Interrogatives

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An interrogative in Spanish is simply a question. In English, our interrogatives are Who, What, Which, When, Where, Why, and How. We'll talk about all the Spanish interrogatives today.

1.) Quién: Who

¿Quién es tu favorito actor? Who is your favorite actor?

2.) Qué: What

¿Qué es la más mejor canción? What is the best song?

3.) Cuál: Which, What (Quick PSA about Cuál and Qué: Qué can be followed by a noun or a verb, but Cuál can only be followed by a verb or the preposition de, meaning "of", when used as "what")

¿Cuál de las canciones es la más mejor? Which of the songs is the best?

¿Cuál es tu profesión? What is your job?

4.) Cuándo: When

¿Cuándo es tu cita? When is your appointment?

5.) Dónde: Where

¿Dónde eres de? Where are you from?

6.) Por qué: Why

¿Por qué eres una cristiana? Why are you a Christian?

7.) Cómo: How

¿Cómo pasa? How did it happen?

In addition to this, there is also a word for the English phrase "How much/how many?" This is the Spanish word Cuántos. To say "How much does it cost?" You would say, "¿Cuántos cuestas?"

To say how much of something there is or how much something costs, say, "Cuánto es".

To say how many of something there is, say "Cuántos son".

Lastly, there's a way we have to ask permission to do something or to ask someone if they did something. It's basically phrased as a statement with the question punctuation around it. For example:

¿Duermes bien?

This is literally "You slept well?" But we know that unless you're a southern US citizen, this is confusing and awkward. So the translation would be "Did you sleep well?" Here are some more examples:

¿Puedo ir a la tienda? Can I go to the shop?

¿Ya bebes vino? Do you drink wine already?

¿Robó mi identidad? Did you steal my identity?

Those are a few examples. To be honest, we as English gringos should be thankful. Interrogatives are easier in Spanish.

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