How to Ask Indirect Questions in Portuguese: ‘Could You Tell Me…?’
Indirect questions help you ask for information politely, especially when speaking with someone you do not know well.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Put a polite opener before the information you need
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.
Você sabe se a loja abre aos domingos?
Do you know if the store opens on Sundays?
Poderia me dizer onde fica a estação?
Could you tell me where the station is?
Você sabe que horas começa a reunião?
Do you know what time the meeting starts?
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.
Você sabe quanto custa a entrada?
Do you know how much admission costs?
Pode me dizer quando o pedido fica pronto?
Can you tell me when the order will be ready?
Poderia me informar se preciso levar um documento?
Could you let me know whether I need to bring a document?
Put it into practice
Choose a natural opener, use se for an embedded yes-or-no question, and keep the question word with the information you need.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Do you know how much admission costs”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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