The Eight Core Question Words

Every Spanish question word carries a written accent mark when used in a direct or indirect question. The table below lists all the interrogatives you need to know, with their forms and basic meanings.

Question Words in Action: Example Sentences

Seeing each question word in a real sentence — with a model answer — is the fastest way to understand how they work. Pay attention to how the question word anchors the sentence structure.

The Qué vs. Cuál Contrast

This is one of the most common points of confusion for English speakers, because both words can translate as “what” or “which.” The rule is simpler than it looks once you see the pattern:

• Use qué directly before a noun, or when asking for a definition or explanation.
• Use cuál / cuáles before the verb ser or before de when selecting from a set.

Quick memory rule: If you can place the noun immediately after the question word (¿qué libro?), use qué. If you need a verb or de between the question word and the noun, use cuál / cuáles.

The Accent-Mark Rule

In Spanish, question words carry a written accent mark (called a tilde) whenever they are used in a question — whether direct or indirect. The same words without the accent mark function as relative pronouns or conjunctions and have different meanings.

Compare these pairs:

• ¿Dónde estás? (Where are you? — direct question, accent required)
• La ciudad donde vivo es grande. (The city where I live is large — relative pronoun, no accent)
• No sé cuándo llega. (I don’t know when she arrives — indirect question, accent required)
• Llegaré cuando pueda. (I will arrive when I can — conjunction, no accent)

The accent mark on question words signals to the reader that a question is embedded in the sentence, even if there are no question marks visible. This matters especially in indirect questions (see below).

Indirect Questions — Accents Still Required

An indirect question is a question reported inside a statement. Notice that the question word still carries its accent even though the sentence is not punctuated as a question.

Inverted Question Marks

Spanish uses an inverted question mark (¿) at the beginning of every question, in addition to the standard question mark at the end. This convention gives the reader an early signal that the sentence is a question — useful when the verb comes before the subject.

• ¿Hablas español? — Do you speak Spanish?
• ¿Tiene usted una reserva? — Do you have a reservation?
• ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas estudiando? — How long have you been studying?

The opening ¿ appears at the start of the question itself, not necessarily at the start of the full sentence. If a question is embedded at the end of a longer sentence, the ¿ appears right before the question portion:

• Perdona, ¿puedes repetir? — Sorry, can you repeat that?

Similarly, Spanish uses an inverted exclamation mark (¡) at the start of exclamations: ¡Qué bueno! (How great!)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dropping the opening ¿ — In written Spanish, omitting ¿ is incorrect. It is required in formal writing and standard usage.
• Using qué before ser when asking for identity — ¿Qué es tu número de teléfono? sounds unnatural; use ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?
• Forgetting the accent in indirect questions — Writing No sé donde vive (without accent on dónde) changes the meaning: it could be read as “I don’t know where he lives” (correct with accent) or be ambiguous without it. Always keep the accent.
• Confusing por qué (why) with porque (because) — The question word is two words with an accent: por qué. The answer conjunction is one word without an accent: porque. ¿Por qué estudias? — Porque me gusta.
• Using ¿Cómo? to ask “What?” — When asking someone to repeat themselves, Spanish speakers often say ¿Cómo? rather than ¿Qué? Using ¿Qué? alone for “pardon?” can sound abrupt in some contexts.

Practice Prompts

Try forming a question using each word before checking the suggested answer below. Cover the right column and work through each prompt.

Tips for Mastering Spanish Question Words