/ˈkomo/
Translation
how (interrogative and exclamative)
Word origin
From the same Latin quomodo ('in what way, how') as the unaccented como. The accent marks the interrogative and exclamative sense in writing; the pronunciation does not change, because this syllable is already the stressed one in both spellings.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- quomodo
Examples
¿ ?
What is your name?
.
I do not understand how this machine works.
¡ !
How your son has grown!
Cómo, with the accent, asks or exclaims about manner - "¿Cómo estás?" (How are you?) and "¡cómo llueve!" (how it is raining!). Como, without it, is the conjunction that makes comparisons and states manner or cause - "corre como un atleta" (he runs like an athlete) and "como no llegaste, me fui" (since you did not arrive, I left). The famous case is the greeting itself: literally "¿Cómo te llamas?" asks "how are you called", not "what are you called", but it is the standard way to ask someone's name.
The accent stays even without a question mark: "dime cómo lo hiciste" (tell me how you did it) is still an embedded question and needs it.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
(11)Spanish Accent Rules: agudas, llanas, esdrújulas (café, árbol, rápido)
The Spanish Diacritic Accent: tú vs tu, sí vs si, qué vs que
Spanish Exclamations: ¡Qué bonito!, ¡Cuánta gente!, ¡Vaya día! (and the accents)
Spanish Greetings and Survival Phrases: Say Something Today
Spanish Question Words: Qué, Quién, Cómo, Dónde and the Accent That Asks
Spanish Punctuation and Capitalisation: the opening ¿ and ¡, lowercase lunes and español
Spanish Question Words: qué, quién, cuándo, dónde, cómo, cuál, cuánto, por qué
Spanish Register: tu vs usted, vosotros vs ustedes (and how formal to be)
Reported Questions and Commands in Spanish (me preguntó si, me dijo que viniera)
Saber vs Conocer: The Two Spanish Verbs for 'To Know'
Spanish Word Order: SVO, Pro-Drop and the Five Rules That Cover 90% of Sentences
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cómo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Spanish word "cómo" (how (interrogative and exclamative)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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