{"id":17064,"date":"2025-05-01T07:13:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T05:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/para-que-aprendes-espanol-interrogative-sentences\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T21:54:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T19:54:23","slug":"para-que-aprendes-espanol-interrogative-sentences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/para-que-aprendes-espanol-interrogative-sentences\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfPara qu\u00e9 aprendes espa\u00f1ol? Interrogative sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\tO<\/span>\n\t\t\t

ne of the first things we need to learn when acquiring a foreign language is how to ask questions. In this article, we will explore the types and structure of interrogative sentences in Spanish, which words can be used to ask questions depending on what we want to know, and some additional characteristics of interrogative sentences. Let's go!<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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One characteristic of interrogative sentences in Spanish, unlike other languages, is the use of double question marks. An opening mark (\u00bf) and a closing mark (?) are used.<\/p>

\u00bf<\/b>C\u00f3mo te llamas?\u00a0<\/b>(What is your name?)<\/p>

\u00bf<\/b>Qu\u00e9 quieres comer?\u00a0<\/b>(What do you want to eat?)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Types of interrogative sentences\n<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Broadly speaking, there are two types of interrogative sentences in Spanish: total or closed interrogatives, which can be yes\/no questions, meaning they are answered with a yes or no, or can offer alternative response options; and partial interrogatives. The latter cannot be answered with a yes or no or with an option given in the question, but require a more elaborate response. Let’s look at examples.<\/p>

Total interrogatives lack an interrogative particle and can follow the order (Subject) + Verb + Complements<\/strong> or Verb + (Subject) + Complements<\/strong>. I place the subject in brackets because in Spanish it can be omitted and frequently is, and I present the two sentence orders because, as we have seen in other articles, word order is quite flexible in Spanish.<\/p>

\u00bfVas (t\u00fa) a la fiesta? S\u00ed. (Are you going to the party? Yes.)
\u00bf(Ella) va a la fiesta? No. (Is she going to the party? No.)<\/p>

\u00bfPrefieres (t\u00fa) la camisa roja o la azul? La azul. (Do you prefer the red shirt or the blue one? The blue one.)
\u00bf(Ella) prefiere la camisa roja o la azul? La roja. (Does she prefer the red shirt or the blue one? The red one.)<\/p>

Partial or open interrogative sentences are characterized by beginning with an interrogative word, and follow the order Interrogative + Verb + (Subject)<\/strong> or Interrogative + (Complement) + Verb + (Subject)<\/strong>, depending on the interrogative we use.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Interrogative words<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Let’s look at examples of interrogative words and their functions.<\/p>

\u00bfQu\u00e9?<\/strong> – Used to ask about things, actions, definitions. \u00bfQu\u00e9 haces? (What are you doing?)
\u00bfQui\u00e9n?\/\u00bfQui\u00e9nes?<\/strong> – Used to ask about people. \u00bfQui\u00e9n llam\u00f3? (Who called?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1l?\/\u00bfCu\u00e1les?<\/strong> – Used to ask about specific options within a group. \u00bfCu\u00e1l prefieres? (Which one do you prefer?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1nto?\/\u00bfCu\u00e1nta?\/\u00bfCu\u00e1ntos?\/\u00bfCu\u00e1ntas?<\/strong> – Used to ask about quantity. \u00bfCu\u00e1ntos a\u00f1os tienes? (How old are you?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1ndo?<\/strong> – Used to ask about time. \u00bfCu\u00e1ndo llegar\u00e1s? (When will you arrive?)
\u00bfD\u00f3nde?<\/strong> – Used to ask about location or place. \u00bfD\u00f3nde vives? (Where do you live?)
\u00bfAd\u00f3nde? \u00bfA d\u00f3nde?<\/strong> – Used to ask about the direction of movement. \u00bfAd\u00f3nde vamos? (Where are we going?)
\u00bfC\u00f3mo?<\/strong> – Used to ask about mode or manner. \u00bfC\u00f3mo lo hiciste? (How did you do it?)
\u00bfPor qu\u00e9?<\/strong> – Used to ask about cause or reason. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 llegaste tarde? (Why did you arrive late?)
\u00bfPara qu\u00e9?<\/strong> – Used to ask about purpose. \u00bfPara qu\u00e9 estudias espa\u00f1ol? (What are you studying Spanish for?)<\/p>

Interrogative + Verb + (Subject)<\/strong>: used with qu\u00e9, qui\u00e9n, cu\u00e1l, cu\u00e1ndo, d\u00f3nde, ad\u00f3nde, c\u00f3mo, por qu\u00e9 and para qu\u00e9.<\/p>

\u00bfQu\u00e9<\/strong> haces (t\u00fa)? (What are you doing?)
\u00bfQui\u00e9n<\/strong> fue a la fiesta? (Who went to the party?) *(Qui\u00e9n, if not accompanied by a preposition, is normally the grammatical subject).
\u00bfCu\u00e1l<\/strong> es la capital de Uruguay? (What is the capital of Uruguay?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1ndo<\/strong> viajas (t\u00fa) a Austria? (When are you traveling to Austria?)
\u00bfD\u00f3nde<\/strong> est\u00e1 tu prima? (Where is your cousin?)
\u00bfAd\u00f3nde<\/strong> vais? (Where are you all going?)
\u00bfC\u00f3mo<\/strong> lleg\u00f3 (usted)? (How did you arrive?)
\u00bfPor qu\u00e9<\/strong> no viniste ayer? (Why didn’t you come yesterday?)
\u00bfPara qu\u00e9<\/strong> quieres un coche nuevo? (What do you want a new car for?)<\/p>

Interrogative + (Complement) + Verb + (Subject)<\/strong>: used with qu\u00e9, cu\u00e1l and cu\u00e1nto.<\/p>

\u00bfQu\u00e9<\/strong> coche te gust\u00f3 m\u00e1s? (Which car did you like more?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1l<\/strong> coche es el tuyo? (Which car is yours?)
\u00bfCu\u00e1nto<\/strong> dinero traes? (How much money are you bringing?)<\/p>

These interrogatives can also be accompanied by prepositions and, as you may have noticed, some have variations in grammatical gender and number. We will examine them in detail in subsequent articles. In those articles, we will also look at the negative form of interrogative sentences.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The intonation of interrogative sentences<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It is important to learn the intonation of interrogative sentences in Spanish, since in many cases the order of the sentence is the same as that of a declarative sentence, which can lead to confusion.<\/p>

Total interrogative sentences have a rising intonation at the end of the phrase:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00bfUstedes van a la fiesta<\/b>? (Are you all going to the party?)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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