Asking questions in Spanish

[Coffee Kitten]

¡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!

[chileno]

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?

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by Coffee Kitten

¡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?"

As a very general rule of thumb, "qué" asks for a definition, and "cuál" asks for a selection. Other factors can affect whether "qué" or "cuál" is better in a particular context. Consider your 4 examples:

"¿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.

Originally Posted by Coffee Kitten

2.) How do I write a question involving a subject, a verb, an adverb, a direct object, an indirect object, and a preposition? For example:

"Did Michael sing a song well for Michelle at the party?"

Sometimes, I see sentences like:

"¿Cantó bien Michael una canción para (or "a") Michelle en la fiesta?" (This is what I currently use.)

And, sometimes, I see sentences like:

"¿Cantó bien una canción para (or "a") Michelle en la fiesta Michael?"

And, less frequently:

"¿Michael cantó bien una canción (or "a") para Michelle en la fiesta?"

So which one is correct?

All three sentences are correct. Spanish is more flexible about word order than English is. However, in some contexts the different word orders may have slightly different connotations, and this may vary a little between regional varieties of Spanish. (Alterations of meaning can also occur through variation of intonation.)

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".

Originally Posted by Coffee Kitten

Lastly, what if I change the subject and objects into pronouns? Will it be:

"¿Se la cantó bien él en la fiesta?"

¡Gracias!

One could also say:
"¿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.

[Coffee Kitten]

Tu explicación es claro y muy fácil a comprender. ¡Gracias!