Indirect Yes/No Questions
When you want to report a yes/no question, ask for information politely, or express doubt, English uses the words "if" or "whether" (e.g., "I don't know if he is working"). In Russian, you must use the enclitic particle ли.
Important: Never use если for indirect questions. Если is strictly used for conditional statements (e.g., "I will go if it rains").
| whether / if (in indirect questions) | ли |
Word Order
To form an indirect question, identify the word that is the main focus of the inquiry. Most of the time, this is the verb. Place this focused word at the beginning of the dependent clause, and put the particle ли immediately after it.
Just like with other conjunctions, a comma always separates the main clause from the indirect question clause.
Questioning Other Parts of Speech
While the verb is the most common focus, you can place ли after an adjective, adverb, or noun if that specific piece of information is what you are verifying. The focused word still moves to the front of its clause, followed directly by ли.
Expressing Doubt
Indirect questions are highly useful when expressing uncertainty or verifying facts. You will frequently see ли paired with verbs like убедиться (to make sure) or nouns like сомнение (doubt).