Question Words
கேள்விச் சொற்கள்
Spanish question words all carry a written accent mark that doesn't change their pronunciation but flags a question — a spelling signal Tamil doesn't need, since Tamil question words are simply their own distinct words.
Grammar Comparison
இலக்கண ஒப்பீடு
Accented question words vs. their unaccented twins
¿Qué? (What?) vs. que (that/which) — same spelling, different accent
தமிழில் ஒவ்வொரு கேள்விச் சொல்லும் தனித்துவமான சொல்
Several Spanish question words double as ordinary connector words when unaccented — qué/que, cómo/como, cuándo/cuando, dónde/donde. The accent mark exists purely to flag 'this is a question,' with no change in how it's pronounced. Tamil has no such overlap: எப்போது ('when'), எங்கே ('where'), and யார் ('who') are always distinct words, never reused for another grammatical job.
Upside-down ¿ marks the question from the start
¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)
தமிழில் கேள்விக்குறி வாக்கியத்தின் முடிவில் மட்டும் வரும்
Spanish opens every question with an upside-down ¿, in addition to the normal ? at the end — a purely written convention with no spoken equivalent, so it won't affect how you say the sentence aloud, only how you'd write it.
Vocabulary
சொற்கள்
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Tamil | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| qué | keh | என்னeṉṉa | what |
| quién | kee-EHN | யார்yār | who |
| dónde | DOHN-deh | எங்கேeṅgē | where |
| cuándo | KWAHN-doh | எப்போதுeppōdhu | when |
| cómo | KOH-moh | எப்படிeppadi | how |
| por qué | por keh | ஏன்ēṉ | why |
| cuánto | KWAHN-toh | எவ்வளவுevvaḷavu | how much |
| cuál | kwahl | எதுedhu | which |