What’s worse than not being able to ask questions in Spanish when you want to know something? Whether you’re out shopping, meeting up with your friends, or on vacation, knowing how to ask questions is a skill you can work on. After all, asking questions is one way of learning about the world around us and getting to know people, making friends, and so on.

This handy guide will teach you how questions are formed in Spanish and all the nitty gritty you need to know to navigate the Spanish-speaking world.

Asking questions in Spanish

There is one thing that sets Spanish apart from the other languages: the inverted or upside-down question mark (¿). If you’re just learning Spanish, the inverted mark may seem daunting, but it’s actually pretty simple. Just as the regular question mark (?) is used at the end of a sentence, the inverted mark (¿) is used at the beginning of the sentence. Think of it as a way of opening the sentence… For example:

• ¿Cuál es tu nombre? – What’s your name?
• ¿Qué te gusta hacer? – What do you like to do?
• ¿Cuál es tu película favorita? – What is your favorite movie? (Learn how to talk about movies in Spanish.)
• ¿Cuándo es la fiesta? – When is the party?
• ¿Dónde está el baño? – Where is the bathroom?

Using the inverted mark (¿) in the middle of a sentence

What do you do when only a part of the sentence is a question? In Spanish, you will place the inverted mark (¿) and question mark (?) only around the portion that’s a question. Have a look over these sentences:

• Hola, ¿cómo te sientes? – Hi, how are you feeling?
• Estoy feliz, ¿y tú? – I’m happy, and you?
• Pero, ¿por qué no me lo dijo antes? – Why didn’t she tell me sooner?
• Buenos días, ¿cómo te puedo ayudar? – Good morning, how can I help you?
• Disculpa, ¿sabes dónde hay wifi por aquí? – Excuse, do you know where’s wifi nearby?

How to use interrogative words in Spanish

Maybe you noticed the use of “where,” “what” and “when” in the examples above. These are called interrogative words, and they can be pronouns or adverbs. Both English and Spanish use interrogative words and their purpose is to show the meaning of the questions you ask. There’s a big difference between a “how” and a “what.” You basically set the tone of the question with the interrogatives:

• Qué – What
• Quién / Quiénes– Who
• Cuándo – When
• Dónde – Where
• Cómo – How
• Cuál / Cuáles– Which
• Por qué – Why
• Cuánto, cuánta – How much (cuánto is masculine, cuánta is feminine)
• Cuántos, cuántas – How many (cuántos is masculine, cuántas is feminine)

Some of these interrogatives can also be preceded by prepositions: a quién (to whom), de quién (of whom), de dónde (from where), or de qué (of what.)

Making questions in Spanish using interrogatives

Before we jump to examples, it’s important to know that all the interrogative words have accents when used to ask questions in Spanish. As a rule, if you see an interrogative word with an accent mark, it means it’s asking a question. On the other hand, when the same interrogative is used in a statement, you won’t see (or add) an accent. And there is no difference in pronunciation. For instance, compare these two:

• ¿Cuándo hace menos calor en Peru? – When is Peru the least warm?
• Julio es cuando hace menos calor en Peru. – July is when Peru is the least warm.

Examples of questions in Spanish with interrogatives

• ¿Qué es eso? – What is that?
• ¿Quién te dijo eso? – Who told you so?
• ¿Cuándo nos vemos? – When are we seeing each other?
• ¿Dónde está la estación del metro? – Where is the subway stop?
• ¿Cómo te gusta tomar café? – How do you like to drink coffee?
• ¿Cuál es el mío? – Which one is mine?
• ¿Por qué no fuiste a mi fiesta de cumpleaños? – Why didn’t you come to my birthday party?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? – How much does it cost?
• ¿Cuántas personas viven en Costa Rica? – How many people live in Costa Rica?

Altough English uses the same word (be it singular or plural) for “who,” in Spanish we have quién for singular and quiénes for plural. Here’s an example: ¿Sabes quiénes fueron a la fiesta de Mike? (Do you know who went to Mike’s party?). Same goes for “which:” cuál for singular and cuáles for plural. For instance, ¿Cuáles son tus colores favoritos? (Which are your favorite colors?).

The Spanish questions structure

Now you know how to use the inverted question mark (¿) and the interrogatives. The only thing left is how to structure questions in Spanish. Similar to English, you can use an interrogative word to start a question. And in general, a verb will follow the interrogative: ¿Cuándo sale el tren? (When does the train leave?). However, the Spanish language is less strict when it comes to word order. The truth is that you can turn any statement into a question. In this case, your intonation will play a role and you should end your statements in a higher pitch to indicate that you’re asking a question. For instance:

• ¿Vamos por un café? – Should we go get coffee?
• Vamos por un café. – Let’s go get coffee.
• ¿Los inviernos en Lisboa son fríos? – Are winters in Lisbon cold?
• Los inviernos en Lisboa son fríos. – Winters in Lisbon are cold.

That’s all folks! If you want more Spanish lessons, download our free Spanish conversation course ebook, and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Thanks ❤️