In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French, we study the interrogative pronouns and adjectives in each language. Interrogative pronouns are important tools that we use to form questions. If the interrogative pronoun is followed by a noun, it becomes an interrogative adjective.
Table of Contents
- List of Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives in the Romance Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
- “Why” vs “Because” in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
- “Por que” vs “Para que” in Spanish & Portuguese
- “Che” vs “Che Cosa” vs “Cosa” in Italian
- Contractions in Italian
- “Que” vs “Qu’est-ce que” in French
- Level I – Basic
List of Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives in the Romance Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
| Interrogative pronoun/adjective | English meaning | Examples |
| SP: ¿Qué? PT: O que? IT: Che? Che cosa? Cosa? FR: Que? Quoi? | What? | EN: What are you doing? SP: ¿Qué estás haciendo? PT: O que você está fazendo? IT: Cosa stai facendo? FR: Que fais-tu? |
| SP: ¿Quién(es)? PT: Quem? IT: Chi? FR: Qui? | Who? Whom? | EN: Who did this? SP: ¿Quién hizo esto? PT: Quem fez isto? IT: Chi ha fatto questo? FR: Qui a fait cela? |
| SP: ¿De quién? PT: De quem? IT: Di chi? FR: À qui? | Whose? | EN: Whose book is this? SP: ¿De quién es este libro? PT: De quem é esse livro? IT: Di chi è questo libro? FR: À qui est ce livre? |
| SP: ¿Cómo? PT: Como? IT: Come? FR: Comment? | How? | EN: How did you do it? SP: ¿Cómo hiciste eso? PT: Como fez isso? IT: Come lo hai fatto? FR: Comment as-tu fais cela? |
| SP: ¿Cuál(es)? PT: Qual(-is)? IT: Quale(-i)? FR: Quel(s)? Quelle(s)? | Which? | EN: Which ones are your keys? SP: ¿Cuáles son tus llaves? PT: Quais são suas chaves? IT: Quali sono le tue chiavi? FR: Quelles sont tes clés? |
| SP: ¿Cuánto(-a,-os,-as)? PT: Quanto(-a,-os,-as)? IT: Quanto(-a,-i,-e)? FR: Combien? | How much? How many? | EN: How much does this coat cost? SP: ¿Cuánto cuesta este abrigo? PT: Quanto custa este casaco? IT: Quanto costa questo cappotto? FR: Combien coûte ce manteau? |
| SP: ¿Cuándo? PT: Quando? IT: Quando? FR: Quand? | When? | EN: When do you want to come? SP: ¿Cuándo quieres venir? PT: Quando você quer vir? IT: Quando vuoi venire? FR: Quand veux-tu venir? |
| SP: ¿Dónde? PT: Onde? IT: Dove? FR: Où? | Where? | EN: Where are you now? SP: ¿Dónde estás ahora? PT: Onde você está agora? IT: Dove sei ora? FR: Où es-tu en ce moment? |
| SP: ¿Por/Para qué? PT: Por/Para que? IT: Perché? FR:Pourquoi? | Why? | EN: Why don’t you want to eat? SP: ¿Por qué no quieres comer? PT: Por que você não quer comer? IT: Perché non vuoi mangiare? FR: Pourquoi ne veux-tu pas manger? |
“Why” vs “Because” in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, & French
In Spanish and Portuguese, the interrogative pronoun “por que” means “Why?” If written without the space, i.e., “porque,” it means “because.” In Italian, “perché,” can mean “why” or “because,” depending on the context. In French, “parce que” means “because”:
| “why” | “because” | |
| SP | ¿por qué? | porque |
| PT | por que? | porque |
| IT | perché | |
| FR | pourquoi? | parce que |
“Por que” vs “Para que” in Spanish & Portuguese
In Spanish and Portuguese, both “por que” and “para qué” are often translated as “Why?” However, there is a subtle difference. Whereas “¿por qué?” enquires about the reason, “¿para qué?” enquires about the purpose and can be better translated as “What for?”, for example:
| SP | ¿Para qué necesitas eso? | What do you need this for? |
| PT | Para que você precisa disso? |
“Che” vs “Che Cosa” vs “Cosa” in Italian
Although we can use “che” as an interrogative pronoun in Italian, e.g., “Che hai letto?” (What did you read?), the more accepted forms are “che cosa” and “cosa,” both meaning “what.”
For example, “Che cosa hai letto?” and “Cosa hai letto?” both mean “What book did you read?”
Contractions in Italian
When the Italian interrogatives “cosa,” “come,” “dove,” and “quale” are followed by “è” (is), the following abbreviations are common but not mandatory in written Italian:
| What is …? | Cos’è …? | Cosa è …? |
| How is …? | Com’è …? | Come è …? |
| Where is …? | Dov’è …? | Dove è …? |
| Which is …? | Qual è …? | Quale è …? |
Notice that an apostrophe is needed with the interrogatives “cosa,” “come,” and “dove,” but not in the case of “quale.”
“Que” vs “Qu’est-ce que” in French
The French interrogative “que” has a longer form that is more formal and polite, which is “qu’est-ce que” /kes-kə/.
For example, “Qu’est-ce que vous voudriez manger?” (What would you like to eat?).
Notice that the subject always precedes the verb when “qu’est-ce que” is used.
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