DELE A2 Guide: Spanish Question Words – Review and Usage

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Key Takeaways

• Master all essential Spanish question words and their uses
• Learn the difference between ¿qué? and ¿cuál?
• Understand how to use prepositions with question words
• Practice with DELE-focused scenarios for exam success

Welcome to your comprehensive review of Spanish Question Words. While you learned the basics at A1 level, DELE A2 requires more precise usage and understanding of nuances. Mastering question words is essential for the speaking and listening sections of the exam, where you’ll need to both ask and understand questions accurately.

Essential Question Words Review

Spanish	English	Usage
¿Qué?	What?	Things, actions, definitions
¿Quién(es)?	Who?	People
¿Dónde?	Where?	Places, location
¿Cuándo?	When?	Time, dates
¿Por qué?	Why?	Reasons, causes
¿Cómo?	How?	Manner, condition
¿Cuál(es)?	Which?	Choice, selection
¿Cuánto/a?	How much?	Quantity (singular)
¿Cuántos/as?	How many?	Quantity (plural)

Key Distinctions and Advanced Usage

¿Qué? vs ¿Cuál? – The Important Difference

Use ¿QUÉ? for:

• Definitions and explanations
• Asking “what” in general
• Before nouns

Examples:

• “¿Qué es esto?” (What is this?)
• “¿Qué hora es?” (What time is it?)
• “¿Qué libro lees?” (Which book are you reading?)

Use ¿CUÁL? for:

• Selection from a group
• Before forms of “ser”
• Making choices

Examples:

• “¿Cuál prefieres?” (Which one do you prefer?)
• “¿Cuál es tu nombre?” (What is your name?)
• “¿Cuáles son tus hobbies?” (What are your hobbies?)

Using Prepositions with Question Words

Common Combinations:

• “¿Para qué?” (What for? / Why?)
• “¿Con quién?” (With whom?)
• “¿De dónde?” (From where?)
• “¿Hacia dónde?” (Towards where?)
• “¿Desde cuándo?” (Since when?)

Examples:

• “¿Para qué estudias español?” (Why are you studying Spanish?)
• “¿Con quién vas al cine?” (Who are you going to the cinema with?)
• “¿De dónde eres?” (Where are you from?)

Question Word Placement

1. Standard Structure:
Question word + verb + subject

• “¿Qué estudias tú?” (What do you study?)
• “¿Dónde vive María?” (Where does Maria live?)

2. With Prepositions:
Preposition + question word + verb

• “¿Con quién hablas?” (Who are you talking with?)
• “¿Para qué sirve esto?” (What is this for?)

DELE A2 Practical Scenarios

Personal Information:

• “¿Cómo te llamas?” (What’s your name?)
• “¿Cuántos años tienes?” (How old are you?)
• “¿De dónde eres?” (Where are you from?)

Daily Life:

• “¿Qué haces los fines de semana?” (What do you do on weekends?)
• “¿Cuándo sales del trabajo?” (When do you leave work?)
• “¿Dónde sueles comer?” (Where do you usually eat?)

Preferences and Opinions:

• “¿Cuál es tu película favorita?” (What is your favorite movie?)
• “¿Por qué te gusta viajar?” (Why do you like to travel?)
• “¿Qué piensas de este restaurante?” (What do you think about this restaurant?)

Important Grammar Rules

1. Accent Marks:
Question words always have accent marks:

• ✅ “¿Qué?“
• ❌ “¿Que?”

2. Verb Agreement:

• “¿Quién viene?” (Who is coming? – singular)
• “¿Quiénes vienen?” (Who are coming? – plural)

3. Position in Sentence:
Question words typically come at the beginning:

• “¿Cómo estás?” not “Estás ¿cómo?“

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Confusing ¿Qué? and ¿Cuál?:

• ✅ “¿Qué es esto?” (What is this?)
• ✅ “¿Cuál es tu coche?” (Which is your car?)

2. Missing Accent Marks:

• ✅ “¿Qué?“
• ❌ “¿Que?”

3. Wrong Preposition Use:

• ✅ “¿De dónde vienes?”
• ❌ “¿Dónde vienes de?”

DELE A2 Exam Tips

1. Speaking Section: Ask clear, grammatically correct questions in role-plays
2. Listening Section: Recognize question words in conversations
3. Writing Section: Use proper question formation in informal writing tasks
4. Key Contexts: Personal information, daily routines, preferences, directions

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct question word:

1. ___ es tu profesión? (¿Qué?/¿Cuál?)
2. ___ vives? (¿Dónde?/¿Adónde?)
3. ___ años tienes? (¿Cuánto?/¿Cuántos?)

Form questions for these answers:

1. “Tengo 25 años.” → ___
2. “Vivo en Madrid.” → ___
3. “Estudio medicina.” → ___

Answers:

1. ¿Cuál? 2. ¿Dónde? 3. ¿Cuántos?
   Questions: 1. ¿Cuántos años tienes? 2. ¿Dónde vives? 3. ¿Qué estudias?

Memory Aids

• ¿Qué? = What? (general)
• ¿Cuál? = Which? (choice)
• Accents on question words
• Prepositions before question words

Pronunciation Tips

• qué (keh)
• cuál (kwahl)
• quién (kyen)
• cómo (koh-moh)

Next Step: Test Your Knowledge!
Ready to master question words?

Take our DELE A2 Question Words Quiz here to ensure you’re prepared for the exam.

What’s Next in Your DELE A2 Journey?

• Need basic review? Study DELE A1 Question Words
• Ready for conversation practice? Review DELE A2 Speaking Strategies
• Want related topics? Learn DELE A2 Sentence Structure
• Practice all A2 grammar? Return to DELE A2 Grammar Hub

Looking for a deeper dive?
This guide covers the essentials for the DELE A2 exam. If you want to explore more complex question structures, indirect questions, and advanced usage patterns, check out our complete guide: Spanish Question Words: The Complete Guide

Master question words and you’ll be able to gather information and engage in meaningful conversations in Spanish!