Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Tiene ascensor el edificio?

¿Tiene ascensor el edificio?

Does the building have a lift?

Breakdown of ¿Tiene ascensor el edificio?

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Questions & Answers about ¿Tiene ascensor el edificio?

Why is el edificio at the end of the sentence? Shouldn't it be ¿El edificio tiene ascensor?

In Spanish, word order is much more flexible than in English, especially in questions. It is very common to put the subject (el edificio) after the verb (tiene), or even at the very end of the sentence. You could also say ¿El edificio tiene ascensor? and it would mean exactly the same thing.

Why is there no word for "a" before ascensor?

In English, we say "a lift", but Spanish often drops words like un or una (a/an) after the verb tener (to have). This happens when asking if a feature simply exists, or when talking about things you typically only have one of. You are essentially asking if the building comes equipped with "lift".

Why do we use tiene instead of tienes?

The verb tiene means "has", and it must match the subject of the sentence, which is el edificio (the building). Because a building is an "it" (third-person singular), we use tiene. If you used tienes, you would be asking "Do you have a lift, the building?", which doesn't make sense!

How do you pronounce the sc in ascensor in Spain?

In most of Spain, a c before an e or i is pronounced with a "th" sound, like in the English word "think". The s keeps its normal "s" sound. So, when you say ascensor, you pronounce both letters back-to-back: "as-then-sor".