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Asking questions in SpanishThis is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish. |
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#1
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Asking questions in Spanish
¡Hola! I have a couple of questions regarding, well, asking questions in Español.
1.) When do we use "qué" (what) and "cuál" (which)? I see "what" sometimes translated to "qué" and other times translated to "cuál." For example: "What date is today?" "¿Qué fecha es hoy?" "What do you want?" "¿Qué quieres?" "What is your birthday?" "¿Cuál es tu cumpleaños?" "What is your favorite color?" "¿Cuál es tu color favorito?" 2.) How do I write a question involving a subject, a verb, an adverb, a direct object, an indirect object, and a prepositional phrase? For example: "Did Michael sing a song well for Michelle at the party?" Sometimes, I see sentences like: "¿Cantó bien Michael una canción para Michelle en la fiesta?" (This is what I currently use.) And, sometimes, I see sentences like: "¿Cantó bien una canción para Michelle en la fiesta Michael?" And, less frequently: "¿Michael cantó bien una canción para Michelle en la fiesta?" So which one is correct? Lastly, what if I change the subject and objects into pronouns? Will it be: "¿Se la cantó bien él en la fiesta?" ¡Gracias! Last edited by Coffee Kitten; July 20, 2012 at 10:05 PM. |
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#2
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Well, I going to revert this to your language.
Is there a difference for you when it is asked: What is your favorite color? Which is your favorite color? |
#3
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Quote:
"¿Qué fecha es hoy?" is the customary way to ask this question. "¿Qué quieres?" ask for the definition of what you want; there is no limit on what that could be. By comparison, "¿Cuál quieres?" asks for the selection of a particular item from some definite set of items that is already known from context. "¿Cuál es tu cumpleaños?" asks for a selection from among the set of 366 possible birthdates. "¿Cuál es tu color favorito?" asks for a choice of color from among the set of colors. Quote:
You used "para" to introduce the indirect object "Michelle" in your examples. The preposition "a" is the most commonly used preposition for introducing indirect objects. Sometimes a different preposition can be used instead of "a", and in the case of your sentences "para" is the appropriate alternative to "a". However, "para" is not always the appropriate alternative, and sometimes the only correct preposition is "a". Quote:
"¿Se la cantó bien en la fiesta?" (The most common way to say this) "¿Se la cantó bien en la fiesta él? (relatively uncommon) "¿Él se la cantó bien en la fiesta? (generally the least used, except perhaps in some regional varieties) In Spanish one normally leaves out subject pronouns unless one is needed for contrast, emphasis, or to eliminate possible confusion about who the subject is. Last edited by wrholt; July 20, 2012 at 10:36 PM. |
#4
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Tu explicación es claro y muy fácil a comprender. ¡Gracias!
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