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Asking and Answering Questions
Asking questions and answering them is easy in Spanish. Study the following models and look for the word order patterns.
1. "Yes/No" Questions:
Word order is flexible when asking this type of question in Spanish:
All three of these questions in Spanish mean exactly the same thing in English: Does Paco eat pizza?
The first example is simply the affirmative statement Paco come pizza. Said with a rising intonation at the end of the sentence, it becomes a question: ¿Paco come pizza? When writing, the upside-down question mark at the beginning of the sentence makes it absolutely clear that what follows is a question, not a statement.
The affirmative answer
can be made negative by adding no between Paco (the subject) and habla (the verb):
2. "Interrogative" questions
This kind of question uses questions words ("interrogatives") such as dónde, cuál, qué, etc. to obtain specific information:
Notice that, like English, the question word comes first. In Spanish, the verb always comes next, before the subject, e.g., What eats Paco? -- ¿Qué come Paco?
Here is a list of "question words" (interrogatives). These important words are essential to effective communication, so you must memorise them. Note that all question words have an accent.
Finally, there are those questions that appear at the end of a statement, requesting the listener's affirmative or negative response. These are commonly known as tag questions:
3. Tag Questions
Note that in English, the tag question depends on the previous verb, but in Spanish the single word ¿verdad? is all that is needed.
1. "Yes/No" Questions:
Word order is flexible when asking this type of question in Spanish:
- ¿Paco come pizza?
Does Paco eat pizza?
¿Come Paco pizza?
Does Paco eat pizza?
¿Come pizza Paco?
Does Paco eat pizza?
All three of these questions in Spanish mean exactly the same thing in English: Does Paco eat pizza?
The first example is simply the affirmative statement Paco come pizza. Said with a rising intonation at the end of the sentence, it becomes a question: ¿Paco come pizza? When writing, the upside-down question mark at the beginning of the sentence makes it absolutely clear that what follows is a question, not a statement.
The affirmative answer
- Sí, Paco come pizza.
Yes, Paco eats pizza.
can be made negative by adding no between Paco (the subject) and habla (the verb):
- No, Paco no come pizza.
No, Paco doesn't eat pizza.
2. "Interrogative" questions
This kind of question uses questions words ("interrogatives") such as dónde, cuál, qué, etc. to obtain specific information:
- Paco come pizza.
Q: ¿Quién come pizza? Who eats pizza?
A: Paco come pizza. Paco eats pizza.
Q: ¿Qué come Paco? What eats Paco? = What does Paco eat?
A: Paco come pizza. Paco eats pizza.
Notice that, like English, the question word comes first. In Spanish, the verb always comes next, before the subject, e.g., What eats Paco? -- ¿Qué come Paco?
Here is a list of "question words" (interrogatives). These important words are essential to effective communication, so you must memorise them. Note that all question words have an accent.
- ¿Cómo? -- How? What?
¿Cómo está su amigo? -- How is your friend?
¿Cómo es su amigo? -- What is your friend like?
¿Cuál/es? -- What/which (one)? -- What/which (ones)? Indicates choice of possibilities.
¿Cuál es su película favorita? -- What/Which one is your favourite movie?
¿Cuáles son sus películas favoritas? -- What/which ones are your favourite movies?
¿Cuándo? -- When?
¿Cuándo es el estreno? -- When is the debut?
¿Cuánto/a? -- How much?
¿Cuánto cuestan las entradas? -- How much do the tickets cost?
¿Cuántos/as? -- How many?
¿Cuántas entradas quedan? -- How many tickets are left?
¿Dónde? -- Where? (location, place)
¿Dónde está el cine? -- Where is the cinema?
¿Adónde? -- To where? (destination)
¿Adónde vamos? -- To where are we going = Where are we going to?
¿De dónde? -- From where? (origin)
¿De dónde venimos? -- From where are we coming? = Where do we come from?
¿Para qué? -- Why? For what purpose?
¿Para qué vamos al cine? -- Why are we going to the cinema?
Para pasarlo bien. -- (In order)To have a good time.
¿Por qué? Why? -- For what reason?
¿Por qué vamos al cine? -- Why are we going to the cinema?
Porque tenemos entradas gratuitas. -- Because we have free tickets.
¿Qué? -- What?
¿Qué es esto? -- What is this?
¿De qué? -- Of what?
¿De qué está hecho? -- Of what is it made? = What's it made of?
¿Quién/es? -- Who (singular/plural)
¿Quién es? -- Who is it?
¿Quiénes son? -- Who are they?
¿A quién/es? -- To whom?
¿A quién está dirigida la carta? -- To whom (one person) is the letter addressed?
¿A quiénes está dirigida la carta? -- To whom (more than one person) is the letter addressed?
¿Con quién/es? -- With whom (singular/plural)?
¿Con quién/es está viajando? -- With whom is he travelling (singular/plural)?
¿De quién/es? -- Whose? From/of whom?
¿De quién/es la carta? -- Whose (singular/plural) letter is it?/From whom (singular/plural) is the letter? (ambiguous meaning).
Finally, there are those questions that appear at the end of a statement, requesting the listener's affirmative or negative response. These are commonly known as tag questions:
3. Tag Questions
- La pizza está buena, ¿verdad?
The pizza is good, true? = isn't it?
Se han comido el chocolate, ¿verdad?
They have eaten up the chocolate, true? = haven't they?
Deberían estudiar más, ¿verdad?
They should study more, true? = shouldn't they?
Note that in English, the tag question depends on the previous verb, but in Spanish the single word ¿verdad? is all that is needed.
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