A Full Information to Utilizing it in Spanish

The the other way up query mark, ¿ could catch you off-guard while you begin studying Spanish.

Why does it seem at first of sentences? And the way come it has this ‘inverted’ form? Also referred to as the inverted query mark, the the other way up query mark will not be all that mysterious. It’s been part of the Spanish language for hundreds of years, and it serves one easy function: letting readers know that the upcoming sentence is a query.

Whereas it could seem to be a trivial element, the other way up query marks are necessary to make use of in written Spanish. Be taught why use them and sort them in your laptop, and take your written Spanish to the following stage!.

What Is the Upside Down Query Mark?

Let’s begin with the fundamentals. The the other way up query mark, ¿, is the flipped model of the common query mark, “?.” Not like the common query mark we’re used to, ¿ seems initially of interrogative sentences or clauses in Spanish. You’ll be able to consider the pair as two bookends enclosing a query.
In different phrases, in English, we solely use “?” on the finish of the sentence. Spanish makes use of each ¿ and “?.” Check out this widespread query, “how previous are you,” in English and Spanish:

• *English: “How previous are you?”
• *Spanish: ¿Cuántos años tienes?

Keep in mind: in Spanish, the ¿ goes proper earlier than the interrogative clause, the a part of the sentence indicating the query. Listed here are some examples:

• Tú lo viste, ¿verdad? “You noticed it, proper?” (¿ comes earlier than verdad, (“proper”) as that is the query clause.)
• Mañana hay clase, ¿pero igual vas a ir a la fiesta? “There’s faculty tomorrow, however are you continue to going to the social gathering?” (¿ comes earlier than pero igual vas a ir a la fiesta (“however are you continue to going to the social gathering”), as that is the query clause.)

Spanish isn’t the one language that makes use of the the other way up query mark. Though much less widespread, Galician, Asturian, and Waray even have this characteristic. So when you’re seeking to study any of those languages sooner or later, you’ll wish to befriend the ¿ as nicely.

Why Does Spanish Use the Upside Down Query Mark?

The Actual Academia Española, (“Royal Spanish Academy”) advisable utilizing inverted query marks in the 18th century. Apart from the the other way up query mark, the Academy additionally advisable inverted exclamation factors, ¡. Each the inverted query mark and the exclamation mark let readers know what sort of sentence they’re studying upfront. Along with this, they assist stop ambiguity. With out the inverted and the common query mark, it’s troublesome to see which sentence is a query and which one will not be in Spanish.

Right now, utilizing ¿ and “?,” in addition to ¡ and “!” are commonplace in Spanish-speaking nations, though they’ve completely different expressions. Irrespective of when you’re saying ¡qué lata! (“how boring!”) in Chile or ¿qué bolero? (“what’s up?”) in Cuba, you’ll use two punctuations: one at first and one on the finish.

How and When to Use the Upside Down Query Mark?

The the other way up query mark all the time goes on the very starting of a query or interrogative clause. Remember the fact that there could be a couple of clause in the identical sentence, however there shall be just one that’s truly the query clause.

Here’s a sentence with just one clause:

• ¿Vas a comprar un coche nuevo? “Are you going to purchase a brand new automobile?”

And right here is one with three clauses, with the query clause within the center:

• Jimena me preguntó ¿qué haría yo en esa situación? y no supe qué decir. “Jimena requested me,” What would I do in that state of affairs?” and I didn’t know what to say.”

Be aware that oblique questions which can be reported or embedded inside statements don’t take the the other way up mark:

• Julia me preguntó si yo quería ir al cine. “Julia requested me if I needed to go to the flicks.”
• Me pregunto dónde está. “I’m questioning the place he/she/it’s.”

Spanish could typically have lengthy sentences. If the ¿ offers readability for the reader, be happy to make use of it even in reported questions:

• Quiero saber ¿cuánto tiempo pasará hasta que pueda ver los resultados del examen? porque necesito hacer planes. “I wish to know the way lengthy will probably be till I can see the examination outcomes? As a result of I must make plans.”

¿ will not be a standalone image. It must be paired with a closing “?” on the finish of the query or sentence. Each are utilized in any query clause, even when there are a number of inside the speech. Right here is an instance:

¿Quieres ir al banco? ¿O prefieres que vaya yo? “Do you wish to go to the financial institution? Or do you like that I am going?”

Easy methods to Kind the Upside Down Query Mark on Your Keyboard?

Copy-pasting ¿ would possibly seem to be a straightforward possibility at first, however while you advance in Spanish, you’ll must sort ¿ extra usually. Fortunately, it’s straightforward to learn to sort it in your laptop or telephone.

Typing the Upside Down Query Mark on Home windows

Shortcut: Maintain Alt and kind 0191 on the numpad. Remember the fact that this requires Num Lock to be on.
Character Map: Open Begin > seek for Character Map. Discover the ¿ image and choose Copy.

Typing the Upside Down Query Mark on Mac

Shortcut: Maintain Choice and press ?

Typing the Upside Down Query Mark on Chromebook

Worldwide keyboard: Maintain the appropriate Alt key (subsequent to the area bar) and press ? or /
Shortcuts menu: Open with Ctrl+Alt+/ and choose ¿ underneath Math Symbols.

Typing the Upside Down Query Mark on iPhone and iPad

Maintain down the ? key on the digital keyboard to open a pop-up menu with ¿. Slide your finger to it and launch.

Typing the Upside Down Query Mark on Android

Lengthy press the ? key to open a menu with ¿. Slide your finger and launch to pick it.
Change to the Spanish keyboard and entry ¿ instantly.

Instance Makes use of the Upside Down Query Mark

In Spanish, intonations outline whether or not a sentence is a query or not. Once you’re studying Spanish out loud, the the other way up query mark will provide help to determine how you must learn the sentences.

Let’s illustrate this with an instance — vas a venir conmigo means “you’ll include me.” There’s no the other way up query mark in sight, so this can be a regular sentence, not a query. After we add query marks, ¿vas a venir conmigo?, the which means of the sentence adjustments to “will you include me?”

Listed here are some examples, with audio recordings to information you on Spanish intonations.

Different Sentences with the Upside Down Query Mark

Irrespective of how easy or troublesome, Spanish questions all have the other way up query marks. You will note it in widespread questions like *¿qué hora es? (“what time is it?”), in addition to extra advanced questions, reminiscent of ¿¡qué has hecho!? (“what have you ever performed?!”). The latter additionally makes use of an exclamation mark to specific shock.
There’s just one catch — even when there may be a couple of clause within the sentence, solely the query clause will get the ¿ and “?” Let’s check out some instance sentences:

¿What Do You Assume Concerning the Upside Down Query Mark?

At first look, the the other way up query mark could seem to be a random punctuation, however over time, you’ll get used to it. You’ll see it in all places, even in widespread Spanish phrases like “how are you” (¿cómo estás?) or “the place are you from” (¿de dónde eres?). The identical goes for different languages that use the the other way up query mark — it’s all a matter of follow!

Yaren Fadiloglulari

Freelance Content material Author & Journalist

Initially from Cyprus, Yaren is a freelance author for a lot of digital publications, journey and training manufacturers, and start-ups.

Speaks: English, Turkish, French, and Spanish

View all posts by Yaren Fadiloglulari