How to Ask Spanish Questions And 75+ Common Examples
How are you doing? How’s the family? Are you having a good day?
As you might have caught on by now, questions are an incredibly important element of language learning.
How do you form Spanish questions? Now you’re asking the right thing!
Read on to learn how to form Spanish questions. Then, discover many example questions to ask at a restaurant, at the store, when getting to know someone and more.
Contents
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How to Form Spanish Questions
To form Spanish questions, you typically need to follow one of two main methods:
Forming Questions with declarative sentences
Forming a question in Spanish can be as easy as simply adding question marks around a declarative sentence. Note that this type of questions calls for a yes/no answer:
Hablas español. (You speak Spanish.)
¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?)
Vas a la fiesta de esta noche. (You are going to the party tonight.)
¿Vas a la fiesta de esta noche? (Are you going to the party tonight?)
Forming Questions with Inversion
If the sentence has a subject in it, we can also ask a question by simply inverting the order of the subject and the verb. In this method, you start with the subject then follow it with the verb. While it’s good to know this variation exists, though, you won’t hear this structure too often in everyday speech.
For example:
Usted tiene hambre. (You (formal) are hungry.)
¿Usted tiene hambre? (Are you (formal) hungry?)
¿Tiene usted hambre? (Are you (formal) hungry?)
Forming Questions with Question Words
This method is pretty self-explanatory: You use question words to begin the question. The question word is followed by the verb and subject.
The Spanish question words are:
¿Qué? (What?)
¿Quién? (Who?)
¿Cuál? (Which?)
¿Cómo? (How?)
¿Cuándo? (When?)
¿Dónde? (Where?)
¿Por qué? (Why?)
¿Para qué? (What for?)
¿Cuánto? / ¿Cuánta? (How much/many?)
¿De quién? (Whose?)
Here are a few examples to get you started:
¿Qué estás haciendo? (What are you doing?)
¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)
Spanish Question Punctuation
In Spanish writing, a question is indicated by using both an inverted question mark ¿ at the beginning of the sentence and a closing question mark ? at the end.
These two punctuation marks ensure that you know where a question begins and ends!
Learn More About Forming Spanish Questions
This is just the start, but it’ll get you pretty far in getting those questions out. There’s more to learn about Spanish questions and how to form them. For instance, to form questions in the past tense, you’ll need to use the auxiliary verb haber (to have) before the past participle of the main verb.
For a more in-depth exploration, this post will tell you everything you need to know about Spanish questions and sentence structure:
Spanish Sentence Structure: A Beginner’s Guide [With Examples and Audio]
Spanish sentence structure is one of those essential language concepts you need to understand to communicate clearly. Check out our guide to learn proper word order and…
Common Spanish Questions
Now that you know how to form questions in Spanish, let’s get you started with some common examples of questions. You can memorize these to use in conversation, or just use them as template to learn the structure and form your own questions.
Getting to know you questions
First impressions are everything! And when you meet a new person for the first time, you may want to learn more about them. Use these questions to ask your new friend about themselves and learn more about them.
¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?)
¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
¿Qué haces? (What do you do?)
¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)
¿Tienes hermanos? (Do you have siblings?)
¿Tienes hijos? (Do you have children?)
¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre? (What do you like to do in your free time?)
¿Cuál es tu comida favorita? (What’s your favorite food?)
¿Te gusta la música? (Do you like music?)
¿Cuál es tu película favorita? (What’s your favorite movie?)
¿Practicas algún deporte? (Do you play any sports?)
¿Qué idiomas hablas? (What languages do you speak?)
¿Qué planes tienes para el fin de semana? (What are your plans for the weekend?)
Shopping questions
If you’re going shopping, don’t forget your wallet, your shopping list and your Spanish shopping questions. Use these questions as you’re shopping.
¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)
¿Tienen este producto en otro color? (Do you have this product in another color?)
¿Tienen algún descuento? (Do you have any discounts?)
¿Aceptan tarjeta de crédito? (Do you accept credit cards?)
¿Puedo pagar en efectivo? (Can I pay in cash?)
¿Cuál es su política de devolución? (What is your return policy?)
¿Me puede ayudar con algo? (Can you help me with something?)
¿Tienen esta marca/este modelo? (Do you have this brand/this model?)
¿Puedo probármelo? (Can I try it on?)
¿Tienen servicio de envío a domicilio? (Do you offer home delivery service?)
When you’re shopping, you may also be the recipient of questions. Here are some common questions that a store clerk or cashier might ask you.
¿Puedo ayudarle en algo? (Can I help you with something?)
¿Busca algo en particular? (Are you looking for something specific?)
¿Qué tamaño necesita? (What size do you need?)
¿Qué color prefiere? (What color do you prefer?)
¿Le gustaría probarse algo? (Would you like to try something on?)
Restaurant questions
Learn more about the food and drinks, the menu and more when you eat at a restaurant by using these common queries.
¿Tienen una mesa disponible? (Do you have a table available?)
¿Me puede traer la carta, por favor? (Can you bring me the menu, please?)
¿Qué platos recomienda? (What dishes do you recommend?)
¿Qué ingredientes lleva este plato? (What ingredients does this dish have?)
¿Cuál es el plato del día? (What is the dish of the day?)
¿Qué postres tienen? (What desserts do you have?)
¿Qué bebidas alcohólicas tienen? (What alcoholic drinks do you have?)
¿Puedo hacer una reserva? (Can I make a reservation?)
¿Cuál es el tiempo de espera para la comida? (What is the wait time for the food?)
¿Hay algún plato para vegetarianos / veganos? (Is there any dish for vegetarians/vegans?)
¿Hay nueces / alérgenos en este plato? (Are there any nuts/allergens in this dish?)
¿Cuál es el método de pago que aceptan? (What payment methods do you accept?)
As when you go shopping, you may hear questions directed at you from the waiter or the host. Keep an ear open for these!
¿Cuántas personas serán? (How many people will be in your party?)
¿Les gustaría una mesa en el interior o en la terraza? (Would you like a table inside or on the terrace?)
¿Les gustaría algo de beber para empezar? (Would you like something to drink to start with?)
¿Listos para hacer su pedido? (Are you ready to place your order?)
¿Les gustaría pedir algún postre? (Would you like to order any dessert?)
¿Todo está bien con su comida? (Is everything okay with your food?)
¿Cómo les gustaría pagar? (How would you like to pay?)
Funny/Silly questions
These playful and pun-filled Spanish questions (and answers) are sure to bring a smile to your face. From clever puns to silly wordplay, these questions showcase the lighthearted side of the Spanish language.
¿Por qué las pizzas vienen en una caja cuadrada? (Why do pizzas come in a square box?)
¿Por qué los peces no usan bicicleta? (Why don’t fish ride bicycles?)
¿Qué hace una abeja en el gimnasio? ¡Zumba! (What does a bee do at the gym? It buzzes!)
¿Qué le dijo un semáforo a otro? No me mires, me estoy cambiando. (What did one traffic light say to the other? Don’t look at me, I’m changing.)
¿Por qué los pájaros no usan Facebook? Porque ya tienen Twitter. (Why don’t birds use Facebook? Because they already have Twitter.)
¿Qué hace un pez en el espacio? ¡Nada, nada! (What does a fish do in space? Nothing, it swims!)
Slang questions
For a more casual, informal encounter, you can switch to slang. Keep these common Spanish slang questions in your conversation toolbox and pull them out when the opportunity strikes!
¿Qué onda? (What’s up?)
¿Qué rollo? (What’s up?)
¿De verdad? (Really?)
¿Qué hay de nuevo? (What’s new?)
¿Qué me cuentas? (What’s new with you?)
¿Qué tal el día? (How was your day?)
¿Cómo te ha ido? (How have you been?)
¿Cómo va la vaina? (How’s it going?)
¿Qué plan? (What’s the plan?)
¿Qué tal la joda? (How’s the party?)
¿Cómo está la banda? (How’s the crew?)
Have you gotten the hang of it yet? Awesome! Mastering Spanish questions is essential for clear communication with Spanish speakers. Now you’re prepared to go out there and ask questions in nearly any situation.
