Rather, you ask the interrogative word in a higher-pitched voice and drop your pitch for the rest of the question. I hope you find the above Spanish conversation tips and phrases helpful. Q: Cuntos aos tienes? (direct) Los amigos se preguntan quin es (Is Pedro going to the market?) Example: Me gusta mucho. 1. WebNow that we have seen the structure of a question, let's take a look at some Spanish question words in sentences. (hijos is masculine) How many children do you have? This is where it gets a little tricky. Bien. 2. Under all other circumstances, use cul before a form of ser when asking for a specific response. Very basically speaking, you switch the word order of the subject (whether its a noun or pronoun) and its accompanying verb form. Click here to quiz yourself on the question words and here to practice putting the question words into context. Cuntas manzanas vas a comprar?How many apples are you going to buy? Interrogative sentences can be total or partial. Vamos al cine el viernes. De quin son estos libros? Whose books are these? The noun can either appear immediately after the verb or appear later in the sentence. and cul?, or the unfamiliar placement of a preposition. We hope you never use it to answer this question, but we thought we should probably teach you how to say you dont like it. Adrianne has a master's degree in cancer biology and has taught high school and college biology. When you want to learn easy Spanish phrases, its not a bad idea to start with this one. de quin(whose) to inquire about the possession of an object and para quinto ask for whom. Si te llamo, contestars? (The pizza was good.) Por qu dices eso?Why do you say that? (How?) 2) Esta es la casa que me gusta. Q: (How many children/siblings do you have?) You can also ask a question by switching the position of the subject and verb: Among the category dresses, which one do you like best?). HOW OFTENis the question word you use in English when you want to know about the frequency of actions. How are you? It translates as WHEREFROM? The chart below includes a list of basic Spanish questions and answers. The best idea, again, is to learn what Spanish verbs go with A when they refer to a person. Use. It allows you to communicate with other people, helps you when you get lost, or when you need to choose the best candidate for a job. WebIn order to get information, e.g. El carro es nuevo?. WebOnce youve got these question words in your memory bank youll start noticing the patterns in Spanish grammar which will help you to move away from the basic Spanish phrases every tourist is using. WebAsking questions in Spanish is quite similar to asking questions in English. Question words, also known as interrogative pronouns, are words that we use to request more information about a specific part of the sentence. Cules son las 10 pelculas ms vistas de la historia? What are the 10 most-watched movies ever? A quin ests mirando? Who are you looking at? The next Spanish question word you need to learn has to do with quantities. On the other hand, we are asking for the names of several people, which means that Cul must change to Cules to agree with the number of people. Qu haces? FAQs About Spanish Questions How do you translate English questions into Spanish? Copyright 2023 SpanishLearningLab. What colour is the sky? Buenos das! Hola! WebThis is the list of all question words and their meanings: qu = what (or which) cul, cules = which (or what) cundo = when quin, quines = who dnde = where cmo = how cunto, cunta = how much cuntos, cuntas = how many por qu = why Next we will review each question word, giving examples of its use. Por qu?Dnde se encuentra Dios? Cules zapatos quieres?Which shoes do you want? Bien. 3) De dnde sois?Where are you guys from? Cuntos hijos tienes? Meanwhile cul? How are you? I can almost hear you say: How the heck am I going to know all of this?!. Desde cundo estudias espaol?Since when do you learn Spanish? Here are some simple ways to use WebThe word bueno literally means good, but it's commonly used in Spanish as a filler word, in the same you might start a sentence with well in English. Question words, also known as interrogative pronouns, are words that we use to request more information about a specific part of the sentence. When theyre used in a statement, you drop the the accent mark. Qu? Qu hora es? Cite this lesson. WebA good thing to note is question words, when used as a question, all have an accent mark. There are two ways to ask questions in Spanish. It means WHY and you use it when you want to ask for a reason. When they are not written with tilde, then they will be considered a part of the sentence instead, e.g. It is hard to even come to a decent conclusion. Heres an example: Dnde est la farmacia? T eres turista, o te mudaste para ac? WebTalking about your Spanish skills. Va al mercado Pedro? How are you? Where is the bathroom? If loading fails, click here to try again. These were our building blocks for learning how to ask someone for information. estudias ingls? Aqu jugaron (ustedes)? What (game) did you play? Qu quieres tomar? What do you want to drink? You like this movie, right? How are you guys?) (How?) Learn Spanish with free, communicative lessons. It asks for its name or definition, and theres only one possible answer. In my 20 years of teaching, Ive often seen students struggle when they are asked to make questions in Spanish. (for masculine) and CUNTAS? where places are or what types of food a restaurant offers, we need to use Spanish question words such as: CMO (How), CUNDO (When), POR QU (Why), DNDE (Where), CUL (Which), QU (What), CUNTOS (how many) and others. WebIn Spanish, when only part of a sentence is a question, you only place the question marks around that specific part of the sentence. Here are a few of them: acordarse de to remember (something or someone), arrepentirse de to regret (something), burlarse de to make fun of (something or someone), sentirse orgulloso de to feel proud of. One of the most common Spanish question words is QU?, which translates as WHAT. Qu quieres tomar? Do not worry though, as we are now going to have a look at the correct and possible uses of this question word: Use Qu when asking What in Spanish if the following word is a noun. One of the very first questions we learn when we start learning Spanish is: Cul es tu nombre? Whats your name? and Cul? Again, there is no one, single translation of this question word. Spanish question punctuation marks. )Why animals, why,do not live in the jungle? Cuntos panqueques hiciste? (personas is feminine) How many people work in your company? If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Question words in Spanish and English have the same functionthey start interrogative sentences. De qu color es el cielo? (Good morning!) Fill the gaps choosing between the options in brackets: 1) Me pregunto qu significa esta palabra. It's really just a matter of learning the vocabulary. What? Qu me vas a decir?What are you going to tell me? Qu would not fit here. Q: Cuntos aos tienes? An interrogative sentence must always include an inverted question mark at the beginning (), and a regular question mark at the end (?). Keep on studying! Whats the difference then between qu and cul, if they can both translate into what? If the next word in the sentence is not a noun, then we need to keep thinking: Cul es tu nmero?Whats your number? Buenos das, soy Diego. Good job! Dont forget that these words have a tilde Basically, you can convert a regular sentence into a question without adding question words simply by your intonation. Qu quieres? (no obvious category). Qu? If you are asking for a specific time, use a qu hora. Whats this? WebSpanish question marks feature an upside-down question mark at the beginning of the sentence and an ordinary question mark at the end. So simple, yet a little confusing when it comes to the question word itself. Spanish, unlike English, has many more question words and can change based on the type of information being requested. Vamos al cine el viernes. Question words are used to ask questions that require an answer beyond, Even when two question words have the same English equivalent, they are, When a Spanish speaker didnt hear you or needs you to repeat something, they will say. (qu / que)I wonder what this word means. Where is the pharmacy? Qu quieres? 2. Cun a menudo me vas a escribir? How often will you write to me? Qu hora es? Qu hora es? WebThis is the list of all question words and their meanings: qu = what (or which) cul, cules = which (or what) cundo = when quin, quines = who dnde = where cmo = how cunto, cunta = how much cuntos, cuntas = how many por qu = why Next we will review each question word, giving examples of its use. Cmo? In the following examples, either Spanish question is a grammatically valid way of expressing the English: Va Pedro al mercado? Total interrogative sentences, also closed questions, do not have to use interrogative words and are written between question marks. Use of interrogative words, and inverted question mark. Quin/es? As you learn new words on your trip, you'll be able to combine them with these question words to start forming your own sentences and questions! One of the most common Spanish question words is QU?, which translates as WHAT. PARA QU? Contents 1. Cuntas amigas invitaste a tu fiesta? A: (My name is Pablo.) Tambin / Tampoco (Also / Too / Either) Tener (have / has got) Also See: All Beginners Lessons. this is a quote in English . Cite this lesson. WebQuestion Words in Spanish. In addition, by placing an inverted question mark at the beginning of a sentence, the reader can adjust his or her tone as the sentence progresses. Sign up right now for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy. (Why?) Qu? Translation: I dont like it [at all].. Qu hiciste ayer?What did you do yesterday? Heres an example: Dnde est la farmacia? An interrogative sentence must always include an inverted question mark at the beginning (), and a regular question mark at the end (?). Por qu no me lo dijiste? Why didnt you tell me? Cite this lesson. 8) Por qu es azul el mar?Why is the sea blue? Qu? Learn all about adjectives in Spanish with these articles! This exercise is about accent marks. Lets put everything together one more time. 2. Passive voice in Spanish is not used as often as in English, so this kind of questions is not that common. (Good morning, I'm Diego. 7. Q: (How old are you? WebNormally, these sentences are introduced by a question word. A: (My name is Pablo.) Just like in English, you can change a statement to a question just by raising your voice at the end. A useful question word in Spanish when traveling is dnde (where). Aqu te dedicas? What do you do for a living? Quin/es? 2. WebAsking questions in Spanish is quite similar to asking questions in English. 2. What Is the Upside-Down Exclamation Point? 3. Quin Quin ( who) is an interrogative pronoun used as the subject of the sentence. this is a quote in English . It is easily one of the most common Spanish words youll hear. (Who?) Quines son esas personas?Who are these people? Check if you got it right below. What food do you like? (why?). Por qu no vamos a Tailandia?Why dont we go to Thailand? Telling someone how you truly feel in Spanish. Qu? Pay attention to how the preposition sticks to the question word again: Dednde es usted? Where are you from? 1. Remove the do or does from the English question. You've almost mastered question words in Spanish. Example: No me gusta [nada]. Qu pelcula viste anoche? What movie did you watch last night? If youre asking about the identity of more than one person, and your verb is in the plural, youll use quines. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. (When?) Instructor: Adrianne Baron.