Interrogatives, Inspiration, A Quiz and More!

¡Hola, Estudiantes de Español!

Welcome to this week's edition of our Spanish learning newsletter. We have some exciting content lined up for you, so let's dive right in!

Cita o Refrán de la Semana

"La educación es el arma más poderosa que puedes usar para cambiar el mundo."

• Nelson Mandela

Clase de la Semana: Interrogativos

This week, we're focusing on Interrogatives – the words we use to ask questions in Spanish. Understanding these is crucial for forming questions and engaging in conversations.

Key Interrogative Words

• ¿Qué? - What?

  • ¿Qué estás haciendo? (What are you doing?)

• ¿Quién? - Who?

  • ¿Quién es ella? (Who is she?)

• ¿Cuándo? - When?

  • ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? (When is your birthday?)

• ¿Dónde? - Where?

  • ¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)

• ¿Por qué? - Why?

  • ¿Por qué estudias español? (Why do you study Spanish?)

• ¿Cómo? - How?

  • ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)

• ¿Cuál? - Which?

  • ¿Cuál es tu color favorito? (Which is your favorite color?)

• ¿Cuánto? - How much/many?

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)

Understanding Questions in Spanish vs. English

In English, we often use auxiliary verbs like "do" and "did" to form questions, especially in the present and past tenses. For example:

• "Do you live in Texas?”

• "Did you go to the party?"

In Spanish, questions are formed by conjugating the main verb according to the subject and tense, without the need for auxiliary verbs:

• ¿Vives en Texas? (Do you live in Texas?)

• ¿Fuiste a la fiesta? (Did you go to the party?)

Examples:

1. Present Tense:

   • English: "Do you speak Spanish?"

     • Here, "do" is the auxiliary verb used to form the question.

   • Spanish: ¿Hablas español?

     • In Spanish, the verb "hablar" (to speak) is directly conjugated to "hablas" (you speak) without an auxiliary verb.

2. Past Tense:

   • English: "Did you study for the test?"

     • "Did" is the auxiliary verb indicating the past tense.

   • Spanish: ¿Estudiaste para el examen?

     • In Spanish, the verb "estudiar" (to study) is conjugated to "estudiaste" (you studied), reflecting the past tense directly.

3. Future Tense:

   • English: "Will you come to the party?"

     • "Will" is used as the auxiliary verb for the future tense.

   • Spanish: ¿Vendrás a la fiesta?

     • The verb "venir" (to come) is conjugated to "vendrás" (you will come), indicating the future tense.

By understanding how to use these interrogatives and recognizing the differences in question formation between English and Spanish, you'll be better equipped to ask questions and understand responses in Spanish.

Quiz de la Semana

Test your understanding of interrogatives with this short quiz:

Titulares en Español

Stay informed with the latest news in Spanish:

Deportes:

• OFICIAL: Hansi Flick es el nuevo técnico del Barcelona - source: Telemundo.

Tecnología:

• El cannabis supera al alcohol como droga de consumo diario en EE.UU - source: The New York Times en Español.

América Latina:

• En México, ser candidato a un cargo público es un trabajo de alto riesgo - source: The New York Times en Español

¡Gracias por leer!

Thank you for being a part of the New Way Spanish community. Our goal is to provide you with practical and engaging content every week to enhance your Spanish learning journey. We aim to offer you actionable insights and tools to help you become more fluent and confident in using Spanish in everyday life.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Alejandro Nuñez
Director, New Way Spanish