👉 How and when to use interrogative pronouns in Spanish?
– Spanish Grammar Basics for Beginners –
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Interrogative pronouns are pronouns used in questions. They replace the noun that is the subject of the question.
In Spanish, as in English, the interrogative pronoun is always placed at the beginning of a sentence.
It is used for both direct and indirect questions.
All interrogative pronouns have an accent to distinguish them from relative pronouns. However, this accent does not affect the pronunciation of the word.
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“.
In a question, these two expressions are always used as two separate words, the word “porque” being used in affirmative sentences, often in response to a question.
The difference between “por qué” and “para qué” is slight. “Por qué” is used to question why or how it works.
“Para qué” is more specific and is used to ask about the purpose of an action in a specific context.
When in doubt, it is recommended to use “por qué”, which is more universal.
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 sÃntomas? = 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?
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