Basic place and time questions | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Dónde está?

   Where is it?

   Dónde

   where

   está

   is / is located

   More detail

   Dónde means “where” and introduces a question about a location. The accent mark distinguishes the interrogative form dónde from the unaccented relative adverb donde, used in statements such as El lugar donde vivo (“The place where I live”). está is a form of estar, used here for the location or state of a singular third-person subject. The present-tense pattern is estoy (I am), estás (you are, tú), está (he/she/you, usted, is/are), and están (they/you plural are). In the supplied sentence, the subject is not stated explicitly; the translation identifies it as “it.” Together, ¿Dónde está? asks for the location of that unstated singular subject: “Where is it?” The nearby sentence ¿Dónde estás? uses estás, the tú form of estar, and therefore asks “Where are you?”

2. ¿Dónde estás?

   Where are you?

   Dónde

   where

   estás

   you are

   More detail

   Dónde means “where” and asks about a place or location. In a direct question it carries an accent: dónde. Compare donde without an accent, which is used in certain non-question clauses, such as El lugar donde vivo (“The place where I live”). Estás is the present-tense form of estar for tú: tú estás, “you are.” Estar is used for a location or a temporary state. The form changes with the subject: yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está; the earlier sentence ¿Dónde está? uses está for a third-person singular subject, reflected by “Where is it?” Together, ¿Dónde estás? asks the person addressed for their location: “Where are you?” The question word comes first, followed by the verb form that identifies the addressee as tú. This is a direct, neutral everyday question.

3. ¿Qué pasó aquí?

   What happened here?

   Qué

   what

   pasó

   happened

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Qué is the accented interrogative word meaning “what.” The accent distinguishes this question word from the unaccented conjunction que, which commonly introduces a clause: Sé que pasó = “I know that it happened.” pasó is the third-person singular preterite form of pasar, “to happen” here. The preterite presents the event as completed or as a past event: ¿Qué pasó? = “What happened?” The same verb also has other uses, such as “to pass,” depending on context; here its meaning is “happen.” aquí means “here” and identifies the place relevant to the question. It is a location adverb and does not change for number or gender. For a more distant place, Spanish commonly uses allí or ahí, depending on the intended distance and context. Together, ¿Qué pasó aquí? asks which event occurred in the place referred to as “here.” The question word asks for the event, pasó places that event in the completed past, and aquí specifies the location. The natural translation is “What happened here?”

4. ¿Qué hora es?

   What time is it?

   Qué

   what

   hora

   time; hour

   es

   is

   More detail

   Qué is the accented question word meaning “what” here. In a direct question, the accent marks its interrogative use; compare qué in ¿Qué pasó aquí? (“What happened here?”) and ¿Qué quieres? (“What do you want?”). The accent is not optional in this use. hora means “time” in this expression and literally refers to an hour. It is a feminine noun, so related forms use feminine agreement: la hora (“the time/the hour”) and una hora (“one hour”). Example: ¿A qué hora sales? — “What time are you leaving?” es is the third-person singular present form of ser, “to be.” Spanish conventionally uses ser to ask and state the time: Es la una. — “It is one o’clock.” Son las tres. — “It is three o’clock.” The singular form es occurs with la una; plural son occurs with other numbered hours. Together, ¿Qué hora es? literally asks “What hour is it?” and its established English meaning is “What time is it?” This is the standard neutral way to ask for the current time.

5. ¿Cuándo vienes?

   When will you come?

   Cuándo

   when

   vienes

   you come

   More detail

   Cuándo means “when” in a direct question and carries an accent mark here. It asks about the time of an event. Compare cuando without an accent, which is used in non-question contexts such as Cuando llegues, avísame (“When you arrive, let me know”). vienes is the present-tense form of venir (“to come”) for tú: tú vienes. In this question, the present form refers to a future visit, so it means “will you come?” or “when are you coming?” The verb venir describes movement toward the relevant place or person; its present forms include vengo (“I come”), vienes (“you come”), and viene (“he/she/you formal come”). Together, ¿Cuándo vienes? asks for the time when the person addressed as tú will come. The natural translation is “When will you come?”

6. ¿Por qué llegas tarde?

   Why are you late?

   ¿Por qué

   Why

   llegas

   you arrive

   tarde

   late

   More detail

   ¿Por qué asks for a reason. In a direct question it is written as two words with an accent: ¿Por qué...? Compare porque, written as one word without an accent, which commonly introduces an answer or explanation: Llego tarde porque hay tráfico. — “I’m late because there is traffic.” llegas is the present-tense form of llegar for tú: tú llegas. Here it means “you arrive” and forms the verb part of the question. The same verb can describe arrival at a place or time: Llegas a las ocho. — “You arrive at eight.” tarde means “late” here and modifies the verb, describing when the person arrives. It can also be used in other time expressions, such as Trabajo hasta tarde. — “I work until late.” Together, ¿Por qué + llegas + tarde asks for the reason the listener arrives late: “Why are you late?” The question uses the informal singular tú form llegas; it does not itself establish whether the lateness is habitual or limited to one occasion.