Question 1

Why is it cuántos instead of cuánto or cuántas?

Accepted Answer

The word for "how much" or "how many" changes to match the noun it describes. Because minutos (minutes) is masculine and plural, you need the masculine plural form: cuántos. If you were asking about hours (horas), you would use the feminine plural cuántas.

Question 2

Why does cuántos have an accent mark on the 'a'?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, all question words (like cuántos, qué, and dónde) get an accent mark. This shows that the word is being used to ask a question and tells you which syllable to stress when speaking.

Question 3

The English translation says "is resting". Why isn't there a word for "is" in the Spanish sentence?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the simple present tense is frequently used for actions happening right now. The single verb descansa can translate to "rests", "does rest", or "is resting". You don't need to add a separate word for "is".

Question 4

Why is la señora at the very end of the question?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish questions, it is very common to swap the order of the person doing the action (the subject) and the verb. Instead of the normal statement order (la señora descansa), questions often put the verb first, reading literally as "rests the lady" (descansa la señora).

¿Cuántos minutos descansa la señora?

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