In the previous lesson we learned and their punctuation. That is easiest part, but we often want to know more and get information when we ask something, not just SI or NO. In this lesson we will learn the vocabulary for question marks in Spanish and more importantly how to use them to ask about important information such as occupations, age, feelings and more. Let’s begin…
Making questions - Asking questions
As shown in the picture above, information questions usually begin with Spanish question words like CÓMO (How), CUÁNDO (When), POR QUÉ (Why), DÓNDE (Where), CUÁL (Which) and QUÉ (What). Information questions are called INTERROGACIONES PARCIALES in Spanish because you need more than a simple SI/NO answer. In this kind of questions, the intonation often goes down at the end. They also need a question mark at the beginning and one at the end. The basic structure for this type of questions is:
Spanish question word Subject (optional) conjugated Spanish verb content of our question
You examples using question words in Spanish What are you doing? / Where do you work? - I'm a doctor What do you do? Where did you find it? - I found in the room Where did you find it? What is your name? / What is your name? - My name is Tommy What is your name? - My name is Tommy What do you prefer? - I prefer the red Which one do you prefer? - I prefer the red one How old are you? - I am 20 years old How old are you? - I am 20 years old How are you feeling today? - I feel good How do you feel today? How many children do you have? - I have 3 children How many children do you have? Whose is this book? - This book is hers Whose is this book? - This book is hers Who will help you? - My friend is going to help me Who is going to help you? - My friend is going to help me Why are you doing that? - Because it's part of my task Why are you doing that? - Because it is part of my homework
Lesson quiz: Information questions - Las preguntas Please wait while the activity loads. If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled. If loading fails, click here to try again Now we will practice the rules to use Spanish question words with a simple quiz. Complete each information question with the correct word so they make sense. You will receive a tip every time you find a correct answer. Press START when you are ready. Start Congratulations - you have completed Lesson quiz: Information questions - Las preguntas.You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%% Your answers are highlighted below. Question 1 ¿__________ años tiene tu mamá? → How old is your mom? A Cuanto B Cuántos C Cómo Question 1 Explanation: As it is presented in the examples, we use “Cuántos” meaning “How” when we ask for ages or when we mean “How many...”. Cómo would notmake sense in this case, and “Cuánto” (with tilde) is used meaning “How much”. Something imporant about “Cuánto” and “Cuántos” is that they change to “Cuánta” and “Cuántas” when used with feminine nouns. Question 2 ¿__________ son sus nombres muchachos? → What are your names guys? A Cuál B Cuáles C Qué Question 2 Explanation: To ask for names, we use the question word “Cuál” when it means “What is your...”. We do not use the literal translation “Qué” when asking names. On the other hand, we are asking for the names of several people, which means that “Cuál” must change to “Cuáles” to agree with the number of people. Another way to ask names is using “¿Cómo te llamas?” but notice that it is a different structure. Question 3 ¿__________ es tu cumpleaños? → When is your birthday? A Cuandos B Cuándo C Qué Question 3 Explanation: This is a very simple, common question. “Cuándo” does not have a plural form and always has a tilde over the vowel “a”. “Qué” would not fit here. Question 4¿__________ Is this book? → Whose is this book? A B C Who Who Question 4 Explanation: Whose is translated in Spanish as "Who" joining the preposition "from" and the question word "who". Notice in all These questions That the form of the verb AGREES With the subject of the sentence and we Also use question marks at the beginning and end. Question 5 __________ you doing that? → Why are you doing that? A What For C B 5 Explanation Why Question: "What" Would Have made sense if we where asking "? What are you doing" but that's not the case. We Have to choose between "Why" and "Why". "Why" separated means "Why" in Spanish, Whereas "Because" mean because. Notice That "For" does not need a tilde, UNLIKE "Why". Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items You have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results There are five questions to complete. List ← → Return Shaded items are complete. 1 2 3 4 May End Return You have completedquestions question Your score is Correct Wrong Partial-Credit You have not finished your quiz. If you leave this page, your progress will be lost. Correct Answer You Selected Not Attempted Final Score on Quiz Attempted Questions Correct Attempted Questions Wrong Questions Not Attempted Total Questions on Quiz Question Details Results Date Score Hint Time allowed minutes seconds Time used Answer Choice(s) Selected Question Text All done Need more practice! Keep trying! Not bad! Good work! Perfect!
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