Question words: Qué, Quién, Cuándo, Dónde, Por qué, Cómo, Cuál, Cuánto

Spanish question words are essential building blocks for having meaningful conversations. When you understand these interrogative words, you can ask about anything – from basic information to complex ideas. Here’s everything you need to know about using Spanish question words effectively.

The Essential Spanish Question Words

Qué (What)

You’ll use “qué” to ask about things, definitions, or general information. It’s one of the most versatile Spanish question words.

  • ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
  • ¿Qué quieres comer? (What do you want to eat?)
  • ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Quién (Who)

“Quién” helps you ask about people. It has two forms: “quién” (singular) and “quiénes” (plural).

  • ¿Quién está en la puerta? (Who is at the door?)
  • ¿Quiénes son tus amigos? (Who are your friends?)
  • ¿Con quién vives? (Who do you live with?)

Cuándo (When)

Use “cuándo” for all questions about time, dates, and schedules.

  • ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? (When is your birthday?)
  • ¿Cuándo llegará el tren? (When will the train arrive?)
  • ¿Desde cuándo vives aquí? (Since when have you lived here?)

Dónde (Where)

“Dónde” helps you ask about locations and places. It often pairs with prepositions.

  • ¿Dónde está el banco? (Where is the bank?)
  • ¿A dónde vas? (Where are you going?)
  • ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)

Por qué (Why)

“Por qué” helps you understand reasons and motivations. Remember that the answer often uses “porque” (because).

  • ¿Por qué estudias español? (Why are you studying Spanish?)
  • ¿Por qué no viniste ayer? (Why didn’t you come yesterday?)
  • ¿Por qué está lloviendo? (Why is it raining?)

Cómo (How)

“Cómo” is used to ask about manner, method, or state of being.

  • ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
  • ¿Cómo se hace esto? (How do you do this?)
  • ¿Cómo llegaste aquí? (How did you get here?)

Cuál (Which)

“Cuál” helps you choose between options. It has a plural form: “cuáles.”

  • ¿Cuál es tu color favorito? (Which is your favorite color?)
  • ¿Cuáles son las mejores películas? (Which are the best movies?)
  • ¿Cuál prefieres? (Which do you prefer?)

Cuánto (How much/many)

“Cuánto” asks about quantity or price. It changes form to match gender and number:

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)
  • ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you? / How many years do you have?)
  • ¿Cuántas personas vendrán? (How many people will come?)

Key Points to Remember

  1. Always use upside-down question marks (¿) at the beginning of questions in written Spanish.
  2. Spanish question words always carry an accent mark (tilde).
  3. The word order in Spanish questions can be more flexible than in English:
    • ¿Qué comes tú? = ¿Qué tú comes? (What are you eating?)
  4. Question words can combine with prepositions:
    • ¿Con quién? (With whom?)
    • ¿Para qué? (What for?)
    • ¿De dónde? (From where?)

Common Question Patterns

Here are some everyday situations where you’ll use Spanish question words:

  • Personal Information:
    • ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?)
    • ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
    • ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
  • Daily Life:
    • ¿Qué tiempo hace? (What’s the weather like?)
    • ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where’s the bathroom?)
    • ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? (How much does this cost?)
  • Making Plans:
    • ¿Cuándo nos vemos? (When will we see each other?)
    • ¿A dónde vamos? (Where are we going?)
    • ¿Por qué no salimos? (Why don’t we go out?)

Remember that Spanish question words are your key to gathering information, starting conversations, and expressing curiosity in Spanish-speaking contexts.

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Complete Spanish Grammar Learning Companion > Building Basic Conversations > Asking and Answering Simple Questions > Question words: Qué, Quién, Cuándo, Dónde, Por qué, Cómo, Cuál, Cuánto

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