Preguntas
Ask what, who, where, when, why, and how much — and keep conversations going.
Every Spanish question word carries an accent mark when it's asking: qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, cómo, cuánto, cuál. Two pairs do most of the damage for beginners: ¿por qué? (why — two words, with accent) versus porque (because — one word, no accent), and qué vs cuál — it's ¿Cuál es tu nombre?, not ¿Qué es tu nombre?, because cuál asks for specific info from a set. And when you didn't catch something, don't bark ¿qué? — say ¿cómo?, or in Mexico the polite ¿mande?.
Below: the question words lesson by lesson, how the same question changes country to country, the traps that flag a beginner — and a way to actually ask them out loud, in a real back-and-forth.
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Regional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina | Colombia |
|---|---|---|---|
| what's up? | ¿qué onda? | ¿qué hacés? | ¿qué más? |
| how much is it? | ¿a cómo? | ¿cuánto sale? | ¿cuánto vale? |
| sorry — what? | ¿mande? | ¿cómo? | ¿cómo? |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
There are no question-formation worksheets in the Preguntas lessons — you interview Olivia, live. You've just met: ask where she's from, what she does, how long she's been here. Then you're planning a trip together and you need real answers — when to go, where to stay, ¿cuánto cuesta?, and why she recommends it. Then she flips it and questions you — rising intonation, accents and all, out loud until asking feels automatic.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 4 lessons and Preguntas is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
¿Por qué? — two words, with accent — asks why. Porque — one word, no accent — answers with because. Question = two words, answer = one word.
Use cuál when you're asking for specific info or choosing from options: ¿Cuál es tu nombre? — never ¿Qué es tu nombre?. The same goes for a number or an address.
They carry the accent only when used as questions: qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, cómo, cuánto, cuál. Spanish also opens every question with an inverted mark — ¿ — so the accent and the ¿ arrive together.
It's the polite way to say what? when you didn't hear — a bare ¿qué? can sound abrupt. Across Latin America, ¿cómo? is the everyday soft option for 'sorry, what did you say?'.
The textbook form is ¿cuánto cuesta? — but at a Mexican market you'll hear ¿a cómo?, in Argentina ¿cuánto sale?, and in Colombia ¿cuánto vale?. To haggle, follow up with me lo deja en… — will you give it to me for…
