Spanish: An Essential Grammar

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However, when the interrogative word itself is the subject, or modifies the
subject, Spanish like English does not invert word order:

¿Quien ha hecho esto? Who has done this?
¿Cuánta gente asistió? How many people attended?

See also 28.6.

Spanish interrogative words


Both indirect and direct questions, other than ‘yes/no’ questions, contain
(usually at the beginning) one of the interrogative words listed in Table
27.1. They always carry a written accent.

Table 27.1 Spanish interrogative words

¿qué? what/which?
¿cuál/cuáles? which one/s?
¿quién/quiénes? who/whom?
¿de quién? whose?
¿cuándo? when?
¿dónde? where?
¿cómo? how?
¿cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/ how much/how many?
cuántas?
¿por qué? why?

Qué ‘what’

Spanish quécan function either as a pronoun or an adjective.
As a pronoun it can only be used with reference to things and neverwith
reference to persons:
¿Qué vais [SP] a ver en el What are you going to see at
cine? the cinema?

27.2.1

27.2


1111


2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


1011


1


12111


3 4 5 6 7 8 9


20111


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


30111


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


40


41111


27


Questions
and
exclamations


278

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