How do we ask questions in English? It
depends on the type of answer we expect. Is it a yes/no question, or
something more specific?
¿Cómo hacemos preguntas en inglés?
Depende en el tipo de respuesta que esperemos. ¿Es una pregunta de
yes/no, o algo más específico?
Yes/No – Si/No
We can form a simple
yes/no question by changing the position of the subject and the
auxiliary verb such as be, can, have.
Podemos formar una
pregunta sencilla por medio de cambiar la posición del sujeto y del
verbo auxiliar como be, can, have.
They have
finished. Have they finished?
You can
sing. Can you sing?
She is
running. Is she
running?
For
the simple present and simple past, there is no auxilliary verb, so
we use the word do/does – the
following verb is in the infinitive.
Los
tiempos presente simple y pasado simple no tienen ningún verbo
auxiliar, pues utilizamos la palabra do/does
– el verbo siguiente es en la forma del infinitivo.
They live
here. Do they live
here? (live =
infinitive)
She likes
travelling. Does she
like travelling? (like
= infinitive)
He went to
Jerez. Did he go to
Jerez? (go = infinitivo)
What,
where, when, who, whose, why, which, how
Here,
we want to know something more specific. Aquí, queremos saber algo
más específico.
what?
= ¿qué? What is
she reading?
where?
= ¿dónde? Where does
he live?
when?
= ¿cuándo? When
will they arrive?
who?
= ¿quién? Who is
in the car?
whose?
= ¿de quién? Whose
house is that?
why?
= ¿por qué? Why
did he say that?
which?
= ¿cuál? Which one
would you like to buy?
how?
= ¿cómo? How do
you cook rice?
Note
that the order of the words is changed following these words. Se
nota que el orden de las palabras cambia siguiente de estas palabras.
"She is
reading" se pone "What is she
reading?"
Negative
questions – preguntas negativas
Normally
we use contractions of not, n't
or 't with the verb. Normalmente,
utilizamos las contracciones por not, n't
o 't con el verbo.
Aren't
you going to Cádiz?
Can't
you swim?
Haven't
you prepared the meal?
Doesn't
he work here?
Didn't
you visit your father?
You
can practise making questions from sentences and provide your own
answers. Puede practicar formar las preguntas de las frases y
proveer sus respuestas propias. ¡Buena suerte!
[NB
En inglés, la palabra practise,
con
's'
es el verbo y indica una acción, pero la palabra practice,
con 'c'
significa el nombre.]
