Interrogatives:
A number of words are accented when they are used in a question (including an indirect question) or exclamation, but they aren't otherwise accented. Such words are listed below:- ¿Adónde? Where (to)?
- ¿Adónde vas? Where are you going?
- ¿Cómo? How?
- ¿Cómo estás? How are you?
- ¿Cuál? ¿Cuáles? Which one? Which ones?
- ¿Cuál es más caro? Which one is more expensive?
- ¿Cuándo? When? ¿Cuándo sales? When are you leaving?
- ¿Cuánto? ¿Cuánta? ¿Cuántos? ¿Cuántas? How much? How many? ¿Cuántos pesos cuesta el libro? How many pesos does the book cost?
- ¿Dónde? Where? ¿De dónde es usted? Where are you from?
- ¿Por qué? Why? ¿Por qué vas? Why are you going?
- ¿Qué? What? Which? ¿Qué libro prefieres? What book do you prefer?
- ¿Quién? ¿Quienes? Who? Whom? ¿Quiénes quieren mi libro? Who want my book?
Generally, if these words are not used in an exclamation or question, don't use an accent: el libro que he leído, the book that I read; nadar como un pez, to swim like a fish. Note that when not used in a question, porque, meaning "because," is usually one word: Fui a la fiesta porque estaba aburrido, I went to the party because I was bored.
"Ó" between numerals:
When the conjunction o (meaning "or") is used between numbers that aren't spelled out, it is accented to avoid confusion with the 0 (zero). Tengo cinco o seis radios, I have five or six radios. Tengo 5 ó 6 radios, I have 5 or 6 radios.Umlauts:
The umlaut (or dieresis) is used above the u when the u is sounded in the combinations of güi or güe. Without the umlaut, known as la diéresis or la crema in Spanish, the u would be silent, serving only to indicate that the g is pronounced as a hard g rather than similar to the j. Among the words with umlauts are vergüenza, shame; cigüeña, stork or crank; pingüino, penguin; and agüero, prediction.
