Complex Questions: Do you know where...? I don't know what... etc.

Complex questions (also called embedded or indirect questions) are questions placed inside statements or other questions. They are used to be polite, to report questions, or to ask for information indirectly.

• They are introduced by verbs or phrases like: do you know, could you tell me, I wonder, she asked.
• They keep the question word (what, where, when, who, why, how) but use statement word order (subject + verb).
• Yes/no questions become embedded with if or whether (e.g., I wonder whether the client agreed).

Use statement (declarative) word order after the question word. Do not invert subject and verb.

• Use subject + verb (e.g., 'what time the meeting starts'), NOT 'what time does the meeting start'.
• For yes/no embedded questions, use if or whether: 'I wonder whether the report is ready.'
• Introduce embedded questions with polite phrases: 'Could you tell me...', 'Do you know...', 'I wonder...'.

Keep the tense of the original question and avoid inversion.

Watch out for common errors when forming embedded questions.

• Using inverted question order (Do not use 'what time does the meeting start' inside a statement).
• Forgetting to use if/whether for yes/no embedded questions.
• Changing the tense incorrectly when reporting a question.
• Misplacing prepositions after the question word (keep natural placement: 'where to send the invoice', 'who you gave the report to').

When in doubt, make the embedded clause look like a normal statement (subject + verb).