Indirect W-questions
Just as you can embed yes/no questions into sentences, you can also embed open-ended questions. This is useful for reporting news or politely asking for information.
Instead of a conjunction like ob (whether), you use the original question's W-word—such as was (what), warum (why), wo (where), wann (when), or wie (how)—to connect the two clauses.
Word order
An indirect W-question is a subordinate clause. Separate it from the main clause with a comma. The W-word sits right after the comma and sends the conjugated verb to the very end of the sentence.
| I ask the female journalist what the topic is. | Ich frage die Journalistin, was das Thema ist. |
| The article shows how the journalist researches these numbers. | Der Artikel zeigt, wie der Journalist diese Zahlen recherchiert. |
Separable verbs and the perfect tense
If the verb at the end of the indirect question is a separable verb, its prefix does not split off. It stays attached to the main verb.
| Nobody knows when the interview takes place. | Niemand weiß, wann das Interview stattfindet. |
In a compound tense like the Perfekt, the conjugated helping verb (haben or sein) goes to the very end, directly after the past participle.
| The journalist is researching why the accident happened. | Der Journalist recherchiert, warum der Unfall passiert ist. |
| The boss confirms where he found the details. | Der Chef bestätigt, wo er die Details gefunden hat. |
W-word phrases
Sometimes a W-word pairs with another word to form a question phrase (like "how late" or "how current"). The entire phrase acts as the question word, sitting together directly after the comma.
| Can you confirm how current this news is? | Können Sie bestätigen, wie aktuell diese Nachrichten sind? |
