Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Cuántas horas trabajas en la oficina? - How many hours do you work in the office?

¿Cuántas horas trabajas en la oficina?

How many hours do you work in the office?

Breakdown of ¿Cuántas horas trabajas en la oficina?

Questions & Answers about ¿Cuántas horas trabajas en la oficina?

Why is it cuántas with an "-as" at the end?

In Spanish, the words for "how much" and "how many" change to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because horas (hours) is a feminine plural word, you must use the feminine plural form cuántas.

Where is the "do you" in the Spanish sentence?

English uses helper words like "do" to ask questions, but Spanish does not. The phrase "do you work" is entirely covered by the single verb trabajas (you work). The upside-down question mark at the beginning lets the reader know a question is coming.

Could I add the word tú (you) to this sentence?

Yes, you could ask ¿Cuántas horas trabajas tú en la oficina? if you wanted to, but it is completely optional. Native speakers usually leave it out because the -as ending on trabajas already makes it perfectly clear who is doing the working.

Does en always mean "in"?

En is a very flexible word that can mean "in", "on", or "at" depending on the context. Here it translates perfectly to "in", but en la oficina is also exactly how you would say "at the office".