Yes/No Questions
In Portuguese, asking a "yes or no" question is simple. You do not need to change the word order or add helper words. Just keep the standard statement word order and raise the pitch of your voice at the end. When writing, simply add a question mark.
To answer, use sim (yes) or não (no / not). You will also often see the preposition de (from / of) to indicate origin.
| Are you from Lisbon? | Tu és de Lisboa? |
| Yes, I am from Lisbon. | Sim, eu sou de Lisboa. |
| Is the boy English? | O rapaz é inglês? |
| No, he is not Portuguese. | Não, ele não é português. |
| Are you from London, sir? | O senhor é de Londres? |
Question Words
When you need more than a yes or no answer, use a question word. These words sit at the very beginning of the sentence.
Quem (Who)
Use quem to ask about the identity of a person.
| Who is she? | Quem é ela? |
| Who is the teacher? | Quem é o professor? |
O que (What)
Use o que to ask about things or concepts. You will often see it paired with words like isto (this) or aquilo (that).
| What is this? | O que é isto? |
| What is that? It is the cat. | O que é aquilo? É o gato. |
De onde (From where)
The word for "where" is onde. Because Portuguese uses the preposition de (from) to express origin, we place it right before the question word to ask "from where".
| Where are you from? | De onde és tu? |
| Where is the teacher from? | De onde é o professor? |