Emails That Get Answers: indirect questions for polite business emails

Q: What are indirect questions?

Indirect questions are questions placed inside a polite opener , such as Could you tell me… or Do you know… , and they take the word order of a statement. When will you pay? becomes Could you tell me when you will pay? They sound softer than direct questions, so they suit emails to clients. The B2 Business English lesson Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai uses them to chase an overdue invoice.

Q: What are some examples of indirect questions?

Good examples start with an opener and continue in statement order : Could you tell me whether the invoice reached you? Do you happen to know who deals with invoices? I'd like to know how much the new blend costs. Would you mind telling me why the delivery was late? I was wondering if you could resend the invoice. The last one starts like a statement, so it ends with a period.

Q: Why is it "Could you tell me when you will pay?" and not "when will you pay?"

After an opener like Could you tell me… , the question becomes part of a longer sentence, so the subject comes before the verb : when you will pay . The same rule gives Do you know where the invoice is? , not where is the invoice , and Can you tell me if you received it? , with no did . In the listening of Emails That Get Answers , a B2 lesson on edio.ai, a finance director corrects this exact mistake.

Q: Is it "Would you mind sending" or "Would you mind to send"?

It's Would you mind sending…? , always with the -ing form : Would you mind checking the address? Would you mind letting me know by Friday? Other patterns differ: Could you send…? and I'd be grateful if you could send… take the base form, and Would it be possible to send…? takes to . Because Would you mind…? asks whether something is a problem, the polite yes is Not at all or No, of course not .

Q: Does "I was wondering if you could…" end with a question mark?

No: I was wondering… starts like a statement, so the sentence ends with a period : I was wondering if you could send it again. The same goes for I'd like to know… and I'd be grateful if you could… Question openers keep the question mark: Could you tell me when you can pay? A quiz in Emails That Get Answers , a B2 lesson on edio.ai, asks which sentence of an email ends with a period.

Q: What does "at your earliest convenience" mean?

At your earliest convenience means as soon as it is possible for you . It's a formal, polite way to ask for something soon without naming a date: Please send the signed contract at your earliest convenience. Because it sets no deadline, the reader may not treat it as urgent, so when timing matters, give a date instead: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week.

Q: How do you write a payment reminder email?

A payment reminder email names the invoice, asks politely and gives a clear date . Give its number, amount and due date: I'm writing about invoice 2291 for $1,240. Ask whether it arrived ( Could you tell me whether the invoice reached you? ), offer to send it again, and close with a deadline and thanks: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week. Avoid capital letters in the subject line.

Q: How do you ask a client to pay an overdue invoice politely?

Assume the invoice was lost, not ignored , and ask questions that let the client fix it easily. Instead of Why haven't you paid it? , write I was also wondering if you could let me know when we can expect payment. Leave out threats such as stopping deliveries. If nothing comes back, send a short follow-up, then call, as a finance director advises in Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai.

Q: How do you write a polite reminder email when someone hasn't replied?

A polite reminder refers to your first email and makes replying easy . Say what you sent and when, then ask indirect questions: I was wondering whether you received our quote. Could you let me know when you expect to decide? Offer to answer questions and close warmly: I look forward to hearing from you. One homework option in Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai is this very email, to a hotel that hasn't answered a quote.

Q: What are useful phrases for business emails?

Useful business email phrases open politely, state the point and close clearly : I hope you're well. I'm writing about… According to our records… Could you let me know…? I'd be grateful if you could… I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards . For payments, add payment terms , settle an invoice , a gentle reminder , get back to someone and in the meantime .

In this B2 Business English lesson plan, indirect questions in polite emails help students chase an overdue invoice without losing the client.

Grammar: Indirect questions in statement word order (Could you tell me when you will pay?), polite requests such as Would you mind sending…?, and the question mark or period.
Topic: Chasing a client's overdue invoice by email, from a blunt draft to a clear, polite version, with phrases like payment terms and settle an invoice.
Activities: Two emails to compare, a coaching talk to hear, self-checking drills, a client email thread and a wheel of role-plays, then a polite email and three recorded requests.

What's inside

Chapter 1Warm-up: Inbox Zero, Anyone?
- PictureUnlock
- Open a box and discussOpen the boxUnlock
- Study the vocabulary: emails and paymentsVocabularyTry it
- Match the phrases to the situationsMatchUnlock
Chapter 2Reading: Before and After
- Read Tom's first draftReal-life documentTry it
- Read the email Tom sentReal-life documentUnlock
- True or false? Compare the two emailsTrue or falseUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: tone and contentQuizUnlock
Chapter 3Listening: Not a Police Interview
- Listen to Priya and TomListeningTry it
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Choose the correct answer: Priya's adviceQuizUnlock
Chapter 4Grammar: Could You Tell Me…?
- Study the scheme: indirect questions and polite requestsGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct option: indirect questionsChoose the optionUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: polite requestsDrag and dropTry it
- Fill in the gaps: put the verbs in the correct formFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: make the questions indirectFill in the tableUnlock
Chapter 5Speaking: Would You Mind…?
- Choose the best replyChatTry it
- Spin the wheel and role-playSpin the wheelUnlock
Chapter 6Homework: Follow Up Politely
- Choose the correct option: word order, verbs and punctuationChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: email phrases and plain EnglishMemory gameUnlock
- Write a polite email: a follow-up or a requestWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
- Record three polite requestsSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

Business email phrases

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

settle an invoice
payment terms
a gentle reminder
get back to someone
at your earliest convenience
in the meantime
sort out

Grammar: indirect questions and polite requests

With a colleague you know well, a direct question is fine. In an email to a client, three in a row read like a police interview: Why haven't you paid it? Did you even receive it? When will you pay? Indirect questions and polite requests soften the tone and keep the request clear. Learners fix the word order after polite openers, choose the verb form each request takes, and end each sentence with the right mark.

Indirect questions and polite requests

How to ask for what you need in an email, clearly and without sounding rude

Word order in indirect questions

After a polite opener, the question takes the word order of a statement: the subject goes before the verb, and do, does and did drop out. How much does it cost? becomes I'd like to know how much it costs. A yes/no question adds if or whether.

Direct question	Indirect question	What changes
When will you pay?	Could you tell me when you will pay?	The subject goes before the verb.
Where is the invoice?	Do you know where the invoice is?	Be goes after the subject.
How much does it cost?	I'd like to know how much it costs.	No do or does: the verb changes instead (cost → costs).
When did you send it?	Could you tell me when you sent it?	No did: the verb goes into the past.
Did you receive it?	I was wondering if you received it.	A yes/no question: add if or whether.
Who sent the invoice?	Do you know who sent the invoice?	Who is the subject, so nothing moves.

Openers that soften a question

Could you tell me…?, Could you let me know…?, Do you happen to know…? and Would you mind telling me…? are questions themselves. I'd like to know… and I was wondering… are statements, and that difference decides the punctuation.

Could you tell me …? · Can you tell me …? · Could you let me know …?
Do you know …? · Do you happen to know …?
Would you mind telling me …?
I'd like to know … · I was wondering …

Polite requests: which verb form?

Could you…?, I'd be grateful if you could… and I was wondering if you could… take the base form; Would it be possible…? takes to + the base form. Would you mind takes the -ing form: Would you mind sending it again? The polite yes is Not at all.

Polite requests

Pattern	Then use	Example
Could you …?	the base form	Could you send it again?
Would you mind …?	the -ing form	Would you mind sending it again?
Would it be possible …?	to + the base form	Would it be possible to pay by Friday?
I'd be grateful if you could …	the base form	I'd be grateful if you could reply by Friday.
I was wondering if you could …	the base form	I was wondering if you could help us.

Saying yes to "Would you mind …?"

Would you mind …? really asks "Is it a problem for you?", so a polite yes is Not at all or No, of course not. "Yes, I would" means it IS a problem.

Question mark or period?

Look at how the sentence starts. A question opener keeps the question mark; a statement opener ends with a period: I was wondering if you could send it again. Polite never means vague: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week.

Question mark or period?

It starts like a question: ?

Could you tell me when you can pay?
Do you know if Rachel is in today?
Would you mind checking the address?
Would it be possible to meet on Monday?

It starts like a statement: .

I'd like to know when you can pay.
I was wondering if Rachel is in today.
I'd be grateful if you could check the address.

Polite, but clear

An indirect question softens the tone, but it doesn't hide what you need. Say what you want and by when: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week. No threats, no capital letters.

Typical mistakes: word order

Could you tell me when will you pay?
Could you tell me when you will pay?
After the opener, use statement word order.
Do you know where is the invoice?
Do you know where the invoice is?
Be goes after the subject.
Can you tell me if did you receive the invoice?
Can you tell me if you received the invoice?
No did: received shows the past.
I wonder if could you help us.
I wonder if you could help us.
Subject first: if you could. I was wondering … sounds even softer.

Typical mistakes: requests and periods

Would you mind to send the invoice again?
Would you mind sending the invoice again?
Would you mind + -ing.
Would it be possible sending it by Friday?
Would it be possible to send it by Friday?
Would it be possible + to + the base form.
I was wondering if you could send it again?
I was wondering if you could send it again.
It's a statement, so it ends with a period.

More lessons on this grammar: Questions lessons and exercises

Try the indirect questions exercises

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What's in the lesson

10 auto-checked exercises
3 games
2 teacher-checked tasks
2 real-life documents
1 grammar scheme
1 set of word cards
1 audio clip
1 picture
1 transcript

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

turn direct questions into indirect ones with statement word order: Could you tell me when you will pay? Do you know where the invoice is?
make polite requests with the right verb form: Could you send…?, Would you mind sending…?, Would it be possible to send…?
end each sentence with the right mark: a question mark after Could you tell me…, a period after I was wondering if…
chase an overdue invoice by email, politely and firmly: a clear request and a clear deadline, without a threat

Lesson 4 of Business English B2 · A Year at Wrenfield closes the unit First contacts, which moves from meeting business partners to writing to them. After lesson 3 softened questions in speech with tags, this lesson softens them in writing, and lesson 5 opens the unit Meetings and figures with future forms for scheduling. Chasing a payment tests tone like few other emails: the client has to pay, and the company wants to keep them.

The warm-up has discussion boxes about inboxes and rude emails, ten word cards with pictures and audio, and a matching task. Students read a junior account manager's blunt first draft to a client whose invoice is three weeks overdue, then the polite email he sent, and compare them in a true-or-false task and a quiz. In an AI-voiced dialogue, the finance director of Wrenfield, a fictional coffee roaster in Portland, Oregon, coaches him through the rewrite. After the scheme come four self-checking exercises, ending with a table of questions to make indirect. For speaking, students answer the client's reply in an email thread, then take role-plays from a spin wheel, from asking a supplier for a discount to asking a manager for a day off.

Homework begins with a self-checking exercise on word order, verbs and punctuation and a memory game that matches email phrases to plain English. Students then write a polite follow-up or request email and record three polite requests, and the teacher reviews both.

Grammar:: indirect questions · polite requests · would you mind + -ing
Topic:: business emails · chasing a payment · polite requests

Teaching tips

Open with the warm-up box about rude emails: learners' own stories of blunt messages make the tone of the first draft easy to spot.
Have pairs soften one line of the draft before the scheme, then compare their version with the finance director's advice in the listening.
In the role-plays, insist on a deadline: polite isn't vague, so every request should say what is needed and by when.
Ask in-company learners for a real email they owe someone and soften its questions together; with a one-to-one client, the homework email can be that message.

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The whole course: Business English B2 · A Year at Wrenfield

20 lessons at B2 in American English that follow a year at Wrenfield Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, as founder Claire Morgan and her team win a Dutch hotel contract. Learners network, write emails, run meetings, negotiate, handle complaints and present figures, with one grammar point per lesson.See the course

Unit 1 First contacts
networking, a company story, a business lunch and emails: present tenses, the present perfect, question tags, indirect questions
1. Lesson 1Making ContactsPresent simple and present continuous at work
2. Lesson 2Our Story: From Cart to RoasteryPresent perfect and past simple for company history
3. Lesson 3The Business LunchQuestion tags and short answers
4. Lesson 4 · you're hereEmails That Get AnswersIndirect questions and polite requests
Unit 2 Meetings and figures
scheduling, sales figures, running a meeting and negotiating: future forms, trends, gerunds and infinitives, conditionals
Unit 3 Problems and growth
a complaint, a late shipment, a launch and hiring: the present perfect continuous, the passive, comparatives, relative clauses
Unit 4 Reports, prices and feedback
reporting back, explaining prices, expenses and feedback: reported speech, linking words, modals of obligation, past modals
Unit 5 Looking back and ahead
what went wrong, other cultures, an agency and next year: the third and mixed conditionals, past deduction, the causative, the future perfect

Questions about this lesson

What are indirect questions?

Indirect questions are questions placed inside a polite opener, such as Could you tell me… or Do you know…, and they take the word order of a statement. When will you pay? becomes Could you tell me when you will pay? They sound softer than direct questions, so they suit emails to clients. The B2 Business English lesson Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai uses them to chase an overdue invoice.

What are some examples of indirect questions?

Good examples start with an opener and continue in statement order: Could you tell me whether the invoice reached you? Do you happen to know who deals with invoices? I'd like to know how much the new blend costs. Would you mind telling me why the delivery was late? I was wondering if you could resend the invoice. The last one starts like a statement, so it ends with a period.

Why is it "Could you tell me when you will pay?" and not "when will you pay?"

After an opener like Could you tell me…, the question becomes part of a longer sentence, so the subject comes before the verb: when you will pay. The same rule gives Do you know where the invoice is?, not where is the invoice, and Can you tell me if you received it?, with no did. In the listening of Emails That Get Answers, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, a finance director corrects this exact mistake.

Is it "Would you mind sending" or "Would you mind to send"?

It's Would you mind sending…?, always with the -ing form: Would you mind checking the address? Would you mind letting me know by Friday? Other patterns differ: Could you send…? and I'd be grateful if you could send… take the base form, and Would it be possible to send…? takes to. Because Would you mind…? asks whether something is a problem, the polite yes is Not at all or No, of course not.

Does "I was wondering if you could…" end with a question mark?

No: I was wondering… starts like a statement, so the sentence ends with a period: I was wondering if you could send it again. The same goes for I'd like to know… and I'd be grateful if you could… Question openers keep the question mark: Could you tell me when you can pay? A quiz in Emails That Get Answers, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, asks which sentence of an email ends with a period.

What does "at your earliest convenience" mean?

At your earliest convenience means as soon as it is possible for you. It's a formal, polite way to ask for something soon without naming a date: Please send the signed contract at your earliest convenience. Because it sets no deadline, the reader may not treat it as urgent, so when timing matters, give a date instead: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week.

How do you write a payment reminder email?

A payment reminder email names the invoice, asks politely and gives a clear date. Give its number, amount and due date: I'm writing about invoice 2291 for $1,240. Ask whether it arrived (Could you tell me whether the invoice reached you?), offer to send it again, and close with a deadline and thanks: We'd be grateful if you could settle the invoice by the end of next week. Avoid capital letters in the subject line.

How do you ask a client to pay an overdue invoice politely?

Assume the invoice was lost, not ignored, and ask questions that let the client fix it easily. Instead of Why haven't you paid it?, write I was also wondering if you could let me know when we can expect payment. Leave out threats such as stopping deliveries. If nothing comes back, send a short follow-up, then call, as a finance director advises in Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai.

How do you write a polite reminder email when someone hasn't replied?

A polite reminder refers to your first email and makes replying easy. Say what you sent and when, then ask indirect questions: I was wondering whether you received our quote. Could you let me know when you expect to decide? Offer to answer questions and close warmly: I look forward to hearing from you. One homework option in Emails That Get Answers on edio.ai is this very email, to a hotel that hasn't answered a quote.

What are useful phrases for business emails?

Useful business email phrases open politely, state the point and close clearly: I hope you're well. I'm writing about… According to our records… Could you let me know…? I'd be grateful if you could… I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards. For payments, add payment terms, settle an invoice, a gentle reminder, get back to someone and in the meantime.

How do I teach indirect questions to adults?

Show what a blunt question costs before teaching the rule: a short, rude email works well. Then turn one direct question into an indirect one on the board, mark the subject and the verb, and let learners find the pattern: When will you pay? becomes Could you tell me when you will pay? Practice in writing first, where there's time to check word order, then in role-plays that need a real request.

Are there interactive exercises for indirect questions?

Yes: drag-and-drop gap-fills and email-thread chats check word order and verb forms as learners go. This page plays four parts of Emails That Get Answers, a B2 Business English lesson on edio.ai, without an account: a junior account manager's blunt first draft, the finance director's coaching, a drag-and-drop of the key words in polite requests, and an email thread in which students choose the best replies to a client. The other exercises are locked.

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About this lesson

What's inside

Business email phrases

Grammar: indirect questions and polite requests

Word order in indirect questions

Openers that soften a question

Polite requests: which verb form?

Polite requests

Question mark or period?

Question mark or period?

Typical mistakes: word order

Typical mistakes: requests and periods

Try the indirect questions exercises

What's in the lesson

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

Teaching tips

Teach the whole lesson in edio

Start a free trial

Open the lesson

Teach it live or as homework

The whole course: Business English B2 · A Year at Wrenfield

Unit 1 First contacts

Unit 2 Meetings and figures

Unit 3 Problems and growth

Unit 4 Reports, prices and feedback

Unit 5 Looking back and ahead

Questions about this lesson

Teach this lesson with your students