NIHONGO DAISUKI ! 日本語 だいすき!
  • CLASSROOM LANGUAGE
    • REI - STARTING THE LESSON
    • THINGS STUDENTS SAY
    • THINGS TEACHERS SAY
    • CLASSROOM OBJECTS
    • KIMOCHI - FEELINGS
  • YEARS 7 & 8
    • WEATHER AND FEELINGS >
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • LANGUAGE REFERENCE - WEATHER AND FEELINGS
  • YEAR 9
    • AISATSU - GREETINGS
    • GREETINGS ANIME
    • JIKO SHOUKAI - SELF INTRODUCTION
    • NAMAE - NAMES
    • BANGOU - NUMBERS
    • NAN SAI? - HOW OLD ARE YOU?
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY
    • KUNI - COUNTRIES
    • WHERE WE LIVE
    • SPORTS AND PASTIMES
    • LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • YURU KYARA - CHARACTER MASCOTS
    • PARTS OF THE BODY - FACES
    • THE BODY - KARADA
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • WHAT'S IT LIKE - DESCRIBING WORDS
    • TENKI - WEATHER
    • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
    • SUBEJECT LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • GAKKOU - SCHOOL
    • HIRAGANA
    • YEAR 9 STUDENTS
  • YEAR 10
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY >
      • TANGO - VOCABULARY
      • NAN NIN? - HOW MANY PEOPLE?
      • DARE GA IMASU KA -WHO IS THERE?
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCE
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • SHIGOTO - JOBS
    • TABEMONO - FOOD >
      • ORDERING IN A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
    • HOUSING >
      • AROUND HOME - VOCABULARY
      • WHAT'S IT LIKE? - DOU DESU KA?
      • ARIMASU-THERE IS/THERE ARE
      • HITOTSU ARIMASU-THERE IS ONE
      • IN/ON/UNDER - PREPOSITIONS
      • SAYING WHAT THERE IS AND WHERE
      • ASKING AND SAYING WHERE SOMETHING IS
      • KORE/SORE/ARE - THIS/THAT
    • SEIKATSU - DAILY LIFE >
      • VERBS - DAILY ACTIVITIES
      • HOW OFTEN?
      • TOMORROW - FUTURE TIME WORDS
      • PAST ACTIVITIES
      • YESTERDAY - PAST TIME WORDS
      • JIKAN - TIME
      • YOUBI - DAYS OF THE WEEK
    • YEAR 10 GAKKOU >
      • KYOUKA - SUBJECTS
      • SCHOOL VOCABULARY
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • DOUBUTSU - ANIMALS >
      • STORIES AND SONGS >
        • Zou no hana - The Elephant's Nose
        • Kobutanukitsuneko
    • YEAR 10 KANJI
  • YEAR 11
    • Y11 LANGUAGE INDEX >
      • THINGS AROUND TOWN
      • NANI GA ARU? - WHAT IS THERE?
      • MAE / YOKO / USHIRO - Locations
      • ADJECTIVES - REVIEW
      • CHIISAKUTE, FURUI - Small and old - Joining adjectives
      • EKI GA ATTE, BENRI DESU - Forming compound sentences
      • IROIRONA MACHI - Descriptions of various towns
      • TARI-TARI - Do things like...
      • KARA - from, because, after >
        • KARA = FROM
        • KARA = BECAUSE/SO
        • KARA = AFTER
      • DOU YATTE IKU? - Giving Directions
      • NANI GA DEKIRU? - WHAT CAN WE DO THERE?
      • ASOBI NI KITE - COME AND VISIT
      • MACHI ONLINE READING LINKS
      • COUNTERS
      • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
      • AKAI NO GA HOSHII - I WANT THE RED ONE
      • IKURA - HOW MUCH?
      • SORE WO KUDASAI - THAT ONE PLEASE
      • NANI GA II - WHAT WOULD BE GOOD?
      • NI SHIMASU - EXPRESSING A DECISION
      • TO OMOU - I THINK
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • GIVING & RECEIVING - AGERU KURERU MORAU
      • OISHISOU - LOOKS DELICIOUS
      • TABETAI - WANT TO EAT
      • TSUMORI - INTEND
      • DESCRIBING PEOPLE
      • MOU, MADA - ALREADY, NOT YET
      • SUGIRU - Too much
      • NAGARA - While doing
      • TE MO II - PERMISSION
      • NARIMASU -BECOME
      • CONNECTIVES - Joining words
    • WATASHI-TACHI NO MACHI - OUR TOWN
    • KAIMONO - SHOPPING 1
    • KURISUMASU - CHRISTMAS
    • OTHER LANGUAGE NOTES
    • PRESENTATIONS - Oral language features
    • NCEA LEVEL 1 KANJI
    • FUNNY JAPANESE COMMERCIALS
  • YEAR 12
    • YEAR 12 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • ~NO HOU GA - COMPARISONS/ MORE ~ THAN
      • ICHIBAN~ - COMPARISONS/THE MOST
      • HODO. . . NAI - COMPARISONS/ NOT AS~AS
      • ONAJI GURAI - COMPARISONS/ SAME AS
      • DOUSHI - VERBS
      • KOTO GA DEKIRU - CAN DO
      • KOTO NI SURU - DECIDE TO DO
      • SURU MAE NI - BEFORE WE DO
      • -TA ATODE - AFTER WE'VE DONE
      • CHIISAI TOKI - WHEN I WAS LITTLE
      • VERB AIDA - WHILE VERBING
      • -TE MIRU - TRY SOMETHING AND SEE
      • KISETSU - SEASONS
      • USING と FOR IF/WHEN
      • NO - NOMINALISING ADJECTIVES
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • AME GA FUTTE IMASU - IT'S RAINING
      • NO/KOTO - NOMINALISERS 2
      • RELATIVE CLAUSES
      • TE FORM + IKU/KURU
      • REPORTED SPEECH-SOU DESU
      • DOU YATTE - HOW TO
      • YARIKATA - HOW TO
      • KOTO GA ARIMASU KA - HAVE YOU EVER...
      • TARA - IF
      • TABETE SHIMAIMASHITA - ENDED UP EATING
      • NANI KA/DARE KA - SOMETHING/ SOMEBODY
      • NANI MO/DARE MO - SOMETHING/ NOTHING
      • BEGIN DOING - SHIHAJIMERU
      • TAME NI - IN ORDER TO/FOR THE SAKE OF
      • SHIKA NAI - NOTHING BUT
    • NCEA LEVEL 2 KANJI
    • ONLINE READING LINKS
    • HOMESTAY UNIT VOCABULARY
  • YEAR 13
    • YEAR 13 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • NODE - EXPLAINING CONSEQUENCES
      • ~SHI - EMPHASISING SUPPORTING INFORMATION
      • ~NARA - IF
      • ~TARA II - SHOULD
      • ~SHITA HOU GA II - OUGHT TO
      • ~SHINAI HOU GA II - OUGHT NOT TO
      • ~KOTO NI NARU - IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT~
      • ~NAKEREBA NARANAI - I HAVE TO
      • ~NAKEREBA IKENAI - YOU HAVE TO
      • ~NAKUTE MO II - YOU DON'T HAVE TO
      • ~RARERU - THE POTENTIAL FORM
      • ~TE HOSHII - WANT SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE MORAU - GET SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE KURERU - SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING FOR US
      • ~KA DOU KA - EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY
      • ~ TSUMORI WA NAI - HAVE NO INTENTION OF ~
      • ~HAZU DA - EXPECTATION/SHOULD BE
      • ~TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE VERBS
    • NCEA LEVEL 3 KANJI
  • VERBS
    • ICHI(1)-DAN VERBS
    • GO(5)-DAN VERBS >
      • う-VERBS
      • く-VERBS
      • ぐ-VERBS
      • す-VERBS
      • つ-VERBS
      • ぬ-VERBS
      • ぶ-VERBS
      • む-VERBS
      • る-VERBS
    • IRREGULAR VERBS
    • VERB TENSES - HOW TO USE THEM
  • STUDENT BLOGS
    • ALBAN
    • AUSTIN
    • JAMIE
    • JANE
    • JORDAN
    • KOUSHI
    • MIA
    • OLIVIA
    • PAIGE
    • TANE
    • TEAGUE
    • エイデン
    • エリース
    • オスティン
    • カーラ
    • コーバン
    • コナーF.
    • コナーT.
    • サム
    • シャンテル
    • ニック
    • ハナ H.
    • ハナ M.
    • パトリック
    • マギー
    • トム
    • ホリー
  • LINKS AND RESOURCES
    • VIDEO RESOURCES
    • LISTENING RESOURCES
    • ONLINE COURSES

Expressing Uncertainty
​
~かどうか~


When we want to express uncertainty, such as "I don't know whether or not I can do it" or "I don't know if I can do it", in Japanese we use the かどうか structure. This is an "indirect" structure.

Structure:
​Put your original "core" idea into the plain form. Add かどうか + a verb of knowing, asking or finding out.
With verbs:
Direct question:
トムさんは、日本語ができますか。
  • Can Tom speak Japanese?​ 
Indirect question:
トムさんが日本語ができるかどうかわかりません。
  • (I'm) not sure whether or not Tom can speak Japanese. 
Direct question:
トムさんは、ギターをひきますか。
  • Tom plays the guitar. 
Indirect question:
トムさんは、ギターをひくかどうか聞いてみます。
  • (I'm) going to ask whether or not Tom plays the guitar. 

With い adjectives:
Direct question:
日本のぶっかは高いですか。
  • Is Japan's cost of living high?​
Indirect question:
日本のぶっかが高いかどうかしらべます。
  • (I'm) going to research whether or not the Japanese cost of living is high. 
​Notice that は changes to が in the indirect sentence.
Direct question:
むかし、日本のぶっかは高かったですか。
  • Was Japan's cost of living high in the past? 
Indirect question:
むかし、日本のぶっかが高かったかどうかしらべます。
  • (I'm) going to research whether or not the Japanese cost of living was high in the past. ​

With な adjectives:
Direct question:
トムさんはラグビーがすきですか。
  • Does Tom like rugby?
Indirect question:
トムさんがラグビーがすきかどうかわかりません。
  • (I'm) not sure whether or not Tom likes rugby. 
​In the non-past, drop the です.
Direct question:
先生は日本でゆうめいでしたか。
  • Was the teacher famous in Japan?
Indirect question:
先生は日本でゆうめいだったかどうか聞いてみます。
  • (I'm) going to ask whether or not the teacher was famous in Japan. 
​In the past, change the でした to the plain form だった.

With nouns:
Direct question:
ハナさんのおねえさんは大学生ですか。
  • Is Hannah's sister a university student?
Indirect question:
ハナさんのおねえさんが大学生かどうか聞いてみます。
  • (I'm) going to ask whether or not Hannah's sister is a university student. 
Direct question:
むかし、ボブさんはオリンピックせんしゅでしたか。
  • Was Bob an Olympic athlete in the past?
Indirect question:
むかし、ボブさんがオリンピックせんしゅだったかどうかわかりません。
  • (I'm) not sure whether or not Bob was an Olympic athlete in the past. 

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Pages 115 - 117
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Practise changing direct questions into indirect かどうか sentences. Use the flashcards to test yourself.
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Practise translating indirect questions into Japanese.
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  • CLASSROOM LANGUAGE
    • REI - STARTING THE LESSON
    • THINGS STUDENTS SAY
    • THINGS TEACHERS SAY
    • CLASSROOM OBJECTS
    • KIMOCHI - FEELINGS
  • YEARS 7 & 8
    • WEATHER AND FEELINGS >
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • LANGUAGE REFERENCE - WEATHER AND FEELINGS
  • YEAR 9
    • AISATSU - GREETINGS
    • GREETINGS ANIME
    • JIKO SHOUKAI - SELF INTRODUCTION
    • NAMAE - NAMES
    • BANGOU - NUMBERS
    • NAN SAI? - HOW OLD ARE YOU?
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY
    • KUNI - COUNTRIES
    • WHERE WE LIVE
    • SPORTS AND PASTIMES
    • LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • YURU KYARA - CHARACTER MASCOTS
    • PARTS OF THE BODY - FACES
    • THE BODY - KARADA
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • WHAT'S IT LIKE - DESCRIBING WORDS
    • TENKI - WEATHER
    • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
    • SUBEJECT LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • GAKKOU - SCHOOL
    • HIRAGANA
    • YEAR 9 STUDENTS
  • YEAR 10
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY >
      • TANGO - VOCABULARY
      • NAN NIN? - HOW MANY PEOPLE?
      • DARE GA IMASU KA -WHO IS THERE?
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCE
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • SHIGOTO - JOBS
    • TABEMONO - FOOD >
      • ORDERING IN A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
    • HOUSING >
      • AROUND HOME - VOCABULARY
      • WHAT'S IT LIKE? - DOU DESU KA?
      • ARIMASU-THERE IS/THERE ARE
      • HITOTSU ARIMASU-THERE IS ONE
      • IN/ON/UNDER - PREPOSITIONS
      • SAYING WHAT THERE IS AND WHERE
      • ASKING AND SAYING WHERE SOMETHING IS
      • KORE/SORE/ARE - THIS/THAT
    • SEIKATSU - DAILY LIFE >
      • VERBS - DAILY ACTIVITIES
      • HOW OFTEN?
      • TOMORROW - FUTURE TIME WORDS
      • PAST ACTIVITIES
      • YESTERDAY - PAST TIME WORDS
      • JIKAN - TIME
      • YOUBI - DAYS OF THE WEEK
    • YEAR 10 GAKKOU >
      • KYOUKA - SUBJECTS
      • SCHOOL VOCABULARY
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • DOUBUTSU - ANIMALS >
      • STORIES AND SONGS >
        • Zou no hana - The Elephant's Nose
        • Kobutanukitsuneko
    • YEAR 10 KANJI
  • YEAR 11
    • Y11 LANGUAGE INDEX >
      • THINGS AROUND TOWN
      • NANI GA ARU? - WHAT IS THERE?
      • MAE / YOKO / USHIRO - Locations
      • ADJECTIVES - REVIEW
      • CHIISAKUTE, FURUI - Small and old - Joining adjectives
      • EKI GA ATTE, BENRI DESU - Forming compound sentences
      • IROIRONA MACHI - Descriptions of various towns
      • TARI-TARI - Do things like...
      • KARA - from, because, after >
        • KARA = FROM
        • KARA = BECAUSE/SO
        • KARA = AFTER
      • DOU YATTE IKU? - Giving Directions
      • NANI GA DEKIRU? - WHAT CAN WE DO THERE?
      • ASOBI NI KITE - COME AND VISIT
      • MACHI ONLINE READING LINKS
      • COUNTERS
      • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
      • AKAI NO GA HOSHII - I WANT THE RED ONE
      • IKURA - HOW MUCH?
      • SORE WO KUDASAI - THAT ONE PLEASE
      • NANI GA II - WHAT WOULD BE GOOD?
      • NI SHIMASU - EXPRESSING A DECISION
      • TO OMOU - I THINK
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • GIVING & RECEIVING - AGERU KURERU MORAU
      • OISHISOU - LOOKS DELICIOUS
      • TABETAI - WANT TO EAT
      • TSUMORI - INTEND
      • DESCRIBING PEOPLE
      • MOU, MADA - ALREADY, NOT YET
      • SUGIRU - Too much
      • NAGARA - While doing
      • TE MO II - PERMISSION
      • NARIMASU -BECOME
      • CONNECTIVES - Joining words
    • WATASHI-TACHI NO MACHI - OUR TOWN
    • KAIMONO - SHOPPING 1
    • KURISUMASU - CHRISTMAS
    • OTHER LANGUAGE NOTES
    • PRESENTATIONS - Oral language features
    • NCEA LEVEL 1 KANJI
    • FUNNY JAPANESE COMMERCIALS
  • YEAR 12
    • YEAR 12 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • ~NO HOU GA - COMPARISONS/ MORE ~ THAN
      • ICHIBAN~ - COMPARISONS/THE MOST
      • HODO. . . NAI - COMPARISONS/ NOT AS~AS
      • ONAJI GURAI - COMPARISONS/ SAME AS
      • DOUSHI - VERBS
      • KOTO GA DEKIRU - CAN DO
      • KOTO NI SURU - DECIDE TO DO
      • SURU MAE NI - BEFORE WE DO
      • -TA ATODE - AFTER WE'VE DONE
      • CHIISAI TOKI - WHEN I WAS LITTLE
      • VERB AIDA - WHILE VERBING
      • -TE MIRU - TRY SOMETHING AND SEE
      • KISETSU - SEASONS
      • USING と FOR IF/WHEN
      • NO - NOMINALISING ADJECTIVES
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • AME GA FUTTE IMASU - IT'S RAINING
      • NO/KOTO - NOMINALISERS 2
      • RELATIVE CLAUSES
      • TE FORM + IKU/KURU
      • REPORTED SPEECH-SOU DESU
      • DOU YATTE - HOW TO
      • YARIKATA - HOW TO
      • KOTO GA ARIMASU KA - HAVE YOU EVER...
      • TARA - IF
      • TABETE SHIMAIMASHITA - ENDED UP EATING
      • NANI KA/DARE KA - SOMETHING/ SOMEBODY
      • NANI MO/DARE MO - SOMETHING/ NOTHING
      • BEGIN DOING - SHIHAJIMERU
      • TAME NI - IN ORDER TO/FOR THE SAKE OF
      • SHIKA NAI - NOTHING BUT
    • NCEA LEVEL 2 KANJI
    • ONLINE READING LINKS
    • HOMESTAY UNIT VOCABULARY
  • YEAR 13
    • YEAR 13 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • NODE - EXPLAINING CONSEQUENCES
      • ~SHI - EMPHASISING SUPPORTING INFORMATION
      • ~NARA - IF
      • ~TARA II - SHOULD
      • ~SHITA HOU GA II - OUGHT TO
      • ~SHINAI HOU GA II - OUGHT NOT TO
      • ~KOTO NI NARU - IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT~
      • ~NAKEREBA NARANAI - I HAVE TO
      • ~NAKEREBA IKENAI - YOU HAVE TO
      • ~NAKUTE MO II - YOU DON'T HAVE TO
      • ~RARERU - THE POTENTIAL FORM
      • ~TE HOSHII - WANT SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE MORAU - GET SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE KURERU - SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING FOR US
      • ~KA DOU KA - EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY
      • ~ TSUMORI WA NAI - HAVE NO INTENTION OF ~
      • ~HAZU DA - EXPECTATION/SHOULD BE
      • ~TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE VERBS
    • NCEA LEVEL 3 KANJI
  • VERBS
    • ICHI(1)-DAN VERBS
    • GO(5)-DAN VERBS >
      • う-VERBS
      • く-VERBS
      • ぐ-VERBS
      • す-VERBS
      • つ-VERBS
      • ぬ-VERBS
      • ぶ-VERBS
      • む-VERBS
      • る-VERBS
    • IRREGULAR VERBS
    • VERB TENSES - HOW TO USE THEM
  • STUDENT BLOGS
    • ALBAN
    • AUSTIN
    • JAMIE
    • JANE
    • JORDAN
    • KOUSHI
    • MIA
    • OLIVIA
    • PAIGE
    • TANE
    • TEAGUE
    • エイデン
    • エリース
    • オスティン
    • カーラ
    • コーバン
    • コナーF.
    • コナーT.
    • サム
    • シャンテル
    • ニック
    • ハナ H.
    • ハナ M.
    • パトリック
    • マギー
    • トム
    • ホリー
  • LINKS AND RESOURCES
    • VIDEO RESOURCES
    • LISTENING RESOURCES
    • ONLINE COURSES