WH- questions (Question Words)

WH- preguntas (palabras de pregunta)

Hay dos tipos principales de preguntas: preguntas Sí / No y preguntas WH. Las

preguntas WH son preguntas que comienzan con palabras WH que incluyen: qué,
cuándo, dónde, quién, quién, qué, por qué y cómo.
Las palabras de pregunta se utilizan para preguntar sobre cualidades específicas,
tiempos, lugares, personas, etc. A continuación hay una lista de palabras de
preguntas y oraciones de ejemplo:

Question words Usages Examples

- What are you doing?

What Used to ask about things - What do you think about the movie?

- When will the meeting start?

When Used to ask about time  - When are you leaving?

- Where’s my bag?
Where Used to ask about places - Where do you live?

- Who do you love the most in your family?

Who Used to ask about people - Who told you that story?

- Whom did you see in the morning?  I saw Mr.

Used to ask about people Mark, my English teacher.
Whom - Whom was Jim talking to? He was talking to Jack,
(object of verb)
his new roommate.

- Which one do you choose? The left or right?

Which  Used to ask about choices - Of all the drinks in the menu, which one would you
like?

Used to ask - Whose pencil is this? Is it yours?

Whose - Whose books are these?
about possession
Question words Usages Examples

Used to ask about reasons/ - Why did it happen? I didn’t understand.

Why - Why is he crying?
causes

Used to ask about manner/ - How can you explain this problem? Please tell us.
How - How can you get here?
process

I. How to form WH-questions?

1. with an auxiliary

Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb …?

 Auxiliary verbs are helping verbs (not main verbs).
 Common auxiliary verbs include be, do, have. Others are will, shall, would, can,
could, must, should, may, might, etc.

 What do you do for a living?

 Why should we read books?
 When is she coming?

2. without any auxiliary

(when WH-words replace subjects already)

Wh-word + main verb …?

 What happened to Peter?
 A bad accident happened to him today.
 Who won the game?
 Tio won the game.
 Who gave you this present?
 My cousin gave me this present.

II. Responding to WH-questions

1. What

 What is it?
 It’s a table.
 What color is your dress?
 It’s purple.
 What is your mom doing?
 She’s cooking in the kitchen.
 What do you think about the party?
 Well. It’s fun. I like the music best.
 What will happen if our team loses this time?
 We’ll be out of the game.

2. When

 When will the train arrive?

 The train will arrive in 30 minutes.
 When does she get up?
 She gets up at 6 am.
 When did the party end?
 It ended before 8 pm.
 When are you going to visit James?
 I’m going to see him tomorrow.

3. Where

 Where do you live?

 I live in Washington D.C.
 Where are you going?
 I’m going to the zoo.
 Where’s the coffee bar?
 It’s between the supermarket and the cinema.
 Where did you leave my jacket?
 I left it in my bedroom.
 Where have you been?
 I’ve been in the library reading books.

4. Who

 Who’s this?
 She’s my new roommate.
 Who wants to be a scientist in the future?
 My sister does. I don’t.
 Who would you like to travel with?
 I would like to travel with my best friend, Kim.
 Who told you that secret?
 Jenny did. She told me everything.
 Who do you like the most in this class?
 I like Henry. He’s so friendly.

5. Whom

 Whom should we talk to?

 We should talk to the principal. She’s responsible for student issues.
 Whom did you see yesterday?
 I saw Kevin and his girlfriend.
 Whom would you like to interview?
 I would like to interview Mr.Patrick, the director.
 Whom do we have to contact?
 We have to contact the representative of that company.
 Whom did you meet in front of the building last week?
 That was Annie, my secretary.
 Whom do you know in this class?
 I only know Danny.
 Whom are you going to invite?
 I’m going to invite all of my classmates
 With whom do you agree?
 I agree with Henry’s team.

6. Which

 Which shirt do you like?

 I like the one with the big yellow star on it.
 Which color do you choose?
 I choose red.
 Which part do you like the most in this story?
 I love the 2nd part when the prince came and proposed to the princess.
 Which is the longest river in the world?
 That’s the Nile.
 Which one is yours?
 Mine is the biggest one.

7. Whose

 Whose jacket is this?

 It’s my mom’s.
 Whose birthday is today?
 It’s Jenny’s.
 Whose pencil is on the floor?
 That’s mine.
 Whose team is better?
 Will’s team is much better.

8. Why

 Why don’t we visit him now?

 It’s a good idea.
 Why did you leave so early?
 Because I didn’t enjoy the party.
 Why do you think that he loves you?
 Because he’s given me lots of chocolate on Valentine’s day.
 Why do people celebrate Thanksgiving?
 Because it’s a special day.
 Why can’t I go to the cinema now?
 Because you haven’t done your homework.
 Why are you so late?
 Sorry, teacher. I missed the bus.

9. How

 How’s the weather?

 It’s sunny and hot.
 How do you feel?
 I feel much better now.
 How did you know him?
 We were old friends.
 How’s your new job?
 It’s interesting. I enjoy it.
 How often do you go to the movie theater?
 I sometimes go there. I’m quite busy.
 How far is it from your house to school?
 Not too far. I walk to school every day.
 How much did it cost?
 It cost $4.
 How many people are there in your class?
 There are 30 of them.
 How come you lost the game?
 I couldn’t answer the first question well enough.
 as WH-Question Words son partículas interrogativas que utilizamos para
hacer preguntas en inglés. Suelen causar mucha confusión a principiantes
ya que se escriben de manera muy similar [empiezan por wh- (.who, where)
o contienen wh (HoW)]. Éstas son: 

 WHO, WHOSE, WHAT, WHICH, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW 

 WHO > Se utiliza para preguntar por alguien y significa "quién" o "quienes". 
 Who ate the cake? (¿Quién se comió la tarta?)
 Who did you see yesterday? (¿A quién viste ayer?) 
 Who were those men you were with? (¿Quiénes eran esos hombres con los
que estabas?)

 WHOSE > se utiliza para expresar posesión en forma de pregunta y
significa "de quién" o "de quienes". 
 Whose jacket is this? (¿De quién es esta chaqueta?)
 Whose jackets are these? ¿De quiénes son estas chaquetas?)

 WHAT > se utiliza para preguntar por algo y significa "qué", "cual" o
"cuales". 
 What did you say? (¿Qué has dicho?)
 What is the capital of Argentina? (¿Cuál es la capital de Argentina?)

 Variantes: 
 -What + nombre
 What colour are her eyes? (¿De qué color son sus ojos?)
 What time is it? (¿Qué hora es?)
 What day is it today? (¿Qué día es hoy?)

 --> podemos añadir sort of, kind of or type of para preguntar por "qué tipo
de", "qué clase de". 
 What sort of music do you listen to? (¿Qué tipo de música escuchas?)
 What kind of clothes do you like? (¿Qué tipo de ropa te gusta?)
 What type of person are you? (¿Qué clase de persona eres?)

 WHICH > suele confundirse con what ya que también significa "qué" o
"cuál". La diferencia es que which se utiliza para preguntar por algo cuando
hay varias opciones. 
 There are four jackets. Which is yours? (Hay cuatro chaquetas. ¿Cuál es la
tuya?) (cuál de las cuatro)
 We can take bus 10, 20 or 25. Which goes to the city centre? (Podemos
coger el autobús número 10, 20 o 25. ¿Cuál (de ellos) va al centro?)

 Variantes:
 - Which + nombre
 Which bus did you take: 10, 20 or 25? (¿Qué autobús cogiste: el 10, el 20 o
el 25?)
 Which teacher did you talk to: Amanda or Lewis? (¿Con qué profesor
hablaste: con Amando o con Lewis?)

 Compara:
 What is the tallest building in the world? (¿Cuál es el edificio más alto del
mundo?)
 Which is taller: The Eiffel Tower or The Empire State? (¿Cuál es más alto:
la torre Eiffel o el Empire State?)

 What colour are her eyes? (¿De qué color tiene los ojos?)
 Which colour do you prefer: red or black? (¿Qué color prefieres: rojo o
negro?)


 WHERE > se utiliza para preguntar por un lugar y significa "dónde" o
"adónde". 
 Where were you born? (¿Dónde naciste?)
 Where are you from? (¿De dónde eres?)
 Where is the museum? (¿Dónde está el museo?)


 WHEN > significa"cuándo".
 When is your birthday? (¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?)
 When did she arrive? (¿Cuándo llegó?)


 WHY > se utiliza cuando queremos pregunte el porqué de algo. Significa
"por qué". 
 Why are you sad? (¿Por qué estás triste?)
 Why didn't you tell me? (¿Por qué no me lo dijiste?)

 --> a este tipo de preguntas se contesta con "because", que significa
"porque". 
 Why is she happy? (¿Por qué está feliz?)
 Because she passed her exam (porque aprobó el examen)


 HOW > Se utiliza cuando queremos preguntar "cómo" o "cuán". 
 How are you? (¿Cómo estás?)
 How was the party? (¿Cómo estuvo la fiesta?)
 How do you go to work? (¿Cómo vas a trabajar?)

 --> Variantes de how. La traducción de how variará en función del adjetivo o
sustantivo que lleve detrás. 

 How much > "¿Cuánto? (incontables)
 How much is this t-shirt? (¿Cuánto cuesta esta camiseta?)
 How much water do you drink? (¿Cuánta agua bebes?)

 How many > "¿Cuánto? (contables)
 How many friends do you have? (¿Cuántos amigos tienes?)
 How many books have you read? (¿Cuántos libros has leído?)

 How often > "¿Cón qué frecuencia?" "¿cuántas veces?" "¿cada cuánto
tiempo?". A esta pregunta se suele contestar con adverbios o expresiones
de frecuencia. 
 How often does she go to the cinema? (¿Cada cuánto tiempo va ella al
cine?) 
 She never goes to the cinema (ella nunca va al cine)
 How often do you go to the gym? (¿Con qué frecuencia vas al gimnasio?)
 I go to the gym twice a week (Voy al gimnasio dos veces por semana)

 How + adjetivo > Se utiliza para pregunta "cómo de", "cuán": how
big (cómo de grande, cuán grande), how tall (cómo de alto, cuán alto), how
far (cómo de lejos, cuán lejos).... Como decíamos antes, la traducción
de how variará en función del adjetivo que lleve detrás e intentaremos que
sea lo más natural posible en nuestra lengua materna. 

 How big is your car? (¿Qué tamaño tiene tu coche?)
 How tall is he? (¿Cuánto mide?)
 How far is it from here to the airport? (¿Qué distancia hay de aquí al
aeropuerto?)
 How old are you? (¿Cuántos años tienes?) 
La hora en inglés

Saber leer la hora es un aspecto que expresa la fluidez en inglés.

Este tema, además de ser necesario, es fácil de aprender. Veamos:

Ask the time / Pide la hora

Existen dos frases muy sencillas con las que puedes pedir la hora y
que en español entendemos como ¿Qué hora es?:

 What's the time?

 What time is it?

Telling time/ Decir la hora

Además debes conocer las expresiones que determinan el tiempo

leído en el reloj, algunas de estas son:

 O'clock: en punto.
 A quarter after, a quarter past ...: ... y cuarto.
 A quarter to: Un cuarto para, menos cuarto.
 Thirty:...y media.
 Five to...: Cinco para..., menos cinco.
 Ten to...: Diez para..., menos diez.
 Twenty to: Veinte para..., menos veinte.
Importante:

Si se trata de una hora en punto "o'clock", no se hace uso

del a.m. o p.m., en cambio, se puede utilizar cualquiera de éstos
términos según la hora del día:

 In the morning: de la mañana

o It's six in the morning - Son las seis de la mañana. 
 In the afternoon: en la tarde (12:00pm-6:00pm)
o Let's meet at six in the afternoon - Encontrémonos a las
seis de la tarde.
 In the evening: en la tarde-noche (6:00pm-8:00pm)
o Our appointment is at 8 in the evening - Nuestra cita es
a las 8 de la noche.

Para diferenciar las horas, se utiliza el formato de a.m. y p.m., ya

que el formato de 24 horas no se utiliza de forma oral.

Ahora veamos algunos ejemplos de cómo leer la hora:

 6:50 p.m.: Ten to seven p.m.

 8:30 a.m.: Eight thirty a.m.
 5:15 p.m.: A quarter after five p.m.
 12:00 m: Twelve o'clock
 6:55 
 12:00 
 2:35 
 5:40
 9:25 
 10:50