Spanish Question Words: Qué, Quién, Dónde, Cuándo and More

Spanish questions do not need do or does. For a yes/no question, you can keep the statement’s word order and use question intonation; to ask for information, usually start with a question word. On the page, a direct question opens with ¿, and the question words in this guide carry a written accent: qué, dónde, cuándo.

The question words

These eight cover almost everything you'll ask at the start:

Before a noun, cuánto agrees with it: ¿cuánto dinero?, ¿cuánta agua?, ¿cuántos días?, ¿cuántas personas? In ¿Cuánto cuesta?, cuánto asks about the price. Quiénes and cuáles are the plural forms for people and things.

Everyday note: ¿Qué tal? and ¿Cómo estás? both mean “How are you?” and are fine everywhere; ¿Qué tal? is especially common in Spain. To someone you address as usted, ask ¿Cómo está usted? For a group, Spain often uses vosotros (¿De dónde sois?), while Latin America uses ustedes (¿De dónde son ustedes?).

¿ ¡ and the accent

Open and close. Spanish marks where a question starts with ¿ and where an exclamation starts with ¡. The mark goes where the question itself begins, which is not always the start of the sentence:

The accent. Question words always carry a written accent. Without it, most of them are different, everyday words:

The mark doesn't change the vowel sound; it shows that the word is a stressed question word. The accent also stays when the question is inside a longer sentence: No sé dónde vive. (I don't know where she lives.)

Word order and yes/no questions

Yes/no questions. You can keep the statement’s word order. Add ¿…? in writing and use question intonation when speaking, often with a rise at the end. Moving the subject after the verb is also common:

With a question word. The verb usually follows the question word or phrase, and a named subject often comes after the verb. A preposition belongs before the question word: de dónde, not a preposition left at the end as in English.

Qué or cuál?

Both can translate English “what,” but they do different jobs. Start with these useful patterns:

Before a noun, qué is a useful default everywhere. Cuál + noun, as in ¿Cuál libro quieres?, is also valid and is much more common in Latin America than in Spain.

Por qué and porque

They sound almost the same but are written differently. Ask with por qué (two words, accent); answer with porque (one word, no accent):

Common mistakes

No ¿ and no accent. Standard Spanish opens every question with ¿, and the question word needs its accent.

Porque in a question. “Why” is por qué — two words with an accent.

Porque is right in the answer: Porque me gusta.

“What's your name?” with qué es. ¿Qué es…? asks what something is, like a definition.

Cuánto without agreement. Before a noun, cuánto matches it — personas is feminine plural.

Quick exercise

Fill in the question word, with its accent. Use the answer as a clue.

1. ¿___ te llamas? — Me llamo Lucía.
2. ¿___ vives? — En Valencia.
3. ¿___ celebras tu cumpleaños? — El 3 de mayo.
4. ¿___ es ese chico? — Es mi primo.
5. ¿___ personas vienen a la cena? — Seis.
6. ¿___ estudias español? — Porque quiero vivir en México.
7. ¿___ es tu número de teléfono? — Es el 612 345 678.
8. ¿___ hora es? — Son las dos.