18 Question Words (palabras interrogativas)

There are three basic types of questions. (Hay tres tipos básicos de preguntas.)

(1) Yes/No Questions. The answer to the question is either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. (La respuesta a la pregunta es ‘sí’ o ‘no’.)
(2) Question Word Questions. The answer to the question is information. (La respuesta a la pregunta es información.)
(3) Choice Questions. The answer to the question is in the question. (La respuesta a la pregunta está en la pregunta.)


(1) Yes/No Questions
Do (auxiliary verb) + you (subject) + want (main verb) + dinner? (¿Quiere usted la cena?)
Can (auxiliary verb) + you (subject) + drive (main verb)? (¿Puede usted conducir?)
Has (auxiliary verb) + she (subject) + finished (main verb) + her work? (¿Ha terminado ella su trabajo?)
Did (auxiliary verb) + they (subject) + go (main verb) + home? (¿Se fueron a casa ellos?)

(2) Question Word Questions
Where do you live? (¿Dónde vives tú?)
When will we have lunch? (¿Cuándo almorzaremos?)
Who did she meet? (¿A quién encontró ella?)
Why has not Tara done it? (¿Por qué no lo ha hecho Tera?)
What is the answer? (¿Qué es la respuesta?)
How are you doing? (¿Cómo estas haciendo?)
Which is your car? (¿Cuál es su carro?)

(3) Choice Questions
Do (auxiliary verb) + you (subject) + want (main verb) + tea or coffee? (¿Quieres té o café?)
Will (auxiliary verb) + we (subject) + meet (main verb) + John or Paul? (¿Encontraremos a John o Paul?)
Did (auxiliary verb) + she (subject) + go (main verb) + to London or New York? (¿Fue ella a Londres o Nueva York?)

Basic Question Structure (estructura de pregunta básica)
auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

Do + you + like + Mary? (¿Le gusta Mary?)
Are + they + playing + football? (¿Juegan ellos al fútbol americana?)
Will + Antonio + go + to Cobán? (¿Irá Antonio a Cobán?)
Have + you + seen + the movie? (¿Ha visto usted la película?)

Exception: (Excepción:) for the verb ‘to be’ in simple present and simple past, we do not use an auxiliary verb. We simply reverse the position of ‘be’ and the subject. (Para el verbo ‘to be’ en presente y pasado, no usamos un verbo auxiliar. Simplemente invertimos la posición de ‘to be’ y el sujeto.)

For example, (por ejemplo,)
He is German. (Él es Alemanian.)
Is he German? (¿Es él Alemanian?)
Was Jon home? (¿Estuvo Jon en casa?)
Where is Bombay? (¿Donde es Bombay?)
How was she? (¿Cómo era ella?)
Is your car white or black? (¿Es su coche blanco o negro?)
Were they $15 or $50? (¿Eran $15 o $50?)


Exercise (ejercicio)
Instructions: conjugate the following verbs in the correct form. (Instrucciones: conjugue los siguientes verbos en la forma correcta.)

+ to learn, I / - to play, you / ? to need, we / + to have, they / - to walk, she / ? to live, you / + to be, we / - to open, you / ? to use, he / + to do, I

present tense, past tense, future tense, continuous tense, español