Spanish · A1 · Everyday language
Little Wonder Moments in Spanish
Engaging your child with gentle questions is a wonderful way to foster curiosity and conversation in Spanish. This guide focuses on the basic building blocks of any question: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
What you'll learn
- Learn the primary Spanish question words with their required accent marks.
- Practice using the inverted question mark (¿) at the beginning of sentences.
- Ask simple questions about people, objects, and feelings during playtime.
Spanish phrases for little wonder moments
¿Quién está aquí?
Who is here?
Use 'quién' to ask about people.
¿Quién tiene tu osito?
Who has your teddy?
'Osito' is the cute diminutive for 'oso' (bear).
¿Qué es eso?
What is that?
A basic phrase for pointing out objects.
¿Qué hay en tu taza?
What is in your cup?
'Hay' translates to 'there is' or 'is there'.
¿Dónde está tu pelota?
Where is your ball?
Use 'está' when asking about where an object is located.
¿Cuándo es tu siesta?
When is your nap?
'Cuándo' helps establish daily routines.
¿Por qué lloras?
Why are you crying?
In questions, 'por qué' is always two words with an accent.
¿Cómo estás hoy?
How are you today?
A gentle way to check in on your child's mood.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Osito
Teddy bear
From 'oso' (bear) + 'ito' (little).
Siesta
Nap
A very common term for a daytime sleep.
Pelota
Ball
Refers to a standard play ball.
Taza
Cup
Usually refers to a mug or a handled cup.
Question Word Accents
In Spanish, question words (interrogatives) always carry a written accent mark to distinguish them from their use in statements.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Quién | ¿Quién es? |
| What | Qué | ¿Qué es? |
| Where | Dónde | ¿Dónde está? |
| When | Cuándo | ¿Cuándo es? |
| Why | Por qué | ¿Por qué? |
| How | Cómo | ¿Cómo estás? |
Punctuation
Spanish uses two question marks: an inverted one (¿) at the start and a standard one (?) at the end.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | ¿ | ¿Cómo? |
| Closing | ? | ¿Qué? |
More examples
¿Dónde está mamá?
Where is mommy?
A simple variation using 'donde'.
¿Qué tienes?
What do you have?
Useful when a child is holding something hidden.
¿Cómo se llama?
What is its name? (How is it called?)
Used to ask the name of a toy or doll.