In this lesson, we will learn how to report yes/no questions indirectly, such as asking "whether" or "if" a condition is true. We will practice these structures using the vocabulary of public opinion polls and market research.
Using "Whether" (ما إذا)
To express "whether" in an indirect question, you can use the phrase ما إذا. It is frequently followed by the verb كان to introduce the reported condition or state.
When conducting an opinion poll, you will often use a questionnaire (استبيان). Here is how you report a question about it:
| The researcher asked whether the questionnaire was clear. | سأل الباحث ما إذا كان الاستبيان واضحا.sa'ala al-bâhithu mâ idhâ kâna al-istibyânu wâdihan |
You can use this structure after verbs of asking, knowing, or understanding. For example, to report uncertainty about a behavior (سلوك):
| We did not understand whether this behavior was normal. | لم نفهم ما إذا كان هذا السلوك طبيعيا.lam nafham mâ idhâ kâna hâdhâ s-sulûku tabî'iyyan |
Using "If" (إن كان)
Another common way to express "if" or "whether" is the phrase إن كان (literally "if it was"). This functions very similarly to ما إذا and is used to set up the indirect question.
If you are researching a consumer (مستهلك) or analyzing a purchase (شراء), you might use إن كان to report what you want to find out:
| We want to know if the consumer will buy the product again. | نريد أن نعرف إن كان المستهلك سيشتري المنتج مرة أخرى.nurîdu an na'rifa in kâna al-mustahliku sayashtarî al-muntaja marratan ukhrâ |
| The manager clarified whether the purchase was fast or slow. | أوضح المدير إن كان الشراء سريعا أو بطيئا.awdaha al-mudîru in kâna ash-shirâ'u sarî'an aw batî'an |
Targeting Preferences and Categories
Market research often involves analyzing demographic groups and their choices. Key terms include the verb to target (استهدف), the noun for category (فئة), and the noun for preference (تفضيل).
Let's see how these words combine seamlessly with our new indirect question structures to describe the goals of a market analysis:
| We will test if the new product targets the appropriate category. | سنجرب إن كان المنتج الجديد يستهدف الفئة المناسبة.sanujarribu in kâna al-muntaju al-jadîdu yastahdifu al-fi'ata al-munâsibata |
| The supervisor asked whether this was the first preference for this category. | سألت المشرفة ما إذا كان هذا التفضيل الأول لهذه الفئة.sa'alati l-mushrifatu mâ idhâ kâna hâdhâ t-tafdîlu l-awwala li-hâdhihi l-fi'ati. |