Asking things
Preguntar cosas
- Ask and answer questions.
- Learn the question words.
- Interrogative words: "¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Cuál?, ..."
Learn essential Spanish question words and phrases to ask about people, places, times, reasons, and quantities. Practice with real-life dialogues and verb conjugations focused on asking, responding, and requesting in the present tense. Suitable for A1 beginners looking to communicate effectively in everyday situations.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (12) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words into two groups according to the type of question they form.
Preguntas sobre detalles específicos
Preguntas sobre cantidad, modo o causa
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
¿Cómo?
How?
2
Repetir
To repeat
3
Responder
To respond
4
Pedir
To ask
5
¿Dónde?
Where?
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Make a phrase that matches the picture, using a question. (Make a phrase that matches the picture, using a question.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
¿Cuánto es la cuenta? How much is the bill? |
|
¿Qué dices? What do you say? |
|
¿Cuál quieres? Which one do you want? |
|
¿Adónde tenemos que ir? Where do we have to go? |
|
¿A qué te dedicas? What is your job? |
|
¿Qué idioma hablas? What language do you speak? |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. ¿_____ ir al mercado conmigo esta tarde?
(_____ want to go to the market with me this afternoon?)2. Siempre _____ dónde está la tienda cuando estoy en una ciudad nueva.
(I always _____ where the store is when I am in a new city.)3. Ella _____ ayuda cuando no entiende las instrucciones del trabajo.
(She _____ for help when she doesn't understand the work instructions.)4. Mis amigos _____ rápido a mis mensajes cuando organizamos algo.
(My friends _____ quickly to my messages when we organize something.)Exercise 8: Questions at the neighborhood store
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Preguntar - Ask
Presente
- yo pregunto
- tú preguntas
- él/ella/Ud. pregunta
- nosotros/as preguntamos
- vosotros/as preguntáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. preguntan
Abrir - Open
Presente
- yo abro
- tú abres
- él/ella/Ud. abre
- nosotros/as abrimos
- vosotros/as abrís
- ellos/ellas/Uds. abren
Responder - Answer
Presente
- yo respondo
- tú respondes
- él/ella/Ud. responde
- nosotros/as respondemos
- vosotros/as respondéis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. responden
Pedir - Ask for
Presente
- yo pido
- tú pides
- él/ella/Ud. pide
- nosotros/as pedimos
- vosotros/as pedís
- ellos/ellas/Uds. piden
Exercise 9: Palabras interrogativas: "¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Cuál?, ..."
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Interrogative words: "¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Cuál?, ..."
Show translation Show answersCuándo, Por qué, Cuál, Cuántas, Qué, Dónde, Quiénes
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A1.18.2 Gramática
Palabras interrogativas: "¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Cuál?, ..."
Interrogative words: "¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Cuál?, ..."
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Preguntar to ask Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) pregunto | I ask |
| (tú) preguntas | You ask |
| (él/ella) pregunta | he/she asks |
| (nosotros/nosotras) preguntamos | we ask |
| (vosotros/vosotras) preguntáis | You ask |
| (ellos/ellas) preguntan | They ask |
Pedir to ask Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) pido | I ask |
| (tú) pides | You ask |
| (él/ella) pide | he/she asks |
| (nosotros/nosotras) pedimos | we ask |
| (vosotros/vosotras) pedís | you ask |
| (ellos/ellas) piden | they ask |
Responder to respond Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) respondo | I respond |
| (tú) respondes | You respond |
| (él/ella) responde | he/she responds |
| (nosotros/nosotras) respondemos | we respond |
| (vosotros/vosotras) respondéis | You respond |
| (ellos/ellas) responden | they respond |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Spanish today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Asking Questions in Spanish: A Practical Guide
Welcome to your lesson on asking questions in Spanish, designed for beginners at the A1 level. This lesson covers essential question words such as ¿Qué? (What?), ¿Quién? (Who?), ¿Cuál? (Which?), and others that help you gather information in everyday conversations.
Key Question Words
You'll explore two main groups of interrogative words:
- Questions about specific details: ¿Quién?, ¿Qué?, ¿Cuál?, ¿Cuándo?, ¿Dónde?
- Questions about quantity, manner, or reason: ¿Cuánto?, ¿Cómo?, ¿Por qué?
Examples of Everyday Questions
Example sentences include:
- ¿Qué quieres comer esta noche? (What do you want to eat tonight?)
- ¿Quién prepara la comida en tu casa? (Who cooks at your house?)
- ¿Dónde compras los ingredientes más frescos? (Where do you buy the freshest ingredients?)
- ¿Cuándo empiezas a cocinar el desayuno? (When do you start cooking breakfast?)
- ¿Cómo se hace esta receta tradicional? (How is this traditional recipe made?)
- ¿Por qué prefieres usar aceite de oliva para cocinar? (Why do you prefer to use olive oil for cooking?)
Practice Dialogues for Real Life
Engage with dialogues set in practical situations such as the office, cafeteria, and store. These dialogues help you learn how to ask about work schedules, menu items, and product locations using appropriate question forms.
Verb Conjugation Focus
The lesson also emphasizes conjugation practice of verbs related to asking and responding such as preguntar (to ask), responder (to respond), and pedir (to request), all in the present tense.
Special Notes on Usage
In Spanish, question words are always used with an inverted question mark ¿ at the beginning and a regular one at the end, which is different from English. The word order in Spanish questions may vary but usually follows the structure: question word + verb + subject. For example, "¿Quién es el jefe?" translates directly as "Who is the boss?"
Here are some useful question words and their approximate English equivalents:
- ¿Qué? - What?
- ¿Quién? - Who?
- ¿Cuál? - Which?
- ¿Dónde? - Where?
- ¿Cuándo? - When?
- ¿Cómo? - How?
- ¿Por qué? - Why?
- ¿Cuánto? - How much/How many?
This structured approach will support your understanding and use of fundamental Spanish questions in everyday conversations.
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
