❓ Question Words - Palabras interrogativas

Aa ⏱ ≈ 16 minutes

Beginner Spanish · Questions and conversation

Spanish Question Words

A good question can carry a conversation a long way. Learn how to ask what, who, where, when, why, and how, then build those small words into questions you can actually use.

Your next small win: choose the right question word, ask where someone is from, ask about a price or time, and start a simple conversation.

Start with the essentials

Six Question Words to Know

These six words open a lot of doors. Learn the meaning first, then listen to the complete example so the question word has some context.

¿Qué? What? ¿Qué quieres comer? means “What do you want to eat?”
¿Quién? Who? ¿Quién llamó? means “Who called?”
¿Dónde? Where? ¿Dónde trabajas? means “Where do you work?”
¿Cuándo? When? ¿Cuándo sales? means “When are you leaving?”
¿Por qué? Why? ¿Por qué sonríes? means “Why are you smiling?”
¿Cómo? How? ¿Cómo estuvo tu día? means “How was your day?”

Notice the accents: question words such as qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, and cómo normally carry a written accent when they are being used to ask a question.

Try it aloud

You want to know where a friend works. Start with the Spanish word for “where.”

Count, compare, choose

Amount and Choice

Some questions are not about who or where. You may want a price, a number, or a choice between options.

¿Cuánto? How much? ¿Cuánto cuesta? asks how much something costs.
¿Cuántos? / ¿Cuántas? How many? The form changes to agree with the noun.
¿Cuál? Which? / Which one? ¿Cuál prefieres? asks someone to choose.
¿Cuáles? Which ones? ¿Cuáles son tus favoritos? asks about more than one choice.

Ask the price

You are looking at something in a shop. Ask how much it costs.

Qué and cuál

Qué and cuál can both appear in questions that English may translate with “what” or “which,” but they are not interchangeable in every sentence.

¿Qué película recomiendas? What movie do you recommend? Here, qué comes directly before the noun película.
¿Cuál prefieres? Which one do you prefer? Here, the listener is choosing between possibilities.

A useful starting point: use qué naturally before many nouns, as in ¿Qué película...? Use cuál when asking someone to identify or choose one from possible answers, as in ¿Cuál prefieres?

Build a more specific question

Useful Question Combinations

Add a short word before a question word and the meaning becomes more specific. These combinations are worth learning as complete chunks.

¿Adónde vas? Where are you going? Adónde asks about a destination.
¿De dónde eres? Where are you from? De dónde asks about origin.
¿A qué hora empieza? What time does it start? Use a qué hora when you want a clock time.
¿Hasta cuándo te quedas? Until when are you staying? Use it when you want to know when something ends.
¿Por qué no vienes? Why aren't you coming? Por qué no asks why something is not happening.

Origin or destination?

You have just met someone and want to ask where they are from. Choose the combination that asks about origin.

More everyday questions
¿Qué me recomiendas? What do you recommend?
¿Qué tipo de música te gusta? What kind of music do you like?
¿Dónde tomaste esta foto? Where did you take this photo?
¿Qué planes tienes para mañana? What plans do you have for tomorrow?
¿Qué canción estás escuchando? What song are you listening to?
¿Cuándo fue tu último viaje? When was your last trip?

Put the questions to work

Everyday Conversations

A question is more useful when you can picture the answer coming back. Read both parts and then try the exchange aloud.

Choosing something at a café

A
¿Qué me recomiendas? What do you recommend?
B
El café con leche es excelente. The café con leche is excellent.

Talking about travel

A
¿Adónde viajas este verano? Where are you traveling this summer?
B
Voy a Costa Rica. I'm going to Costa Rica.

Listen for the job of the question word: qué asks for information or a recommendation here, while adónde asks for a destination.

Your turn · 8 quick questions

Practice: Choose the Question

Choose the question that fits each situation. The questions focus on the main lesson, so you can leave the optional material for later.

Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to the question, then try saying it yourself.