Ch 49 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 49 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Question words: qué vs que, dónde vs donde
, , and the rest take the accent whenever they ask, even hidden inside a sentence ( ), and lose it when they link ( ). Plus , and porqué.
The short version
Hidden questions keep their accent
.
Why?Hide
, , , and carry an accent in direct questions and exclamations, and also in indirect ones, where the question marks have vanished entirely. , . The test: rephrase the clause as a direct question. If that works, the accent stays.
Four porques, and you need two of them daily
¿ ?
Why?Hide
, two words with an accent, asks why. , one word without, answers it. porqué, one word with an accent, is a noun meaning the reason. , two words without, is the rare preposition plus relative. In everyday writing the first two come up constantly and the last two almost never.
Question words: qué, cómo, dónde
Question words carry the accent whenever they ask or exclaim. Without the accent, the same words link two clauses:
| Asking | Linking | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| | what? / that, which |
| | how? / as, like |
| | when? / when |
| | where? / where |
| | who? / who |
| | how much? / as much as |
| | which? / which |
- ¿?
- ¿?
- ¿?
- ¿?
Quién (who: a person), dónde (where: a pin on a map), cuándo (when: a clock), cuánto (how much: a pile of coins). Asking words always carry the accent.
¿ ?- Where do you live?.- The house where I live is old.¡ !- How great! (exclamations keep it too)¿ ?- How are you?.- Do it however you like.
Hidden questions keep the accent
The accent stays when the question sits inside a longer sentence with no question marks. The test: can you ask it directly? Then keep the accent.
| Spanish | English | Ask it directly |
|---|---|---|
. | I don't know what to do. | ¿ ? |
. | I don't know where it is. | ¿ ? |
. | Tell me when you' arriving. | ¿ ? |
. | I don't know who is coming. | ¿ ? |
When the word points back to a noun already named, or just says when or where something happens, there is no question, and no accent:
.- The boy who is coming is my cousin..- Let me know when you get there.
Por qué, porque and el porqué
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| (why?) | ¿ ? | Why are you crying? |
| (because) | . | Because I'm sad. |
| hidden | . | I don't know why he/she left. |
| porqué (noun) | porqué. | I don't understand the reason. |
A fourth form, (two words, no accent), is a preposition plus a relative, and rare: , the reason I fight. Most writers say .
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | . | subject pronoun |
| . | . | pronoun after |
| tí. | . | never has an accent |
| , . | , . | yes |
| No . | . | a hidden question |
| . | . | a relative, no question |
| . | . | because is one word |
Going further: The diacritic accent at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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