Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 49

CEFR B2

4 min read

Test yourself (30 questions)

Spanish Diacritic Accents: tú vs tu, sí vs si, qué vs que

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Most Spanish accents mark stress. The diacritic accent marks meaning: it tells apart two words that are spelt and said alike.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the word with the wrong accent.

with the accentwithoutWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - You have your book.
  • , . - Yes, I'm going if I can.

The diacritic accent at a glance

Nine pairs. The accented word carries its own stress in the sentence; its bare twin leans on the word after it.

With accentMeaningWithoutMeaning
youyour
hethe
me (after , a)my
yes; himself, herselfif
I knowhimself, herself
teayou (object)
moremasbut (literary)
give (subjunctive)of, from
still, yeteven

The question words (, , and the rest) follow the same idea, further down the page.

Tú, él, mí, sí: the pronoun takes the accent

with the accentwithoutWhat do the colours mean?

Four pairs share one pattern: the pronoun is accented; the possessive, the article or the if is not.

PairSpanishEnglish
, .You and your brother.
, .He opens the car.
, , .It's for me, not my brother.
, , .Yes, I'm going if I can.

A quick test: when a noun follows straight away, it is almost always the possessive or the article, so no accent: (your house), (the car), (my mother).

is also himself or herself after a preposition:

  • . - He talks about himself a lot.

never takes an accent: there is no other to confuse it with.

  • . - This is for you.

Sé, té, más, aún, and solo

with the accentwithoutWhat do the colours mean?

The other five pairs, each in a sentence:

PairSpanishEnglish
, .I don't know when he/she is leaving.
, .I'll make you a tea.
, mas , mas .He/she asked for more time, but did not get it.
, .I hope he/she gives me a glass of water.
, .He/she still hasn't arrived.

Mas without an accent is a bookish : you will read it far more often than you hear it. means (still, yet); means (even):

  • , . - Even so, we' waiting.

No accent today: solo, este and o

The Real Academia's 2010 Ortografía dropped three accents that older books still show. A 2023 note allows where the writer judges a sentence ambiguous, but it is never required:

Today, onceSpanishEnglish
, once .I only want water.
, once .I prefer this one.
o, once ó 3 4 .Three or four friends are coming.

Question words: qué, cómo, dónde

asking (accent)linking (no accent)What do the colours mean?

Question words carry the accent whenever they ask or exclaim. Without the accent, the same words link two clauses:

AskingLinkingMeaning
what? / that, which
how? / as, like
when? / when
where? / where
who? / who
how much? / as much as
which? / which
Four panels: a smiling man with a moustache (who); a folded map with a red pin and a dotted path (where); an alarm clock (when); a pile of gold coins and two stacks (how much).
  1. ¿?
  2. ¿?
  3. ¿?
  4. ¿?

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

asking (accent)linking (no accent)What do the colours mean?

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.

SpanishEnglishAsk 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

asking (accent)linking (no accent)What do the colours mean?
FormSpanishEnglish
(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

WrongRightWhy
. .subject pronoun
. .pronoun after
tí. . never has an accent
, ., .yes
No . .a hidden question
. .a relative, no question
. .because is one word

What to do next

  1. Before every , , or , ask: pronoun or yes, or the little word that leans on the next one?
  2. For every , or , try asking it as a direct question.
  3. Then the accent rules, for every other accent, and question words.

Practise: test yourself

Complete the story

0/6

Choose the right spelling for each gap.

Ana and the party

Ana, hermano dice que no vienes a la fiesta. Yo creo que , que vienes. quieres, te llevo en coche. padre también va, y siempre baila.

Gap 1 of 6

Sort into groups

0/6

Dónde or donde? Which one fills each gap?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the word with the wrong accent.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the right spelling for the meaning in brackets.

  1. Me encanta jardín. (your)

  2. Por la tarde tomo un . (tea)

  3. Necesito tiempo. (more)

  4. no ha llegado el tren. (still)

  5. ¿ quieres comer? (what)

  6. Iré a la fiesta tengo tiempo. (if)

Fill in the blank

0/7

Write the word for the meaning in brackets. Some answers take the accent and some do not.

  1. sabes la verdad. (you) (the subject pronoun)

    Accents count here

  2. Este café es para . (me) (me after a preposition)

    Accents count here

  3. es mi profesor de historia. (he) (the pronoun)

    Accents count here

  4. Yo no nada de este tema. (I know) (from saber)

    Accents count here

  5. Claro que , quiero ir contigo. (yes) (yes)

    Accents count here

  6. Esto es para . (you, one friend) (ti never takes an accent)

    Accents count here

  7. Dime llegas. (what time, a hidden question) (rephrase it: ¿___ llegas?)

    Accents count here

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Frequently asked questions

Does have an accent mark in Spanish?
It depends on the meaning. without an accent means if: , (if it rains, I'm not going). with an accent means yes (, ), and it is also the pronoun himself or herself after a preposition: (he talks about himself). The two sound the same, so the accent is the only clue on the page.
What is the tilde diacrítica in Spanish?
A written accent that tells two otherwise identical words apart. Most are one-syllable words, so the accent cannot be telling you where the stress goes. It marks the member of the pair that is a stressed word in the sentence (the pronoun , the yes ) against its unstressed twin (the possessive , the if ).
Do question words keep their accent in indirect questions?
Yes. , , , , , , and keep the accent in direct questions (¿ ?), exclamations (¡ !) and indirect questions with no question mark at all: (I don't know what to do). They lose it as relatives and conjunctions: (the book I'm reading).
Does still need an accent in modern Spanish?
No. The Real Academia's 2010 Ortografía dropped the accent on meaning only, and on the pronouns , and : , . A 2023 note lets writers keep where they judge a sentence ambiguous, but it is never required. The accent on o between figures went in the same reform: 3 o 4.
What is the difference between and ?
, two words with an accent, asks why: ¿ ? (Why are you crying?). , one word without, answers: (because I'm sad). porqué, one word with an accent and an article, is a noun meaning the reason: porqué (I don't understand the reason).