Question words: qué, dónde, cuándo…
A1Grammar path · Lesson 17 of 86 · Stage A1 · Questions, negatives and plans
Whenever you want specific information like what, where, when, who or how, you need a question word: qué, dónde, cuándo, quién, cómo, cuánto, cuál, por qué. The question word comes first, right after the opening ¿, followed by the verb, and the subject usually goes after the verb: ¿Dónde vive Ana?. If there is a preposition, it goes in front of the question word: ¿De dónde eres?. Every question word carries a written accent, even inside indirect questions. The most common mix-up is por qué (why, two words, accent) versus porque (because, one word, no accent).
Practise this lesson · 9 sentences
Form
¿Qué/Dónde/Cuándo + verbo + (sujeto)?¿Preposición + qué/quién/dónde + verbo + (sujeto)?Verbo + qué/dónde/cuándo + verbo + (sujeto)When to use it
Asking for basic information
Use qué, dónde and cuándo to ask about things, places and times. The verb comes right after the question word.
Asking about people, manner and quantity
Quién asks about people, cómo about manner, cuánto about amount or price. Cuánto agrees with the noun after it: cuántos libros, cuántas personas.
Indirect questions
After verbs like saber, decir or entender, the question word keeps its accent but the sentence has no question marks. The word order stays like a direct question.
Question words (always with an accent)
Signal words
Frequently asked questions
Why does qué have an accent but que does not?
Qué with an accent is the question word (what). Que without it is a connector or relative word, as in Creo que sí.
What is the difference between por qué and porque?
Por qué (two words, accent) means why and asks the question. Porque (one word, no accent) means because and gives the answer.
When do I use qué and when cuál?
Use cuál before ser when choosing among options: ¿Cuál es tu número?. Use qué before a noun or to ask for a definition: ¿Qué libro quieres?.
Do I really need the opening ¿ at the start of a question?
Yes, in standard writing every question opens with ¿ and closes with ?. Indirect questions use neither mark.
Where does the subject go in a question with a question word?
The subject usually goes after the verb: ¿Dónde trabaja tu hermano?. Do not say ¿Dónde tu hermano trabaja?
Where does the preposition go in de dónde or con quién?
The preposition always goes right before the question word, at the start: ¿Con quién vives?. Spanish never leaves the preposition at the end.