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I'm wondering what the function of か is when it's not put in the end of the sentence. I'm fairly a beginner. I haven't learned how this work when's it followed by an を. Found this example here wherein 2 men fight.
やり出すと止まらない
どうすれば相手が傷つけるか知っていて
どうすれば自分が痛くなるかを知っている
From my little experience, this goes like.
I can't stop now that I started.
He knows what will wound him.
I know what will put me in pain.
On a sidenote, is my understanding of どうすれば here correct?
As a basic answer, か is used in this case to mark a "sub-question" that is being talked about. In English you can say "I know who ate the apple." A question word is used here even though a question is not being asked. In Japanese, a question word as well as the particle か is used to signify the sub-question.
Same is true in Japanese, 「だれがりんごを食べたか知っている」would be the translation. In cases like these where a question phrase is used in place of an "answer", the particle か is typically used and replaces が、を、は I believe. Not sure what differences are introduced if かを are both used
As for どうすれば I would say that translation would lean toward "how" versus "what", like "I know how I will be put in pain"
