Lesson 08 · 6 min read
Spanish Question Words and How to Ask Questions
Asking questions is how conversations get going. Spanish has a compact set of question words, and — unlike English — you rarely need a helper verb like "do." Just raise your intonation or invert the order.
1. The question words
Question words always carry a written accent to mark them as questions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué? | What? |
| ¿Quién? | Who? |
| ¿Dónde? | Where? |
| ¿Cuándo? | When? |
| ¿Por qué? | Why? |
| ¿Cómo? | How? |
| ¿Cuánto? | How much? |
| ¿Cuál? | Which? |
2. Everyday questions
Every Spanish question opens with an inverted question mark, and question words always carry a written accent — cómo, dónde, qué — which distinguishes them from the same words used as ordinary connectors. Word order also flips: the verb comes before the subject, as in "¿Dónde está Juan?".
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué es esto? | What is this? |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | Where is the bathroom? |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost? |
| ¿A qué hora? | At what time? |
| ¿Cómo se dice… en español? | How do you say… in Spanish? |
| ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? | Can you repeat, please? |
3. Yes-or-no questions, and the ones that trip people up
Not every question needs a question word. To turn a statement into a yes-or-no question, Spanish changes nothing but the intonation and the punctuation: Tienes hambre becomes ¿Tienes hambre? There is no equivalent of English's do or does, which is one of the few places Spanish is simpler. Qué and cuál both translate as what, and choosing between them is the classic sticking point. Qué asks for a definition or category — ¿Qué es esto? Cuál asks you to pick from a set — ¿Cuál prefieres? Before a noun, Spanish nearly always uses qué: ¿Qué libro quieres?
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cuál prefieres? | Which one do you prefer? | Hay dos, ¿cuál prefieres? — There are two, which do you prefer? |
| ¿Qué es esto? | What is this? | Perdona, ¿qué es esto? — Sorry, what is this? |
| ¿Por qué? / Porque | Why? / Because | —¿Por qué no vienes? —Porque trabajo. — 'Why aren't you coming?' 'Because I'm working.' |
| ¿Cuántos años tienes? | How old are you? | ¿Cuántos años tienes? — How old are you? |
| ¿Verdad? | Right? / isn't it? | Eres de México, ¿verdad? — You're from Mexico, right? |
Use it in context
A first conversation with someone, built almost entirely out of question words.
- —¿Cómo te llamas? —Me llamo Ana. ¿Y tú?
'What's your name?' 'I'm Ana. And you?' - ¿De dónde eres?
Where are you from? - ¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you? - —¿Por qué estudias español? —Porque me gusta.
'Why are you studying Spanish?' 'Because I like it.' - ¿A qué hora empieza la clase?
What time does the class start? - ¿Cuál prefieres, el rojo o el azul?
Which do you prefer, the red one or the blue one?
Common mistakes
Como te llamas? → ¿Cómo te llamas?
Two things missing: the opening inverted question mark, and the written accent that marks cómo as a question word rather than the connector meaning as or like.
¿Dónde Juan está? → ¿Dónde está Juan?
Spanish questions invert the verb and subject. Keeping English word order is understandable but immediately marks you as a learner.
¿Qué es tu nombre? → ¿Cómo te llamas?
Qué asks for a definition, so ¿Qué es tu nombre? reads as "what is a name?". Spanish has two natural options: ¿Cómo te llamas? everywhere, and ¿Cuál es tu nombre? which is common in Latin America and a little more formal.
Quick check
¿___ cuesta? — Cuánto / Cuál
Show the answer
Cuánto — Cuánto asks how much.
¿Por qué? asks. Which word answers it? — Porque / Por qué
Show the answer
Porque — Two words with an accent ask; one word without answers.
¿___ prefieres, este o ese? — Cuál / Qué
Show the answer
Cuál — Cuál asks you to pick from a set.