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¿Quiénes son ellos?

¿Quiénes son ellos?
Who are they?
From Lesson 21:What and who (qué, quién)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of ¿Quiénes son ellos?

ser
to be
ellos
they
quiénes
who (plural)

Questions & Answers about ¿Quiénes son ellos?

Why is it quiénes instead of quién?
In English, the word for who does not change. In Spanish, quién is used when asking about one person, and quiénes is used when asking about multiple people. Since the sentence asks about ellos (they), we must use the plural form quiénes.
Do I have to say the word ellos here?
Not necessarily. If you are pointing at a group of people, you can simply ask ¿Quiénes son? (Who are they?). The verb son and the plural quiénes already make it clear you are asking about multiple people. Adding ellos just provides emphasis or clarifies that you mean they instead of you all (ustedes).
Why do we use son instead of están?
Both ser and estar mean to be. We use son (from ser) here because asking Who are they? is asking about someone's identity. The verb ser is used for identity and permanent traits, while estar is used for locations and temporary feelings.
Why does Quiénes have an accent mark?
In Spanish, all question words like qué (what), dónde (where), and quiénes (who) carry an accent mark. This helps distinguish them in writing from when the exact same word is used to connect sentences rather than ask a question.

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