il libro?» → Mi domandò a chi avessi dato il libro.
'Who did you give the book to?' → He asked me who I had given the book to.
«Da dove vieni?» → Mi chiese da dove venissi.
'Where do you come from?' → He asked me where I came from.
This is one place where translating word-for-word from English fails: the English "who... with" splits the preposition from the wh-word. Italian never does this.
Embedded questions after non-asking verbs
The "if/whether" connector also appears after verbs of knowing, doubting, and wondering — verbs that aren't grammatically "asking" but introduce uncertainty.
Non so se Marco verrà.
I don't know whether Marco will come.
Non sapevo se fossi a casa.
I didn't know whether you were home.
Mi domando se sia stata una buona idea.
I wonder whether it was a good idea.
Dubito che sappia cosa fare.
I doubt he knows what to do.
The same wh-words work here for content questions:
Non so dove sia Marco.
I don't know where Marco is.
Mi chiedo perché abbia detto quello.
I wonder why he said that.
Non capivo come fosse possibile.
I couldn't understand how it was possible.
Multiple embedded questions
Long sentences can stack embedded questions; the same rules apply to each.
Mi ha chiesto chi fossi, da dove venissi e cosa volessi.
He asked me who I was, where I came from, and what I wanted.
Volevo sapere se sarebbe venuto e a che ora sarebbe arrivato.
I wanted to know whether he would come and what time he would arrive.
A complete dialogue example
Direct question and answer:
Marco a Anna: «A che ora arriva il treno per Milano? Devo prenotare un taxi?» Anna: «Il treno arriva alle 18 e sì, dovresti prenotarlo. Hai già il biglietto?»
Recounted as indirect speech:
Marco chiese ad Anna a che ora arrivasse il treno per Milano e se dovesse prenotare un taxi. Anna rispose che il treno arrivava alle 18 e che, sì, avrebbe dovuto prenotarlo, e gli chiese se avesse già il biglietto.
Marco asked Anna what time the train to Milan arrived and whether he should book a taxi. Anna replied that the train arrived at 18:00 and that yes, he should book it, and asked him whether he already had the ticket.
Note four indirect questions woven in, each with its appropriate connector and embedded tense.
Common mistakes
❌ Mi ha chiesto sono stanco.
Wrong — embedded yes/no question requires 'se' as connector and tense shift.
✅ Mi ha chiesto se ero stanco. / Mi ha chiesto se fossi stanco.
He asked me if I was tired. (colloquial / standard)
❌ Mi ha chiesto cosa fai.
Acceptable in casual speech but mismatched in standard register — past asking verb requires shifted embedded tense.
✅ Mi ha chiesto cosa facessi. / Mi ha chiesto cosa facevo.
He asked me what I was doing.
❌ Mi ha chiesto se verrò.
Wrong — futuro doesn't survive past asking verb; use cond. passato.
✅ Mi ha chiesto se sarei venuto.
He asked me whether I would come.
❌ Mi ha chiesto chi con vai.
Wrong — preposition cannot be stranded; must precede the wh-word.
✅ Mi ha chiesto con chi andassi.
He asked me who I was going with.
❌ Volevo sapere se Marco viene.
Wrong — past asking verb 'volevo' requires the embedded tense to shift.
✅ Volevo sapere se Marco sarebbe venuto. / se Marco fosse venuto.
I wanted to know whether Marco would come / had come (depending on temporal frame).
Key takeaways
- Yes/no questions take se; wh-questions keep the original wh-word as connector.
- Tense shifts apply exactly as in declarative reported speech.
- Standard register prefers the congiuntivo in the embedded verb after a past asking verb; colloquial register uses the indicativo.
- No preposition stranding — the preposition stays glued to the wh-word.
- The same construction is used after verbs of knowing, doubting, and wondering, not just asking.
Now practice Italian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Reported Speech: OverviewB1 — How Italian transforms direct quotation into indirect (reported) speech — the four shifts that happen at once: pronouns, tenses, time markers, and introducing verbs.
- Reported Speech: Tense ShiftsB1 — The full mechanics of how Italian tenses shift backward when the reporting verb is in the past — including the distinctive futuro-to-condizionale-passato shift.
- Reporting CommandsB1 — How Italian transforms imperatives into indirect speech using the 'di + infinitive' construction — including clitic placement, negative commands, and the verbs that govern this pattern.
- Wh-Questions: chi, cosa, dove, quando, come, perchéA1 — Italian wh-questions front the question word (with any preposition attached) and follow it with the verb. No auxiliary, no preposition stranding. The full inventory of question words, the prepositional combinations, the three forms of 'what' (che cosa / cosa / che), and the indirect-question patterns.
- Yes/No Questions: Intonation Does All the WorkA1 — Italian forms yes/no questions by intonation alone — no auxiliary, no word reordering. The very same SVO statement becomes a question with a rising pitch at the end. The mechanics, the tag-question patterns ('no?', 'vero?'), and why this is one of Italian's gentler simplifications for English speakers.
- Sequence of Tenses (Concordanza dei Tempi)B2 — Once the main verb commits to a tense, the congiuntivo in the subordinate clause has only four cells to choose from — laid out by time relation and main-clause tense.