¿Dónde está el baño?
English: Where is the bathroom?
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Preguntas
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
In Spanish, direct and indirect questions are ways to ask for information. Direct questions ask something directly, while indirect questions are included inside another sentence.
When to use it
Use direct questions when you want to ask someone something directly. Use indirect questions when you want to ask or talk about a question inside another sentence, for example, when you want to know or say what someone is asking.
Key forms
- Direct question: ¿ + verb + subject + ... ? (¿Dónde vives?)
- Indirect question: introductory phrase + question word + verb + subject (Quiero saber dónde vives.)
Examples
¿Qué hora es?
English: What time is it?
No sé dónde está el baño.
English: I don't know where the bathroom is.
Me puedes decir qué hora es.
English: Can you tell me what time it is?
Tips
- In direct questions, always use question marks (¿ ... ?).
- In indirect questions, do not use question marks and the word order is like a normal sentence.
- Remember to use accent marks on question words: qué, cómo, cuándo, dónde, etc.
Exceptions and edge cases
- In indirect questions, the question word still has an accent mark.