In AP Latin, an indirect question is a subordinate clause introduced by a question word (quis, quid, cur, ubi, etc.) with its verb in the subjunctive mood, reporting a question inside another sentence rather than asking it directly (e.g., rogat quid facias, "he asks what you are doing").
An indirect question is what happens when a question gets folded inside another sentence. Instead of asking "Who are they?" directly, the sentence reports the question, as in "He wonders who they are." The AP Latin CED defines it exactly this way in both Unit 3 and Unit 5: clauses introduced by question words and having verbs in the subjunctive mood are called indirect questions.
The recipe has two ingredients you can always check for. First, a question word kicks things off (quis, quid, cur, ubi, quomodo, num, or an). Second, the verb of that clause is subjunctive, not indicative. Usually a head verb of asking, wondering, knowing, or telling sits in front of it (rogo, quaero, miror, scio, dico). Here's the part that trips people up in translation. Even though the Latin verb is subjunctive, you translate it like a normal indicative verb in English. Quaerit quid Plinius scribat is just "He asks what Pliny is writing," not "what Pliny may write."
Indirect questions show up as required grammar in two separate units of the syllabus. In Topic 3.4 (Pliny's letters to Trajan about citizenship for his doctor), learning objective AP Latin 3.4.B asks you to describe how verbs and verbals function in context, and the essential knowledge names indirect questions explicitly. The same construction returns in Topic 5.4 (Aeneid Book 7) under AP Latin 5.4.D, again with identical essential knowledge. When a grammar point gets listed twice across the Pliny prose and the Vergil poetry, that's the CED telling you it's fair game on any passage.
It also matters for accurate literal translation, which is the heart of the exam's translation FRQs. If you miss that a subjunctive verb belongs to an indirect question, you'll either mistranslate the mood ("he asks what he might do") or lose track of the clause boundary entirely. Spotting the question word + subjunctive combo lets you summarize a text's explicit meaning (AP Latin 3.4.C and 5.4.F) without garbling who is asking what.
Keep studying AP Latin Unit SL2Apodi9BqlvQoqDkdk
Indirect Statement and the Infinitive (Units 3 & 5)
Indirect statement is the sibling construction, and the CED defines them side by side. An indirect statement reports a claim using an accusative subject plus an infinitive (dicit Plinium scribere, "he says that Pliny is writing"). An indirect question reports a question using a question word plus a subjunctive. Same idea of reported speech, totally different machinery.
Pliny's Letters to Trajan (Unit 3)
Pliny's correspondence with the emperor is full of asking, requesting, and explaining, which is exactly the soil indirect questions grow in. Topic 3.4's letters about citizenship for his doctor are prose where verbs of asking and knowing introduce these clauses, so practice spotting the question word + subjunctive pattern here first.
Vergil's Aeneid Book 7 (Unit 5)
The construction reappears in the required Aeneid excerpts, where characters wonder and inquire about identities and origins. A phrase like qui sint asks indirectly who people are, with sint subjunctive because the question is reported, not asked outright. Recognizing this keeps your literal translation of the poetry clean.
Imperative Mood (Units 3 & 5)
The imperative is the other mood-based signal worth tracking alongside the subjunctive. A direct command uses the imperative, but a direct question turned indirect swaps its indicative for the subjunctive. Sorting Latin's moods by job (indicative states, imperative commands, subjunctive handles subordinate ideas like indirect questions) makes mood questions on the multiple-choice section much faster.
Indirect questions are tested two main ways. On the multiple-choice section, a stem will quote a phrase from the passage and ask how it's best understood or what construction it represents. A question like "qui sint omnes is best understood as" wants you to recognize that qui is a question word, sint is subjunctive, and together they form an indirect question meaning "who they all are." Translation-style questions ("How is the sentence translated?") test whether you render the subjunctive as a plain English indicative inside the reported question.
On the free-response translation, the construction matters for clause boundaries and mood. Graders expect a literal translation that shows you saw the indirect question, so "she asks where the man is" earns credit while "she asks where is the man might be" signals confusion. Your checklist when you see a subjunctive verb: look left for a question word, then look further left for a verb of asking, wondering, or knowing.
Both report someone else's words, but they're built differently and the CED lists them as separate essential knowledge. An indirect statement follows a verb of speaking, thinking, or feeling and uses an accusative subject with an infinitive verb (scit Plinium venire, "he knows that Pliny is coming"). An indirect question follows a similar head verb but starts with a question word and uses a subjunctive verb (scit cur Plinius veniat, "he knows why Pliny is coming"). Quick test: if there's a question word like quis, cur, or ubi, it's an indirect question; if there's an accusative + infinitive and no question word, it's an indirect statement.
An indirect question is a clause introduced by a question word (quis, quid, cur, ubi, num) whose verb is in the subjunctive mood.
It usually follows a head verb of asking, wondering, knowing, or telling, such as rogo, quaero, miror, or scio.
Translate the subjunctive verb as a normal English indicative, so rogat quid facias becomes "he asks what you are doing."
Indirect questions are required essential knowledge in both Topic 3.4 (Pliny's letters to Trajan) and Topic 5.4 (Aeneid Book 7), so they can appear with either prose or poetry passages.
Don't confuse it with indirect statement, which uses an accusative subject plus an infinitive and never starts with a question word.
On multiple choice, a phrase like qui sint omnes signals an indirect question because qui is a question word and sint is subjunctive.
An indirect question is a subordinate clause introduced by a question word (quis, quid, cur, ubi, etc.) with its verb in the subjunctive mood. It reports a question inside a larger sentence, as in miratur quis sit, "he wonders who it is."
An indirect question starts with a question word and uses a subjunctive verb, while an indirect statement uses an accusative subject plus an infinitive with no question word. Compare scit cur veniat ("he knows why he is coming") with scit eum venire ("he knows that he is coming").
No. Even though the Latin verb is subjunctive, you translate it as a plain English indicative. Quaerit ubi sit is "he asks where it is," not "he asks where it might be." Adding "might" or "would" can cost you points on the translation FRQ.
Yes. It's listed as required essential knowledge in both Unit 3 (Pliny's letters, AP Latin 3.4.B) and Unit 5 (Aeneid Book 7, AP Latin 5.4.D), and multiple-choice questions ask you to identify phrases like qui sint omnes as indirect questions.
Look for the two-part signal. First, find a question word like quis, quid, cur, ubi, quomodo, num, or an. Second, check that the clause's verb is subjunctive. A head verb of asking, knowing, or wondering (rogo, scio, miror) usually sits in front of the whole thing.