Direct and indirect questions

Question

Hi,I’d like to know why, when you have the direct question “ what time does the bank open,” and you use “do you know” to form an indirect question like “do you know what time the bank opens,” do you add an “s” at the end of open?Also, in the question “when did flight 566 arrive,” why does the indirect question become “do you know when flight 566 arrived?” Why do you change arrive to the simple past?Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

park green 757I’d like to know why

There is no logical answer to your "Why?" questions. It's like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. It's just how things are. Embedded (i.e., indirect) questions follow the same word order as statements do. Direct questions follow the word order of inverted subject and verb. There is no reason why. The English language just developed that way throughout the centuries.

In the examples below note that the tense does not change between the direct and the indirect questions. Adding the auxiliary verb do (do, does, did) for the purpose of asking a direct question does not change the name of the tense.

Direct question: What time does the bank open? [present tense]
Statement: The bank opens at ______.
Indirect question: what time the bank opens [present tense]

Statements with an (embedded) indirect question:
I know what time the bank opens. / Let's find out what time the bank opens.

Direct question: When did flight 566 arrive? [simple past]
Statement: Flight 566 arrived at ______.
Indirect question: when flight 566 arrived [simple past]

Statements with an (embedded) indirect question:
Sally doesn't remember when flight 566 arrived. /
Guess when flight 566 arrived.

See for more information on indirect questions.

CJ

Direct and indirect questions

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