Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Qué altura tiene esa torre?

¿Qué altura tiene esa torre?

What height is that tower?

Breakdown of ¿Qué altura tiene esa torre?

that (m.sg., also esa, esos, esas, eso)

la torre

the tower

Questions & Answers about ¿Qué altura tiene esa torre?

Why do we use tiene (has) instead of es (is) to ask about height?

In Spanish, physical measurements like height, length, width, and weight are treated as things an object possesses. Instead of saying a tower is a certain height, you say it has a certain height (tiene altura). This is the exact same logic you already use for age (tiene 20 años).

Why do we use Qué instead of Cuál to mean "What" in this sentence?

It is because the question word is immediately followed by a noun (altura). Whenever you place "what" or "which" directly in front of a noun in Spanish, you must use qué, regardless of whether you are asking for a definition or asking to choose from a group of options.

Is there a way to ask this using the adjective "tall" (alto) instead of the noun "height"?

Yes! In Spain, a very common alternative is ¿Cómo de alta es esa torre? (literally "How of tall is that tower?"). Both options are completely natural, though ¿Qué altura tiene...? sounds just a little bit more formal.

Why does the verb (tiene) come before the subject (esa torre)?

In Spanish questions, it is standard to flip the normal word order so that the verb comes before the subject. Putting the verb immediately after the question phrase (Qué altura) makes the sentence flow naturally. Saying ¿Qué altura esa torre tiene? would sound very clunky to a native speaker.