Question Words and Forming Questions
Spanish questions are marked by an opening inverted question mark (¿) as well as the closing one, and every question word carries a written accent to distinguish it from the same word used in a statement (que/qué, como/cómo, cuando/cuándo, donde/dónde, cual/cuál, cuanto/cuánto, quien/quién, por que/por qué). Yes/no questions are usually formed simply by adding question marks around a statement, often with the subject moved after the verb for emphasis (¿Vive Ana en Madrid?), rather than by adding a helper word as English does with 'do/does'. The examiner is testing accurate use of the accent on question words, since its absence is a marked error rather than a stylistic choice, correct choice between qué and cuál, and agreement of cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/cuántas with the noun that follows.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Open every question with an inverted question mark ¿ as well as the usual closing ?, and remember this applies even to a question that is only part of a longer sentence: Sabes ¿dónde está la estación?
- Always write a question word with its accent when it is genuinely asking a question, directly or indirectly: qué, cómo, cuándo, dónde, cuál/cuáles, cuánto/a/os/as, quién/quiénes, por qué (two words) - the accent-free versions (que, como, cuando, donde, cual, cuanto, quien, porque) are used in statements, not questions.
- Choose qué before a noun or when asking for a definition or explanation (¿Qué libro lees?, ¿Qué es esto?), and cuál/cuáles when choosing from a set of options or asking 'which one' (¿Cuál prefieres, el rojo o el azul?).
- Agree cuánto with the noun that follows: cuánto dinero (masculine singular), cuánta agua (feminine singular), cuántos libros (masculine plural), cuántas personas (feminine plural).
- Distinguish por qué (two words, meaning 'why') from porque (one word, no accent, meaning 'because') - a question always uses the two-word accented form, and the answer that follows very often uses the one-word form: ¿Por qué estudias español? Porque me gusta.
- For a simple yes/no question, either keep statement word order and add the question marks, or move the subject after the verb for a more natural spoken register: ¿Tu hermano vive en Sevilla? or ¿Vive tu hermano en Sevilla?, both correct.
- Remember quién/quiénes agrees only for number, not gender: ¿Quién es? for one person, ¿Quiénes son? for more than one, regardless of whether the person or people are male or female.
Worked example
Translate into Spanish: 'Why do you study Spanish, and which subject do you prefer?'
- 'Why' needs the two-word accented question form: ¿Por qué...?
- 'Do you study' has no direct English-style helper verb in Spanish - simply conjugate estudiar for tú: estudias.
- Assemble the first question: ¿Por qué estudias español?
- 'Which subject' asks for a choice from a set of subjects; for GCSE, the safest and always-correct pattern is qué + noun: ¿Qué asignatura prefieres?
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Add the missing accent: Como te llamas?Show answer
Answer: ¿Cómo te llamas?
Q2Choose que or cuál: ¿___ es tu color favorito?Show answer
Answer: Cuál (¿Cuál es tu color favorito?).
Q3Translate: 'How much water do you drink every day?'Show answer
Answer: ¿Cuánta agua bebes cada día?
Q4Translate: 'Why are you late?' and give a possible answer using because.Show answer
Answer: ¿Por qué llegas tarde? - Porque perdí el autobús.
Q5Translate: 'Who is that girl over there?'Show answer
Answer: ¿Quién es esa chica allí?
Q6Complete: ¿___ hermanos tienes? (how many, masculine plural)Show answer
Answer: Cuántos (¿Cuántos hermanos tienes?).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lee esta conversación y contesta las preguntas en inglés. - Hola, me llamo Sofía. ¿Cómo te llamas tú? - Me llamo Marcos. ¿De dónde eres? - Soy de Valencia. ¿Y tú? - Yo soy de Bilbao. ¿Cuántos años tienes? - Tengo dieciséis años. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? - Es el doce de marzo. Questions: (a) What is the boy's name? (b) Where is the girl from? (c) How old is the boy? (d) When is his birthday?
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Translate into Spanish: 'What is your favourite subject, and why do you like it? How many books do you read every month?'
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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