Asking Simple Questions

Asking questions is one of the first skills you need in any language. Spanish questions have some distinctive features — the inverted question mark ¿, specific question words, and the ability to form questions simply by changing your intonation.

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The Inverted Question Mark ¿

In Spanish, every question is enclosed between two question marks: an inverted one at the beginning (¿) and a standard one at the end (?).

Spanish	English
¿Hablas español?	Do you speak Spanish?
¿Dónde vives?	Where do you live?
¿Cuántos años tienes?	How old are you?

This is not optional in written Spanish. The inverted question mark tells the reader that a question is beginning, which is especially helpful in long sentences.

Tip: If a sentence contains both a statement and a question, the inverted question mark goes only at the start of the question part: Si no llueve, ¿vamos al parque? (If it does not rain, shall we go to the park?)

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Three Ways to Ask Questions

1. Intonation Questions (Yes/No)