Clauses · CEFR B1 · Independent
I asked if / whether… — English clauses
To report a yes/no question, use if or whether. Whether is the one that can take "or not" and can follow a preposition.
The shape
ask / wonder / know + if / whether + clause
Report a yes/no question.
In Hindi
हाँ/ना वाले सवाल को बताने के लिए if या whether। "or not" सिर्फ़ whether के साथ आता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
He asked me that I am coming. | He asked me if I was coming. A yes/no question is reported with "if", not "that". |
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the i asked if / whether… used for?
- To report a yes/no question, use if or whether. Whether is the one that can take "or not" and can follow a preposition. In practice: report a yes/no question.
- How do you form the i asked if / whether…?
- ask / wonder / know + if / whether + clause.
- What is the most common mistake with the i asked if / whether…?
- Saying “He asked me that I am coming.” instead of “He asked me if I was coming.”. A yes/no question is reported with "if", not "that".
Where i asked if / whether… fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
I asked if / whether… is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to clauses. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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