10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation

Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson introduces key Spanish question words: "Dónde" (Where), "Cuál" (Which), "Qué" (What), and "Por qué" (Why). Learn their correct use at the start of questions, recognizing singular/plural forms like "Cuál" and "Cuáles," and the use of question marks and accents.
  1. “Cuál” has a plural form, “cuáles”.
  2. The question word is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
  3. Question marks are used at the beginning (¿) and at the end (?)
  4. Interrogative words carry an accent mark.
Palabra interrogativa (Interrogative word)Ejemplo (Example)
Dónde

¿Dónde está el parque? (Where is the park?)

¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)

Cuál

¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? (What is your phone number?)

¿Cuáles son tus libros favoritos? (¿Which are your favourite books?)

Qué

¿Qué quieres cenar? (¿What do you want for dinner?)

¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Por qué 

¿Por qué te dedicas a la ingeniería? (Why do you dedicate yourself to engineering?)

¿Por qué estudias medicina? (Why do you study medicine?)

Exercise 1: Palabras interrogativas: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Cuáles, Dónde, Qué, Por qué, Cuál

1.
¿... está tu oficina?
(Where is your office?)
2.
¿... aprendes español?
(Why are you learning Spanish?)
3.
¿... es tu trabajo?
(What is your job?)
4.
¿... trabajas como abogado?
(Why do you work as a lawyer?)
5.
¿... son tus planes para el fin de semana?
(What are your plans for the weekend?)
6.
¿... libro lees?
(Which book are you reading?)
7.
¿... es tu trabajo ideal?
(What is your ideal job?)
8.
¿... está el camarero ?
(Where is the waiter?)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ¿___ trabajas actualmente?

(___ do you currently work?)

2. ¿___ es tu profesión?

(___ is your profession?)

3. ¿___ estudias medicina?

(___ do you study medicine?)

4. ¿___ asignaturas tienes este semestre?

(___ subjects do you have this semester?)

5. ¿___ son tus libros favoritos sobre ingeniería?

(___ are your favorite books on engineering?)

6. ¿___ está la universidad más cercana?

(___ is the nearest university?)

Interrogative Words in Spanish: "Dónde?", "Cuál?", "Qué?", "Por qué?"

This lesson introduces you to fundamental Spanish interrogative words used to ask questions, essential for daily conversations and understanding the language structure. The focus topics are the four key question words: Dónde, Cuál, Qué, and Por qué.

What You Will Learn

  • Dónde – to ask about places or locations. Examples: ¿Dónde está el parque?, ¿Dónde vives?
  • Cuál (and its plural Cuáles) – to ask for a choice, selection, or identification. Examples: ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?, ¿Cuáles son tus libros favoritos?
  • Qué – used to ask about definitions, objects, or more general inquiries. Examples: ¿Qué quieres cenar?, ¿Qué hora es?
  • Por qué – used to ask about reasons or causes. Examples: ¿Por qué te dedicas a la ingeniería?, ¿Por qué estudias medicina?

Key Grammar Points

  • Interrogative words always carry an accent mark (tilde), which is crucial for proper spelling and meaning.
  • They appear at the very beginning of a question.
  • Spanish questions require both opening and closing question marks: ¿ at the start and ? at the end.
  • Cuál changes to Cuáles when referring to plural nouns.

Comparison to English

Unlike English, Spanish places the question mark at both ends of the question, which helps readers and listeners identify questions instantly.

Spanish interrogative words generally carry accents, distinguishing them from their relative pronoun counterparts without accents. For example, qué means "what" (interrogative), while que means "that" (relative pronoun).

Here are some useful phrases illustrating differences:

  • ¿Dónde trabajas actualmente? – "Where do you currently work?" (asking location)
  • ¿Cuál es tu profesión? – "What is your profession?" (choosing or identifying one option)
  • ¿Qué asignaturas tienes este semestre? – "What subjects do you have this semester?" (general question about objects)
  • ¿Por qué estudias medicina? – "Why do you study medicine?" (asking for a reason)

Summary

Mastering these question words and their correct usage helps you form clear, grammatically accurate questions to get the information you need in Spanish. Pay attention to accentuation and punctuation for proper meaning and readability.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage