In Spanish, when a question doesn’t include a question word, it is often formed simply by adding question marks at the beginning and end of a statement. This kind of question can be identified by its rising intonation when spoken.
Tu amigo vive en Argentina. → ¿Tu amigo vive en Argentina?
Your friend lives in Argentina. → Does your friend live in Argentina?
Often a question is formed by adding verdad or no at the end of the sentence:
Tu amigo vive en Argentina, ¿verdad?
Your friend lives in Argentina, right?
The word order can also be inverted, so that the subject comes after the verb:
¿Vive tu amigo en Argentina?
Does your friend live in Argentina?
When there is a question word, it usually comes at the beginning of the sentence and the verb follows it:
¿Dónde vive tu amigo?
Where does your friend live?
¿Quién ha tomado mi paraguas?
Who has taken my umbrella?
The object of the sentence can be either before or after the subject:
¿Cuándo come tu hermana la naranja?
or
¿Cuándo come la naranja tu hermana?
When does your sister eat the orange?
Usually, however, the longer sentence element is placed last:
¿Cuándo come tu hermana la naranja que le compré?
When does your sister eat the orange that I bought her?
¿Cuándo come la naranja la hermana de mi amigo José?
When does the sister of my friend José eat the orange?
| Question words | |
|---|---|
| qué | what |
| por qué | why |
| para qué | what for |
| quién, quiénes | who (singular, plural) |
| a quién | whom |
| para quién | for whom |
| de quién | whose |
| cómo | how / what … like |
| cuánto, -a, -os, -as | how much, how many |
| cuál, cuáles | which, which one(s) |
| cuándo | when |
| dónde | where |
| adónde | where to |
| de dónde | from where |
Question words always include an accent mark to distinguish them from otherwise similar words.
¿Por qué quieres ir al cine?
Why do you want to go to the movies?
¿Para quién han comprado ese regalo?
For whom have you bought that present?
¿Cuál de estas frutas es tu favorita?
Which of these fruits is your favourite?