How to Ask Indirect Questions in Portuguese: ‘Could You Tell Me…?’ — Practice

Put a polite opener before the information you need

A direct question can be perfectly polite, but an opener such as você sabe…? or poderia me dizer…? can soften a request. Choose a tone that fits the situation; formal conditional forms may sound more careful than you need with a friend.

When the indirect question is a yes-or-no question, use se, meaning “whether” or “if.” Do not copy English word order mechanically; keep the Portuguese question structure after the opener.

Keep the embedded question in a natural form

Question words such as onde, quando, and quanto stay inside the sentence: você sabe onde fica…? (do you know where … is?). The whole sentence is a question, even though the information clause does not need a second question mark in Portuguese.

In casual speech, many Brazilians use você sabe…? with friends and service staff. Poderia me informar…? is more formal and useful for customer support or a professional email.

Remember: Choose a natural opener, use se for an embedded yes-or-no question, and keep the question word with the information you need.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Do you know if the store opens on Sundays?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você sabe se a loja abre aos domingos?

2. Could you tell me where the station is?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Poderia me dizer onde fica a estação?

3. Do you know what time the meeting starts?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você sabe que horas começa a reunião?

4. Do you know how much admission costs?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você sabe quanto custa a entrada?

5. Can you tell me when the order will be ready?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode me dizer quando o pedido fica pronto?

6. Could you let me know whether I need to bring a document?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Poderia me informar se preciso levar um documento?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Choose a natural opener, use se for an embedded yes-or-no question, and keep the question word with the information you need.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our How to Ask Indirect Questions in Portuguese: ‘Could You Tell Me…?’ lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.