Interrogative words

1
Interrogative Words
(Las palabras interrogativas)
2
Interrogative Words
Interrogative words are vital to any language.
They help us to obtain different kinds of
information.
Cómo? How? (sometimes what?)
Cómo estás?
Cómo es tu compañero de cuarto?
Cuál(es)? Which one(s)?
Cuál es el título de la novela?
Cuáles son tus novelas favoritas?
Cuándo? When?
Cuándo es la clase de historia?
All question words bear a written accent over the
stressed vowel.
3
Interrogative Words
Interrogative words are vital to any language.
They help us to obtain different kinds of
information
Cuánto/a(s)? How much (many)?
Cuántos libros necesitamos?
Dónde? Where?
Dónde está mi pluma?
De dónde? From where?
De dónde eres?
Adónde? To where?
Adónde vas?
All question words bear a written accent over the
stressed vowel.
4
Interrogative Words
Interrogative words are vital to any language.
They help us to obtain different kinds of
information
Por qué? Why?
Por qué estás tan triste?
Qué? What?
Qué aprendes en la clase de español?
Quién(es)? Who (all)?
Quién tiene el libro?
De quién(es)? Whose?
De quién es la mochila negra?
All question words bear a written accent over the
stressed vowel.
5
Question marks
(Signos de interrogación)
An inverted question mark () is always placed at
the beginning of a question word or phrase, and
another right-side-up question mark at the end.
Pardon? Hows that again?
Cómo?
Cómo es tu profesor?
What is your professor like?
While in English, word order or the helper verb
do normally indicate a question, in Spanish, word
order for questions and statements can be
identical, and Spanish has no equivalent to the
helper verb do. Thus the inverted question mark
alerts the reader that a question follows.
Does Juan speak English?
Juan habla inglés?
Juan speaks English.
Juan habla inglés.
6
Expansión
Qué? vs. Cuál?
What? Which? Which one(s)?
7
Qué? What?
Qué? asks for a definition, identification or
classification.
?

• Qué es la química?

What is chemistry?
Es el estudio de la composición elemental de la
materia.
(Its the study of the elemental composition of
matter.)
8
Qué? What?
Qué? asks for a definition, identification or
classification.
?

• Qué es esto?

What is this?
Es un teléfono celular.
(Its a cell phone.)
9
Qué? What?
Es el software para tu computadora.
Qué tienes en la mano?
Its the software for your computer.
What do you have in your hand?
10
Qué? What?

• Qué? asks for a classification such as
  nationality, political affiliation or religion,
  etc.

Qué es él, hondureño o peruano?
What is he, Honduran or Peruvian?
Qué son tus padres, católicos o protestantes?
What are your parents, catholic or protestant?
11
Cuál? Which (one)?
Cuál? asks for a selection from among several
things.

• Cuál es la flor más bonita?

Which is the prettiest flower (of all)?
Cuando se trata de los deportes, cuál prefieres,
el fútbol o el básquetbol?
When it comes to sports, which (one) do you
prefer, soccer or basketball?
12
Cuál? Which (what)?

• Cuál? is sometimes translated into English as
  what, but logically it still means which.

(Remember Qué? asks for a definition.)
Pilar
For example
In Spanish we say . . .
Alicia
Teresa
What is your name?
Cómo se dice
Which is your name?
Timoteo
Miguelito
Francisco
Magdalena
Cuál es tu nombre?
Alfredo
Vicente
Eduardo
Of all possible names, which one is yours?
Qué es tu nombre? would mean What is the
definition of your name?
13
Qué?, Cuál(es)?

• Qué? is always invariable.

Qué película vas a ver?
Which movie are you going to see?
Qué películas te gustan más?
Which movies do you like the best?
Cuál? has a plural form.
Cuál de los muchachos es tu hermano?
Which of the boys is your brother?
Cuáles de los muchachos son chilenos?
Which of the boys are Chilean?
14
Cuál? Which?

• Cuál? asks for a selection, as mentioned.

Cuál es la mejor computadora?
Which (of all the computers) is the best?
15
Qué? Which? before a noun
But immediately before a noun, qué? is used in
all cases.
Qué modelo prefieres tú, Faido?
16
Cuál? before a noun

• Nevertheless, even though some consider it
  grammatically questionable, some native speakers
  tend to use cuál? in these cases and, in
  informal circumstances, even the most scholarly
  may use it.

Cuál chaqueta trajiste, la roja o la negra?
(Qué chaqueta . . . ?)
Which jacket did you bring, the red one or the
black one?
17
Cuál? before a noun

• The foregoing is especially common when dealing
  with an exclamation of surprise or incredulity,
  etc.

Oye! Dame el dinero que me debes, eh?
Hey! Give me the money you owe me, OK?
Cuál dinero?!! Yo no te debo ningún dinero!
What money?!! I dont owe you any money!
(Qué dinero . . . ?!!)
18
FIN