What are English Question Words?

Question words are special words we use to ask questions. They help us get specific information.

These words usually come at the very beginning of a question.

¿Cuándo se utiliza? Who?

Utilizamos Who to ask about people.

You want to know the name or identity of a person.

• Who is your teacher?
• Who is that man?

¿Cuándo se utiliza? What?

Utilizamos What to ask about things, ideas, or general information.

You want to know about an object, an action, or a fact.

• What is your name?
• What is this?
• What do you like?

¿Cuándo se utiliza? Where?

Utilizamos Where to ask about places or locations.

You want to know the position or destination of something or someone.

• Where are you from?
• Where is the book?
• Where do you live?

¿Cuándo se utiliza? When?

Utilizamos When to ask about time.

You want to know the day, date, or hour of an event.

• When is your birthday?
• When do you eat lunch?
• When does the class start?

How Do We Form Simple Questions?

For very simple questions, the question word comes first. Then comes the verb, and then the subject.

• Question word + verb (is/are) + subject?
• Ejemplo: Who is she?
• Ejemplo: Where are they?

For questions with other verbs, we often use do o does.

• Question word + do/does + subject + main verb?
• Ejemplo: What do you do?
• Ejemplo: When does he work?

Ejemplos

• Who is your best friend?
• What is your favorite color?
• Where is the nearest park?
• When do you go to bed?
• What do you eat for breakfast?
• Who lives in that house?

Práctica

Errores habituales de los hispanohablantes

Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes with word order in English questions.

• Incorrect word order: You might say Where you live? This is a direct translation from Spanish.
• Correct word order: In English, we need an auxiliary verb (do/does) or the verb to be after the question word. The correct way is Where do you live? o Where is he?
• Omitting auxiliary verbs: Another common error is to forget do o does. Por ejemplo, What you want? is incorrect.
• Correct form: It should be What do you want?

Preguntas más frecuentes

What are the most common question words for beginners?

For beginners, the most common and important question words are Who, What, Where, y When. These help you ask about people, things, places, and time.

Do question words always go at the beginning of a sentence?

Yes, in most standard English questions, the question word (Who, What, Where, When) comes at the very beginning of the sentence.

Why is word order important in English questions?

Word order is very important in English questions because it helps people understand your meaning clearly. If the words are in the wrong order, the question can sound confusing or incorrect, like You live where? instead of Where do you live?