Asking questions
Qué, quién, cuándo, dónde, cómo, cuánto and cuál, and the word order of a question.
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Asking questions, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Turn a statement into a question
The simplest question is a statement said with a rising voice. In writing, it opens with ¿ as well as ending with a question mark: ¿Tienes hermanos?, Have you got any brothers or sisters? There is no word for do or does, and the subject can go after the verb: ¿Viene tu padre?, Is your dad coming?
Use the question words, each with its accent
¿Qué? what, ¿Quién? who, ¿Cuándo? when, ¿Dónde? where, ¿Cómo? how, ¿Por qué? why, ¿Cuánto? how much and ¿Cuál? which. Every question word carries a written accent, even in the middle of a sentence: No sé dónde vive, I don't know where he lives.
Put the verb straight after the question word
After a question word, the verb comes next, then the subject if you need one: ¿Dónde vive tu hermana?, Where does your sister live? ¿Qué hace Pablo?, What is Pablo doing? Often the subject can go altogether: ¿Dónde está?, Where is it?
Keep a preposition in front of the question word
A Spanish question never ends on a preposition, so it moves to the front: ¿De dónde eres?, Where are you from? ¿Con quién vas?, Who are you going with? ¿A qué hora empieza?, What time does it start?
Make quién, cuál and cuánto agree
Quién and cuál add -es for the plural: ¿Quiénes son?, Who are they? ¿Cuáles prefieres?, Which ones do you prefer? Cuánto agrees with its noun: ¿Cuántos años tienes?, ¿Cuántas personas hay?
Choose between qué and cuál
Before a noun, what or which is qué: ¿Qué deporte prefieres? Before ser, when you mean which one of a group, use cuál: ¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita?, What is your favourite subject? ¿Qué es? asks for a definition, what something is.
Tell por qué and porque apart
¿Por qué?, two words with an accent, asks why. Porque, one word with no accent, answers because: ¿Por qué estudias español? Porque me encanta. A reason with porque is an easy way to develop any answer.
Ask a question in the role-play
The speaking role-play asks you to ask a question, and a short question with a verb in the right person is enough. To a friend, use the tú form: ¿Quieres venir al cine? To a shop assistant or a receptionist, use the usted form, which is the same as the he or she form: ¿Tiene una habitación libre?, ¿Puede ayudarme?
Asking questions key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Question word
- A word that opens a question: qué, quién, cuándo, dónde, cómo, por qué, cuánto, cuál. Every one has a written accent.
- ¿ and ¡
- The upside-down marks that open a question or an exclamation in Spanish: ¿Vienes?, Are you coming? ¡Qué bien!, How great!
- por qué and porque
- Why and because. ¿Por qué no vienes?, Why aren't you coming? Porque estoy cansado, Because I'm tired.
- qué and cuál
- Both can mean what or which. Qué goes before a noun (¿Qué libro?); cuál stands on its own (¿Cuál es tu móvil?).
- cuánto
- How much, and cuántos or cuántas, how many. It agrees with its noun: ¿Cuántas horas?, How many hours?
- quién and quiénes
- Who, singular and plural: ¿Quién es?, Who is it? ¿Quiénes vienen?, Who is coming?
- ¿De dónde?
- Where from. The preposition goes at the front: ¿De dónde es tu madre?, Where is your mum from?
- Intonation
- The rise in your voice that turns a statement into a question: ¿Hablas francés? said with a rising tone. In listening, it can be the only clue that someone is asking.
- ¿Qué tal?
- A friendly way to ask how someone is or how something went: ¿Qué tal?, How are you? ¿Qué tal el viaje?, How was the journey?
Common mistakes in Asking questions
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Writing porque in a question: ¿Porque estudias español?
Why is two words with an accent: ¿Por qué estudias español? Keep porque, one word, for the answer: because.
Leaving the accent off a question word: ¿Donde vives?, ¿Que haces?
Every question word has an accent, and it changes the word: que without one means that. Write ¿Dónde vives? and ¿Qué haces? with their accents.
Copying the English word order: ¿Dónde tu hermana vive?
After the question word, the verb comes next: ¿Dónde vive tu hermana? Never add a word for do or does.
Putting the preposition at the end, as English does: ¿Quién vas con?
Move the preposition to the front, with the question word, as in ¿Con quién vas? and ¿De dónde eres?.
Using qué before ser to ask which one: ¿Qué es tu asignatura favorita?
To pick one from a group, use cuál: ¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita? ¿Qué es? asks for a definition, what something is.
Practice
Try a Asking questions question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which question asks what the girl is doing?
- ¿Qué la chica hace?
- ¿Qué hacen la chica?
- ¿Qué es la chica haciendo?
- ¿Qué hace la chica?
Show the answer and the working
Answer: ¿Qué hace la chica?
Spanish puts the verb straight after the question word and the subject after it: ¿Qué hace la chica? The present tense covers is doing as well as does.
- The subject is la chica, one person, so the verb is hace.
- In a question the verb comes straight after qué.
- So ¿Qué hace la chica? What is the girl doing?