The use of Qué and Cuál in Spanish is confusing because both words have the same translation in English: what

We can determine whether to use one or the other of these interrogative adverbs depending on the context.

Note that, like all interrogative adverbs, Qué and Cuál always have an accent.

I. Use of Qué

Generally speaking, Qué is used in a DEFINITION, EXPLANATION or DESCRIPTION situation.

The structure QUÉ + SER is used when we want to define something:

¿ Qué es un verbo? ==> What is a verb?
¿ Qué es eso? ==> What is this?
¿ Qué es un placebo? ==> What is a placebo?
¿ Qué estas bebiendo? ==> What are you drinking?
¿ Qué vas a comprar? ==> What are you going to buy?
¿ Qué quieres? ==> What do you want?

II. Emploi de Cuál

The word Cuál is used to ask for information about one or more things (Cuáles) belonging to a group already identified.

Cuál is also used to make a choice between several elements of a group – the group is already known to the people who are talking and the choice is about something concrete, tangible.

* When Cuál is preceded by the verb SER, it corresponds to the English “What is…? “

Examples:

¿ Cuál coche quieres más ? ==> Which car do you like the most?
¿ Cuáles son tus prioridades? ==> What are your priorities?
¿ Cuáles son los días de la semana? ==> What are the days of the week?
¿ Cuál es tu nombre? ==> What is your name?
¿ Cuál es su dirección? ==> What is your address?
¿ Cuáles son las opciones? ==> What are the options?
¿ Cuál será el propósito de tu viaje? ==> What will be the purpose of your trip?

* When used with verbs other than SER, cuál expresses a choice and corresponds to Which one(s).

Example :

¿ Cuál quieres? ==> Which one do you want?
¿ Cuáles son tus chocolates favoritos? ==> What are your favorite chocolates?

*Cuál preceded by the preposition “de” means “Which one of….” (In a group/set already identified)

Example :

¿ Cuál de los dos prefieres ? ==> Which of the two do you prefer?
¿ Cuál de esas frutas prefieres ? ==> Which of these fruits do you prefer?

* When it comes to making a choice in a homogeneous group, we choose the word Cuál :

Example :

De todas esas películas ¿ Cuál es tu favorita ? ==> Of all these movies, which one is your favorite? (Homogeneous group)

* When it is a question of making a choice in a heterogeneous group, one will choose the word Qué :

Example :

Para el regalo de Ana ¿ Qué compramos, un libro o un reloj ? ==> For Ana’s present, what are we buying, a book or a watch? (Heterogeneous group of objects).

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POR is used to express :

* THE CAUSE
Example : Es famoso por sus invenciones ==> He is known for his inventions.

* A CROSSING (in the geographical, spatial sense)
Example: Paso por el parque para ir a trabajar ==> I am going through the park to go to work.

* A TIME OF DAY
Example : Por la mañana me levanto temprano ==> I get up early in the morning.

* A FEELING
Example : Siento amor por ti ==> I feel love for you.

* A DURATION (can be replaced by durante)
Example : Me voy a estudiar a Madrid por 2 meses ==> I am going to study in Madrid for two months.

* A DATE OR AN IMPRECISE MOMENT
Example : Iré a visitar mis abuelos por el mes de Julio ==> I will visit my grandparents around July.

* THE PRICE OR EXCHANGE
Example: He comprado esta bicicleta por 100 euros ==> I bought this bike for 100 euros.

* WITH AN AGENT COMPLEMENT (in the passive)
Example : El iphone fue inventado por Steve Jobs ==> The iphone was invented by Steve Jobs.

* IN CERTAIN VERBAL LOCUTIONS like: interesarse por, preocuparse por, …
Examples :
Me intereso por lo que paso en Europa ==> I am interested in what is happening in Europe.
Me preocupo por los incendios en Brasil ==> I am concerned about the fires in Brazil.

* EXPRESS GRATITUDE
Example: Gracias por escucharme ==> Thank you for listening to me.

II. Use of PARA

PARA is used to express:

* THE GOAL, THE PURPOSE
Example : Estoy estudiando para encontrar trabajo ==> I am studying to find a job.

* THE RECIPIENT
Example : Este regalo es para mi padre ==> This gift is for my father.

* THE DESTINATION
Example : El avión es para Madrid ==> This is the plane to Madrid.

* THE POINT OF VIEW or COMPARISON
Examples :
– Para mí, es importante prestar atención a los demás ==> In my opinion, it’s important to be attentive to others.
– Para mí, es mejor viajar con moto que viajar con coche ==> It is better to travel by motorcycle than by car.

* A PLANNED DATE
Example: Para el 20 de enero, tenemos que haber terminado este trabajo ==> We need to finish this work by January 20.

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Spanish and English have many similarities, but also real differences. Language students often tend to copy their native language to the one they are learning. This is sometimes a source of error, as we will see.

Pronominal expressions

Pronominal verbs are numerous in Spanish, and are a frequent source of error:

• Te lo mereces.
  You deserve it (literally: you deserve yourself).
• ¡Comete lo! ¡Tomate lo!
  Eat it! Drink it!
• Tengo que irme.
  I have to go.
• ¿No te avergüenzas?
  Aren’t you ashamed?
• No puede dormirse.
  He can’t sleep, he can’t fall asleep.
• ¿Te inventaste este mueble?
  Did you make this furniture (yourself)?
• Me arrepiento de esas palabras.
  I regret these words.
• Se negó a ayudarme.
  He refused to help me.
• Se me perdieron las gafas.
  I lost my glasses.
• Me hice el loco.
  I acted like a fool, pretending not to understand.
• Peleamos.
  We had an argument.
• Recuerdo muy bien que lo hice.
  I remember very well that I did it.
• Tengo que descansar.
  I have to rest.

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is essential in Spanish, even in everyday and colloquial language.

• Le dijo que se callara.
  He told him to be quiet.
• Te lo di para que lo usaras.
  I gave it to you to use.

Present and future subjunctive

In a subordinate time clause, the Spanish present subjunctive has the value of future tense. A common mistake is to use the future tense in this case.

• Te lo diré cuando vuelvas.
  I’ll tell you when you get back.
• Avíseme tan pronto como el caso esté listo.
  Let me know as soon as the case is ready.​

Use of the past simple

This grammatical tense is commonly used in Spanish, especially in Latin America.

• ¿Donde lo compraste?
  Where did you buy it?
• ¿A que hora llegaron anoche?
  What time did they arrive last night?
• ¡Te equivocaste!
  You made a mistake!

The compound past tense opens the field of possibilities for the present, whereas the simple past tense expresses that an action or fact belongs definitively to the past.
This point is important in negative sentences, where the choice of tense allows for very clear nuances of expression in Spanish, obvious to a Spanish speaker, and often a source of awkwardness or error when the language is poorly mastered.

• No lo he hecho.
  I didn’t do it (but maybe I will later).
• No lo hice.
  I haven’t (and won’t).

• Esa mujer no ha tenido hijos.
  This woman has not had children (not yet, but she may).
• Esa mujer no tuvo hijos.
  This woman did not have children (and will not have any more).

Ser and Estar

This is a classic difficulty in learning Spanish, since these two verbs translate the same way in English and many other languages.

Basic rules

We use ser when we talk about the nature of beings or things, which cannot change (or not easily).

• Soy plomero.
  I am a plumber (that’s my job).
• Es ingles.
  He is English.
• Este regalo es para mí.
  This gift is for me.

We use estar to designate what is related to circumstances, time and space.

• Estoy en mi cuarto.
  I am in my room.
• España está en Europa.
  Spain is in Europe.
• Estábamos en el siglo 19.
  We were in the 19th century.
• ¿Está Juan?
  Is Juan here (is he present)?

The basic rule is simple and useful, but unfortunately, it is not always applicable. In the following cases, the choice of verb is imperative, although it may seem to contradict the basic rule.

• Somos cinco personas en el coche, en el ascensor…
  We are five people in the car, in the elevator…
• Son las tres.
  It is three o’clock.
• Hoy es el 2 de agosto.
  Today is August 2.
• Portarse así de mal no está bien.
  It is not good to behave so badly.

Without attribute, ser has the meaning of occurring, standing, taking place.

• La cumbre es en Madrid.
  The summit is held in Madrid
• El concierto será en Londres.
  The concert will take place in London.

The same sentence can sometimes use ser or estar, but with a different meaning:

• Es de mal genio.
  He is in a bad mood (he usually is, it’s his character).
• Está de mal genio.
  He is in a bad mood (right now, today, these days…).

• Este abrigo es caliente.
  This coat is warm (it keeps you warm).
• Este abrigo está caliente.
  This coat is warm (to the touch, it comes out of the dryer, it was in the sun…).

• Es negro.
  He is black (of color).
• Está negro.
  He is angry.

• Es vivo.
  It is lively (fast, agile).
• Está vivo.
  He is alive.

The distinction is not always clear, especially in references to a fixed place. Both verbs are used interchangeably by native speakers in many sentences with essentially the same meaning, although only estar is correct according to academic courses.

• ¿Dónde es/está tu casa?
  Where is your house?
• Mi casa es/está en la esquina.
  My house is around the corner.
• Minneapolis es/está en Minnesota.
  Minneapolis is in Minnesota.

In the same way, estar is normally de rigueur with a past participle, but ser is commonly used.

• Está/es prohibido pisar el césped.
  It is forbidden to walk on the grass.

The meaning is much the same, with perhaps a nuance in the temporary or permanent nature of the ban.

Por and para

This is the other classic difficulty. These two words are often translated as “for” in English.

Basic Rules

Por expresses cause, feelings, the notion of duration or circumscribed movement.

Para expresses finality, spatial destination, a future date, a perception or an opinion.

• Me lo prestó por dos meses.
  He lent it to me for two months.
• Paseamos por el centro comercial.
  We are walking through the shopping center.
• Lo compré por 50 €.
  I bought it for 50 €.
• Gracias por su confianza.
  Thank you for your trust.

• Esta tarea es para el lunes.
  This task is for Monday.
• Fue un golpe muy duro para él.
  It was a very hard blow for him.
• Este regalo es para mí.
  This gift is for me.
• A caballo vamos para el monte.
  We are going to the mountains on horseback.
• Estamos para acabar.
  We are almost finished.

Here again, the basic rule is sometimes contradicted, at least in appearance, especially because the notions of cause and purpose can be joined. Por is mandatory in the examples below.

• Luchábamos por la vida.
  We were fighting for life (because of life).
• Pelearon por eso.
  They fought over it (because of it).

Both prepositions are sometimes possible, but the meaning is not exactly the same.

• Lo hago por ti.
  I do it for you (because of you, for your sake).
• Lo hago para ti.
  I am doing it for you (to please you, to do you a favor).

We can see that while Spanish may sometimes seem easy when you hear people speak it, mastering it is not always so. But knowing a few basic ideas coupled with practice helps to avoid common mistakes that will soon seem obvious.

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Prefixes

The Spanish prefixes are to a large extent common with those of English. They are placed before a noun, adjective, adverb or verb, without changing the spelling. They are used to form new words by changing the meaning:

• legítimo → ilegítimo, illegitimate;
• nombre → sobrenombre, nickname.

There are six main categories of prefixes.

Quantitative prefixes: multi-, pluri-, bi-, poli-, co-

• multiétnico, multiethnic ;
• bilingüe, bilingual ;
• plurilingüe, multilingual, polyglot ;
• politécnico, polytechnic ;
• copiloto, co-pilot.

Intensive prefixes : super-, hiper-, sobre-, mini-, micro-, hipo-

• supermercado, supermarket;
• hiperbólico, hyperbolic;
• sobreprotegido, overprotected ;
• microcrédito, microcredit ;
• hipoglucemia, hypoglycemia.

Negative and privative prefixes: i-, in-, mal-, des-, dis-, a-

• ilegal, illegal;
• inaudito, unheard of, unprecedented;
• desocupado, unoccupied ;
• disgustar, displease, annoy ;
• malhumorado, bad tempered;
• apolítico, apolitical.

Time prefixes: pre-, post-, ante-

• predeterminado, predetermined;
• anteayer, day before yesterday;
• postparto, post-partum.

Oppositional prefixes : anti-, contra-

• antipático, unsympathetic:
• contraofensiva, counter-offensive.

Prefix of propensity and inclination : pro-

• proactivo, proactive, reactive.

Suffixes

Spanish suffixes have mostly a diminutive role, sometimes also an augmentative, appreciative or depreciative role.

Diminutives

Diminutives are very common, especially in speech. They are used to refer to a small size, but also as a mark of affection, tenderness, familiarity, sometimes also politeness. They apply to nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs.

They are formed with the suffixes -ito, -ita :

• casa → casita, small house ;
• Juan → Juanito, Little John.

A spelling change is sometimes necessary:

• chico → chiquito, little boy;
• un poco → un poquito, a little bit;
• cerca → cerquita, very close.

In some cases, the suffix is placed just before the end of the word and thus becomes an infix:

• azúcar → azuquítar, small sugar.
• Óscar→ Osquítar, Little Oscar.

We use-cito, -cita if the word ends with e, r or n :

• mujer → mujercita, little woman;
• llave → llavecita, small key.

We use -ecito, -ecita if the word is short (monosyllabic) and ends with a consonant:

• pan → panecito, bun;
• flor → florecita, small flower;
• luz → lucecita, small light.

If the word has a t in its last syllable, the suffix can change to -ico :

• momento → momentito
  short time (commonly used in the Madrid area or in Mexico);
• momento → momentico
  short time (commonly used in Aragon, Murcia, Colombia, Costa Rica or Cuba).

In everyday language, the formation of the diminutive is not always rigorous, several choices are sometimes possible:

• mamá → mamíta ;
• mamá → mamicíta
  little mother.

• vuelta → vueltita ;
• vuelta → vueltecita
  small tour.

Nuances of expression with a diminutive

In many cases, the diminutive does not refer to a small size, but serves to modulate the expression in an affectionate, familiar, or respectful sense. This is particularly the case when a diminutive is affixed to an adjective, an adverb or a verb.

• Estoy cansado.
  I am tired.
• Estoy cansadito.
  I am quite tired, I am exhausted.

• Vive sola.
  She lives alone.
• Vive solita.
  She lives alone.

• Vive cerca de mi casa.
  He lives near my house.
• Vive cerquita de mi casa.
  He lives next door to me.

• Espéreme un momento.
  Wait for me a moment.
• Espéreme un momentito.
  Please wait a moment (it won’t take long).

Augmentatives

Augmentative suffixes are numerous, mainly reserved for oral language. They are not always rigorously determined. Very often, only usage allows us to know them.

Suffixes -ote, -ota :

• palabra → palabrota, swear word;
• grande → grandote, very tall.

Suffixes -on, -ona :

• casa → casona, large house;
• mujer → mujerona, strong woman;
• un montón de gente, many people;
• un montonon de gente, a lot of people, a very large crowd.

Suffix -azo :

• hombre → hombrazo, huge man (very big or tall).

Nuances of expression with an augmentative

The suffixes -azo/a, -ote/a can express an appreciation:

• Tienes un sueldazo.
  You have a good salary, a high salary.
• Tengo un jefazo.
  I have a good leader, a quality leader.
• Es un amigote.
  He is a great friend, a valuable friend.

The suffixes -azo/a, -ote/a can express a depreciative or pejorative idea:

• Mi jefe es un animalote.
  My boss is an animal (meaning: he behaves like an animal).
• ¡No hagas tantas tonterías con tus amigotes!
  Don’t make so much nonsense with your friends! (implying: bad company).

The suffix -azo can express the idea of blow:

• cabezazo, headbutt;
• rodillazo, knee blow ;
• botellazo, bottle shot.

The suffixes -acho/a, -aco/a, -uzo/a, -ajo/a most often express a depreciative idea:

• libracho or libraco, bad book, without interest;
• gentuza, scum, scoundrels ;
• espantajo, scarecrow, problem or major difficulty.

As we can see, the forms of expression permitted by suffixes are rich and diverse. They are often determined by the context, since the same suffix can bring several different meanings.

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– QUE (who, what)
– EL CUAL / LA CUAL / LOS CUALES / LAS CUALES (which)
– QUIEN / QUIENES.
– EL QUE / LA QUE / LOS QUE / LAS QUE (which one, that one) ==> which can also replace “QUIEN / QUIENES”
– CUYO / CUYA ==> is translated as “whose” when it is a noun complement.

N.B : Relative pronouns are written without an accent so as not to confuse them with interrogative pronouns.

II. Subject relative pronouns

There is only one relative subject pronoun in English: “WHO”. In Spanish, this “Who” can be translated in different ways:

* By using the relative pronoun QUE (which can have people or things as antecedents).

• La chica que acaba de entrar es mi hermana ==> The girl who just entered is my sister.

* By using the relative pronoun EL CUAL ; which agrees in gender and number with its antecedent, becoming “los cuales” (masculine plural); “la cual” (feminine singular) or “las cuales” (feminine plural).

• Escribí a mi jefa, la cual me repsondio en seguida ==> I wrote to my boss and she answered right away.

==> The antecedent “jefa” is feminine, so the pronoun is granted using the pronoun “la cual“.

* By using the relative pronoun QUIEN, which agrees with its antecedent and before QUIENES in the plural.

• Esta señora, quien es una joven bailarina ==> This woman, who is a young dancer.

III. Relative pronouns as direct object complements

* QUE is the most commonly used relative pronoun. It is invariable and applies to persons and things.

• El animal que ví en el bosque es imponente==> The animal I saw in the forest is very imposing.

==> Here, “que” has the antecedent “El animal”.

* LO QUE is invariable and is translated as “What”.

• Es verdad, lo que me dijiste ==> It’s true what you told me.

IV. Relative pronouns as indirect object

* QUIEN / QUIENES is a relative pronoun that is used only for persons or things that are personified. QUIEN” agrees with its antecedent, becoming “QUIENES” in the plural. QUIEN/QUIENES are used after the following clauses : “a“, “de“, “con“, “en“, “para“, ou “por“.

• El amigo con quien cenamos se fue a dormir ==> The friend we had dinner with went to sleep. ==> “Quien” a pour antécédent “El amigo”.
• Los chicos con quienes estuve hablando son deportistas professionales ==> The boys I was talking to are professional athletes.

==> “Quienes” has as antecedent “los chicos”

* Used without antecedent, “QUIEN” can be translated as “who” or “the one who”. It can be used in proverbs or impersonal phrases.

• Quien siembra vientos recoge tempestades ==> He who sows the wind reaps the storm.
• Hay quien(es) piensa(n) que los unicornios existen ==> There are people who think that unicorns exist.

V. Use of CUYO to translate “whose”

* CUYO does NOT agree with its antecedent but with the noun that follows. CUYO can be translated as “Of which” when it is the complement of the noun.

• Es un museo cuyos cuadros son famosos ==> It is a museum whose paintings are famous.

On the other hand, if “whose” is the complement of a verb or an adjective, “whose” should be translated using the pronouns “del que” or “del cual” (which also agree in gender and number with their antecedent).

• Te compartiré las peliculas de las cuales te hablé ==> I’ll share the movies I told you about.

VI. Relative pronouns as a complement of place or time

In English, the relative pronoun “where” is used to express place and time (e.g. the restaurant where I eat every day). In Spanish, “where” is translated in different ways depending on whether it refers to place or time.

* The word DONDE is used to express the place

• El parque donde fuimos a correr esta cerrado ahora ==> The park where we went running is now closed.

* We use EN QUE to express the time

• El año en que tuvo un accidente ha sido duro ==> The year he had an accident was difficult.

N.B : The two relative pronouns “DONDE” and “EN QUE” are invariable.

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I. Formation and use of reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns (pronombres reflexivos) are used with pronominal verbs such as: LAVARSE (to wash oneself), DORMIRSE (to go to bed), DESPERTARSE (to wake up), VESTIRSE (to get dressed), MAQUILLARSE (to put on make-up), etc.

In Spanish the reflexive pronouns are me, te, se, nos, os, se and identify who (or what) is performing the action of the verb.

Example with the pronominal verb LAVARSE (To wash):

– (Yo) me lavo ==> I wash myself
– (Tú) te lavas ==> You wash yourself
– (Él/Ella/Usted) se lava ==> He washes himself
– (Nosotros) nos lavamos ==> We wash ourselves
– (Vosotros) os laváis ==> You wash yourself
– (Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes) se lavan ==>  They wash themselves

II. Placement of the reflexive pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are usually placed BEFORE the conjugated verb.

Example :

– Te molesta la música ==> The music disturbs you.
– Nos vestimos de blanco para la boda ==> We dress in white for the wedding.
– Nos sentimos traicionados ==> We feel betrayed.

CAUTION, in some situations, the reflexive pronoun is attached after the verb:

* When the verb is in the INFINITIVE:

Example:

– Tengo que deciros ==> I must tell you.
– Tienes que llevarles a casa ==> You have to bring them home.

* When the verb is conjugated in the positive IMPERATIVE :

Example :

– Lávate las manos ==> Wash your hands.
– Sentaos por favor ==> Please sit down.

* When the verb is conjugated in the GERUND

With the structure: ESTAR + GERUND ==> In this situation we can either attach the reflexive pronoun after the verb or place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.

Example :

– Está comiéndose una manzana ==> Se está comiendo una manzana ==> He is eating an apple.
– Estamos divirtiéndonos con una película ==> Nos estamos divirtiendo con una película ==> We are having fun watching a movie.

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Personal pronouns as direct object complements

Direct object personal pronouns are used to replace a noun that the sentence is clearly about. They can be used to replace a proper noun or a common noun. The direct object personal pronouns are as follows:

• me 
• te 
• lo or la 
• nos 
• os 
• los or las 

Thus, in an affirmative sentence, when the subject is clearly identified by the speaker, it will be possible to replace the noun with a personal pronoun as a direct object complement.

Instead of writing “el gato come el ratón” (the cat eats the mouse), you can say “el gato lo come” (the cat eats it).

Examples:

• Tu hijo no me habla = Your son doesn’t talk to me
• Te quiero = I love you
• Paolo lo rompió = Paolo broke it
• Mi mamá nos trajó comida = My mother brought us food
• Sandra no os conoce = Sandra doesn’t know you
• Perdí mis anteojos. Los has visto ? = I lost my glasses. Have you seen them?

When the personal pronoun is the direct object of a verb in the infinitive or gerund, it can be stuck to the end of the verb.

Examples :

• Vinó a visitarme el lunes = He came to see me on Monday
• Puedes llamarlo ahora = You can call him now
• Estoy esperandolo = I’m waiting for it
• Estan superándonos = They are overtaking us

Les pronoms personnels compléments d’objet indirect

In Spanish, indirect object personal pronouns are useful to replace a noun that refers to a person.

They replace a person indirectly involved in the action. They give information about the person to whom or for whom the action described in the sentence is done.

Only third person indirect object personal pronouns differ from direct object personal pronouns. The indirect object personal pronouns are :

• me 
• te 
• le 
• nos 
• os 
• les 

In a sentence, it is therefore sufficient to identify the indirect object of the sentence in order to replace it with the corresponding indirect object personal pronoun.

In the statement “Pedro compró un regalo a Juan” (Pedro bought Juan a present), it is possible to replace the indirect object “a Juan” (to Juan) with the indirect object personal pronoun “le“.

We then obtain the sentence “Pedro le compró un regalo”.

Examples :

• Me envió una carta = He sent me a letter
• Gabriel te manda un paquete = Gabriel is sending you a package
• Le quiero decir algo importante = I want to tell him something important
• Nos quiere comprar la casa = He wants to buy us the house
• Maria os va a visitar jueves = Maria will come to see you on Thursday
• Les van a hablar primero = They will talk to them first

As in the case of the direct object personal pronoun, the indirect object personal pronoun can be placed at the end of the verb when it concerns a verb in the infinitive or gerund.

Examples :

• Voy a visitarle mañana = I will visit him tomorrow
• Quieres comprarle un regalo ahora ? = You want to buy You want to buy him a present now?a present now?
• Marco vinó a hablarles = Marco came to talk to Marco came to talk to them

Double pronoun

When a verb is accompanied by two personal pronouns as object complements, the personal pronoun as indirect object complement, relating to a person, is always placed before the personal pronoun as direct object complement, replacing a person or a thing.

The indirect object personal pronouns “le” and “les” become “se” when placed before the direct object personal pronouns “lo”, “la”, “los” or “las”.

Examples :

• Pablo me lo dió = Pablo gave it to me
• Maria nos lo a dicho = Maria told us
• Marcelo se los compra = Marcelo buys it for them
• Yo se las comparto = I share it with them

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In Spanish, there is a grammatical phenomenon that is often found: it is characterized by the addition of one or two personal pronouns right after the conjugated verb.

The pronoun can be direct, indirect or reflexive and is joined to the end of the verb so that only one word is formed and the tonic accent remains unchanged.

Moreover, so that the accented syllable does not change, in most cases, a written accent must be added.

How do I place ‘lo’?

It can be formed by one or more pronouns.

In the following example there can be only one pronoun:

• Dílo. (Say it)

Different modes

There are three different ways to add ‘lo’. First, it’s found in the infinitive.

• Hay que tenerlo. (You must have it)

It also exists in the gerund.

• Puede pasar tiempo haciéndolo sin parar. (He can spend time doing it without stopping)

In this example, an accent has been added to the “e” so that the tonic accent is kept.

Finally, it also appears in the imperative:

The written accent

As we have seen, a written accent must be added when adding ‘lo’ so that the tonic syllable is unchanged.

In general, the tonic syllable of words that end with a consonant other than “n” or “s” are on the last syllable.

On the other hand, for words that end in a vowel, an “n” or an “s”, the tonic syllable is located on the second to last syllable.

For example, if we take the verb “enfrentarse” and conjugate it in the second person singular in the imperative, we get “enfrentate“.

The stress is normally on the penultimate syllable since the base of the verb is “enfrenta” and, since the personal pronoun “te” is added at the end, an accent is added on the “e” so that the stress is kept on the proper syllable.

Thus, adding ‘lo’ is often present in Spanish. It has some peculiarities regarding the order of the pronouns and the written accent.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Complement personal pronouns

👉 Previous lesson: Subject personal pronouns

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Quién

“Quién” is used to ask about the identity of a person.

It is translated into English as “who” and is often used in the same way.

The only difference with the use of “who” in English is that “quién” is agreed in the plural when it refers to a group of people.

The use of the preposition “a” or “de” is also possible before “quién”.

Examples :

• ¿Quién es ese muchacho? =Who is this young man?
• ¿A quién llamaste? =Who did you call?
• ¿De quiénes son estos libros? =Whose books are these?
• ¿Quiénes han llegado primeros? =Who came first?

Qué

“Qué” refers to things or actions. It can be translated as “that” or “what” depending on the context. It is invariable, but can be preceded by a preposition.

Examples :

• ¿Qué haces? =What are you doing?
• ¿Qué está pasando? =What’s going on?
• ¿De qué hablaste con tu hermana? =What did you and your sister talk about?
• ¿En qué estás pensando? =What are you thinking about?

Por qué/Para qué

The interrogative pronoun “why” can be translated as “por qué” or “para qué“.

Examples :

• ¿Por qué haces eso? = Why are you doing this?
• ¿Por qué los gatos ronronean? = Why do cats purr?
• ¿Por qué te vas? = Why are you leaving?
• ¿Para qué ir a la escuela si ya sé todo? = Why go to school if I already know everything?

Cuál

“Cuál” is used to introduce a question that leaves a choice between two or more things.

“Cuál” is given in the plural when it refers to several choices in the same sentence or to the choice between two groups of objects.

It can be translated as “what” or “which one(s)”.

Examples :

• ¿Cuál es tu favorito? = Which one is your favorite?
• ¿Cuál es tu nombre? = What is your name?
• ¿Cuáles te gustan más? = Which ones do you like the most?
• ¿Cuáles son los síntomas? = What are the symptoms?

Cómo

“Cómo” is translated as “How”. It allows you to ask the person you are talking to about the state of a thing or a person or how it works.

Examples :

• ¿Cómo se escribe? = How do you spell it?
• ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?
• ¿Cómo es la vida en Cuba? = How is life in Cuba?
• ¿Cómo hacer para perder peso? = How do you lose weight?

Cuánto

“Cuánto” is the only interrogative pronoun that agrees in gender and number. It means “how many”.

The masculine form is the most used. However, if the objects referred to are grammatically feminine, “cuántas” should be used.

Examples :

• ¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much does it cost?
• ¿Cuánta plata tiene? = How much money do you have?
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? = How old are you?
• ¿Cuántas personas van a ir? = How many people will go?

Cuándo

“Cuándo” translates to “when”. It is used to ask about the situation of events in time, whether they are future or past.

Some prepositions can be placed before “cuándo”.

This is the case of “hasta” (until) or “para” (for).

Examples :

• ¿Cuándo naciste? =  When were you born?
• ¿Cuándo vamos? = When are we leaving?
• ¿Hasta cuándo tenemos que dejarlo ? = Until when do we leave?

Dónde/Adónde

The interrogative pronouns “dónde” and “adónde” are used to ask about a place or direction.

Although “adónde” refers more specifically to a place to go, both forms of the interrogative pronoun are now accepted without distinction.

Examples :

• ¿Dónde estás? =  Where are you?
• ¿Adónde vas? = Where are you going?
• ¿Dónde empieza tu terreno? = Where does your land begin?
• ¿Adónde podemos ir para comer las mejores pizzas? = Where can we go to eat the best pizza?

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Subject personal pronouns

👉 Previous lesson: Indefinite pronouns

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