Interrogative adverbs are the Spanish question words that correspond to the English wh- words: where, when, how, why, and how much. They all carry a written accent when used to ask a question, and they keep that accent in indirect questions too.
The Core Five (Plus Two)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| dónde | where |
| adónde | to where, where to |
| de dónde | from where |
| cuándo | when |
| cómo | how |
| por qué | why |
| cuánto | how much, how many |
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
¿Cuándo llegaste?
When did you arrive?
¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name? (lit. How do you call yourself?)
¿Por qué no vienes?
Why aren't you coming?
The Written Accent Is Required
Every interrogative adverb carries a written accent on the stressed vowel (dónde, cuándo, cómo, cuánto). Without the accent, the same words become relative pronouns or conjunctions with a completely different feel.
| Interrogative | Relative / conjunction |
|---|---|
| dónde (where?) | donde (where, as in "the place where") |
| cuándo (when?) | cuando (when, as a conjunction) |
| cómo (how?) | como (as, like) |
| por qué (why?) | porque (because) |
| cuánto (how much?) | cuanto (as much as) |
Vivo donde nací.
I live where I was born. (relative)
No vengo porque estoy cansado.
I'm not coming because I'm tired. (conjunction)
Dónde vs. Adónde vs. De Dónde
Spanish distinguishes between location ("where?"), destination ("to where?"), and origin ("from where?"). English mostly uses "where" for all three, but Spanish likes to be explicit.
¿Dónde estás?
Where are you?
¿Adónde vas?
Where are you going?
¿De dónde eres?
Where are you from?
You'll also see adónde written as two words — a dónde — especially in Latin American writing. Both are accepted.
Cómo: More Than "How"
Cómo means "how" but it's also used for asking to repeat something you didn't hear (like "What?" in English), and for introducing an exclamation.
¿Cómo se dice 'book' en español?
How do you say 'book' in Spanish?
— Me mudo a Lima. — ¿Cómo?
— I'm moving to Lima. — What?
¡Cómo llueve!
It's really raining! (lit. How it's raining!)
Por Qué, Porque, Porqué, Por Que
Four spellings, all pronounced more or less the same — and they mean different things. This is a famous source of confusion even for native speakers.
| Form | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| por qué | why | interrogative (question) |
| porque | because | conjunction (answer) |
| porqué | the reason (noun) | noun, takes article |
| por que | for which | relative, very rare |
¿Por qué lloras? Porque estoy triste.
Why are you crying? Because I'm sad.
No entiendo el porqué de su decisión.
I don't understand the reason for her decision.
Cuánto Agrees Like an Adjective
When cuánto asks "how much?" or "how many?" about a noun, it agrees with that noun in gender and number — just like an adjective. When it modifies a verb, it stays in the masculine singular form.
¿Cuánta agua queda?
How much water is left?
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you? (lit. How many years do you have?)
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much does it cost?
Indirect Questions Keep the Accent
When an interrogative adverb appears inside a reported or embedded question, it keeps the written accent even though there's no question mark.
Dime cuándo vienes.
Tell me when you're coming.
No sé dónde está mi celular.
I don't know where my cell phone is.
Me preguntó cómo me llamaba.
He asked me what my name was.
Common mistakes
❌ ¿Donde vives?
Wrong: interrogative dónde needs a written accent.
✅ ¿Dónde vives?
Correct: dónde with accent for questions.
❌ ¿Cómo mucho cuesta?
Wrong: the interrogative for 'how much' is cuánto, not cómo mucho.
✅ ¿Cuánto cuesta?
Correct: cuánto for 'how much'.
❌ No sé donde está mi celular.
Wrong: embedded questions still need the accent.
✅ No sé dónde está mi celular.
Correct: dónde keeps its accent in indirect questions.
Where to Next
- Adverbs of Time — answers to ¿cuándo?
- Adverbs of Place — answers to ¿dónde?
- Adverbs of Manner — answers to ¿cómo?
Related Topics
- Adverbs OverviewA1 — An introduction to Spanish adverbs, what they modify, and the main categories you'll encounter
- Adverbs of TimeA1 — Common Spanish adverbs that tell you when something happens, from hoy and ayer to ya and todavía
- Adverbs of PlaceA1 — Spanish adverbs for here, there, near, far, and other locations, with Latin American preferences
- Adverbs of MannerA2 — Spanish adverbs that tell you how something is done, including bien, mal, and adjective-as-adverb patterns
- Adverbs of QuantityA2 — Spanish adverbs like muy, mucho, poco, and bastante that tell you how much or to what degree