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AdvancedSentence Types
How Spanish, English and Chinese form declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences.
Compare languages
Sentences can be classified by their communicative function. Spanish and English share similar patterns but differ in question formation and exclamation marking. Chinese uses particles and intonation rather than word order changes for many sentence types.
Overview
Sentences are classified by their communicative purpose.
- Declarative: Make a statement.
- Interrogative: Ask a question.
- Imperative: Give a command.
- Exclamatory: Express strong emotion.
Spanish and English use word order and auxiliaries to signal sentence type. Chinese relies heavily on particles and intonation.
Spanish
Declarative
SVO, falling intonation:
- Juan lee un libro.
- María es profesora.
- El perro está durmiendo.
Yes/No questions
Invert subject and verb, use ¿? :
- ¿Juan lee un libro?
- ¿Eres tú el profesor?
- ¿Está lloviendo?
Note: No auxiliary do. Direct inversion.
Wh-questions
Wh-word + verb + subject (or wh-word as subject):
- ¿Qué lee Juan? (What is John reading?)
- ¿Dónde está el libro? (Where is the book?)
- ¿Quién vino? (Who came? — quien = subject)
Imperative (affirmative)
Verb alone, subject omitted:
- ¡Ven aquí! (Come here!)
- ¡Siéntate! (Sit down!)
- ¡Dime! (Tell me!)
Note: Uses 2nd person imperative forms, often irregular.
Negative imperative
No + subjunctive:
- ¡No vengas! (Don’t come!)
- ¡No te vayas! (Don’t leave!)
- ¡No digas eso! (Don’t say that!)
Note: Negative imperatives use present subjunctive forms.
Exclamatory
Qué + noun/adjective:
- ¡Qué día! (What a day!)
- ¡Qué bonito! (How beautiful!)
- ¡Qué sorpresa! (What a surprise!)
Cuánto/a:
- ¡Cuánto tiempo! (How long!)
- ¡Cuánta gente! (How many people!)
Exclamatory adverbs:
- ¡Cómo llueve! (How it rains!)
- ¡Qué bien habla! (How well he speaks!)
Tag questions
- ¿Verdad? / ¿No? / ¿No es cierto?
- Juan lee, ¿verdad?
- Eres español, ¿no?
Alternative questions
- ¿Lees o escribes?
- ¿Prefieres té o café?
Echo questions
- ¿Cómo? / ¿Qué? / ¿Perdona?
English
Declarative
SVO, falling intonation:
- John reads a book.
- Mary is a teacher.
- The dog is sleeping.
Yes/No questions
Auxiliary + subject + main verb:
- Does John read a book?
- Are you the teacher?
- Is it raining?
Do-support for simple tenses:
- Do you speak English?
- Did he arrive?
Wh-questions
Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb (unless wh = subject):
- What is John reading?
- Where is the book?
- Who came? (who = subject — no inversion)
- Who did you see? (who = object — inversion)
Imperative (affirmative)
Bare verb, subject omitted:
- Come here!
- Sit down!
- Tell me!
Negative imperative
Do not + bare infinitive:
- Don’t come!
- Don’t leave!
- Don’t say that!
Note: Do is used here even though it’s an imperative.
Exclamatory
What a/an + adjective + noun:
- What a day!
- What a beautiful view!
- What an idiot!
How + adjective/adverb:
- How beautiful!
- How well he speaks!
- How time flies!
So / Such:
- So beautiful!
- Such a shame!
Tag questions
Auxiliary + pronoun (opposite polarity):
- John reads, doesn’t he?
- You’re Spanish, aren’t you?
- He didn’t come, did he?
Alternative questions
- Do you read or write?
- Would you like tea or coffee?
Echo questions
- What? / Sorry? / Pardon?
- He what? (echoing the verb)
- He said what?
Chinese
Declarative
SVO, falling intonation:
- 约翰读书。
- 他是老师。
- 狗在睡觉。
Yes/No questions
Particle 吗 at the end:
- 约翰读书吗？
- 你是老师吗？
- 下雨吗？
V-not-V form:
- 你读不读书？(Do you read or not?)
- 你是不是老师？(Are you a teacher or not?)
Note: No word order change. Particle or V-not-V marks the question.
Wh-questions
Wh-word stays in situ:
- 约翰读什么？(What is John reading?)
- 书在哪儿？(Where is the book?)
- 谁来了？(Who came?)
Note: Word order is identical to declarative.
Imperative (affirmative)
Bare verb:
- 来！(Come!)
- 坐！(Sit!)
- 告诉我！(Tell me!)
Softening with 吧:
- 来吧！(Come on! / Please come!)
- 走吧！(Let’s go!)
Negative imperative
别 + verb:
- 别来！(Don’t come!)
- 别走！(Don’t leave!)
- 别这么说！(Don’t say that!)
不要 + verb (more formal):
- 不要走！(Don’t go!)
Exclamatory
多 + adjective + 啊:
- 多好啊！(How good!)
- 太棒了！(Great!)
- 真好看！(So beautiful!)
多么 + adjective (formal/literary):
- 多么美丽啊！(How beautiful!)
Tag questions
对吗 / 是不是 / 好吗:
- 约翰读书，对不对？
- 你是老师，是不是？
- 我们走吧，好不好？
Alternative questions
还是:
- 你读书还是写字？
- 你喝茶还是咖啡？
Echo questions
什么？ / 怎么了？ / 你说什么？:
- 什么？(What?)
- 怎么了？(What’s the matter?)
- 你说什么？(You said what?)
Comparison at a glance
| Sentence type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declarative | SVO, falling | SVO, falling | SVO, falling |
| Yes/No question | Inversion, ¿? | Do-support, ? | Particle 吗 / V-not-V |
| Wh-question | Wh + inversion | Wh + aux inversion | Wh in situ, no change |
| Imperative | Verb alone, ¡! | Verb alone, ! | Bare verb, ! |
| Negative imperative | No + subjunctive | Don’t + verb | 别 + verb |
| Exclamatory | ¡Qué! / ¡Cuánto! | What / How + ! | 多 / 太 + ! |
| Tag question | ¿verdad? / ¿no? | Aux + pronoun | 对不对 / 是不是 |
| Alternative | A o B | A or B | A 还是 B |
Examples in context
Do you read books?
- ES: ¿Lees libros?
- EN: Do you read books?
- ZH: 你读书吗？
What is he reading?
- ES: ¿Qué lee?
- EN: What is he reading?
- ZH: 他读什么？
Don’t go!
- ES: ¡No vayas!
- EN: Don’t go!
- ZH: 别走！
Common mistakes
-
Spanish speakers learning English: You speak English? → Do you speak English? (do-support)
-
English speakers learning Spanish: ¿Do tú lees? → ¿Lees tú? / ¿Tú lees? (no do-support)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 吗你吃饭？ → 你吃饭吗？ (particle at end)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: He is what reading? → What is he reading? (wh-movement)
Related topics
- Questions: How question formation works
- Imperatives: How commands work
- Exclamations: How exclamatory sentences work
- Negation: How negation works
Examples
Declarative (statement)
Juan lee un libro. (SVO, falling intonation)
Yes/No question
¿Juan lee un libro? (inversion, ¿?)
Wh-question
¿Qué lee Juan? (wh-fronting, no do-support)
Imperative (command)
¡Lee! (verb alone, ¡!; tú understood)
Negative imperative (prohibition)
¡No leas! (no + subjunctive)
Exclamatory
¡Qué libro tan interesante! (qué + noun, ¡!)
Tag question
Juan lee, ¿verdad? / ¿no? (tag added)
Alternative question
¿Lees o escribes? (A o B)
Examples
Declarative (statement)
John reads a book. (SVO, falling intonation)
Yes/No question
Does John read a book? (auxiliary do, ?)
Wh-question
What is John reading? (wh-movement, auxiliary inversion)
Imperative (command)
Read! (verb alone, no subject)
Negative imperative (prohibition)
Don't read! (do not + bare infinitive)
Exclamatory
What an interesting book! (what a + noun + !)
Tag question
John reads, doesn't he? (auxiliary + pronoun)
Alternative question
Do you read or write? (A or B)
Examples
Declarative (statement)
约翰读书。(SVO, falling intonation)
Yes/No question
约翰读书吗？(particle 吗, no inversion)
Wh-question
约翰读什么？(wh in situ, no inversion)
Imperative (command)
读书！(bare verb, no subject)
Negative imperative (prohibition)
别读！(别 + verb)
Exclamatory
多有趣的书啊！(多 + adjective + 啊)
Tag question
约翰读书，对不对？(对吗 / 是不是)
Alternative question
你读书还是写字？(A 还是 B)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declarative (statement) | Juan lee un libro. (SVO, falling intonation) | John reads a book. (SVO, falling intonation) | 约翰读书。(SVO, falling intonation) |
| Yes/No question | ¿Juan lee un libro? (inversion, ¿?) | Does John read a book? (auxiliary do, ?) | 约翰读书吗？(particle 吗, no inversion) |
| Wh-question | ¿Qué lee Juan? (wh-fronting, no do-support) | What is John reading? (wh-movement, auxiliary inversion) | 约翰读什么？(wh in situ, no inversion) |
| Imperative (command) | ¡Lee! (verb alone, ¡!; tú understood) | Read! (verb alone, no subject) | 读书！(bare verb, no subject) |
| Negative imperative (prohibition) | ¡No leas! (no + subjunctive) | Don't read! (do not + bare infinitive) | 别读！(别 + verb) |
| Exclamatory | ¡Qué libro tan interesante! (qué + noun, ¡!) | What an interesting book! (what a + noun + !) | 多有趣的书啊！(多 + adjective + 啊) |
| Tag question | Juan lee, ¿verdad? / ¿no? (tag added) | John reads, doesn't he? (auxiliary + pronoun) | 约翰读书，对不对？(对吗 / 是不是) |
| Alternative question | ¿Lees o escribes? (A o B) | Do you read or write? (A or B) | 你读书还是写字？(A 还是 B) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declarative (statement) | Juan lee un libro. (SVO, falling intonation) | John reads a book. (SVO, falling intonation) | 约翰读书。(SVO, falling intonation) |
| Yes/No question | ¿Juan lee un libro? (inversion, ¿?) | Does John read a book? (auxiliary do, ?) | 约翰读书吗？(particle 吗, no inversion) |
| Wh-question | ¿Qué lee Juan? (wh-fronting, no do-support) | What is John reading? (wh-movement, auxiliary inversion) | 约翰读什么？(wh in situ, no inversion) |
| Imperative (command) | ¡Lee! (verb alone, ¡!; tú understood) | Read! (verb alone, no subject) | 读书！(bare verb, no subject) |
| Negative imperative (prohibition) | ¡No leas! (no + subjunctive) | Don't read! (do not + bare infinitive) | 别读！(别 + verb) |
| Exclamatory | ¡Qué libro tan interesante! (qué + noun, ¡!) | What an interesting book! (what a + noun + !) | 多有趣的书啊！(多 + adjective + 啊) |
| Tag question | Juan lee, ¿verdad? / ¿no? (tag added) | John reads, doesn't he? (auxiliary + pronoun) | 约翰读书，对不对？(对吗 / 是不是) |
| Alternative question | ¿Lees o escribes? (A o B) | Do you read or write? (A or B) | 你读书还是写字？(A 还是 B) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
Declarative (statement)
Spanish
Juan lee un libro. (SVO, falling intonation)
English
John reads a book. (SVO, falling intonation)
Chinese
约翰读书。(SVO, falling intonation)
Yes/No question
Spanish
¿Juan lee un libro? (inversion, ¿?)
English
Does John read a book? (auxiliary do, ?)
Chinese
约翰读书吗？(particle 吗, no inversion)
Wh-question
Spanish
¿Qué lee Juan? (wh-fronting, no do-support)
English
What is John reading? (wh-movement, auxiliary inversion)
Chinese
约翰读什么？(wh in situ, no inversion)
Imperative (command)
Spanish
¡Lee! (verb alone, ¡!; tú understood)
English
Read! (verb alone, no subject)
Chinese
读书！(bare verb, no subject)
Negative imperative (prohibition)
Spanish
¡No leas! (no + subjunctive)
English
Don't read! (do not + bare infinitive)
Chinese
别读！(别 + verb)
Exclamatory
Spanish
¡Qué libro tan interesante! (qué + noun, ¡!)
English
What an interesting book! (what a + noun + !)
Chinese
多有趣的书啊！(多 + adjective + 啊)
Tag question
Spanish
Juan lee, ¿verdad? / ¿no? (tag added)
English
John reads, doesn't he? (auxiliary + pronoun)
Chinese
约翰读书，对不对？(对吗 / 是不是)
Alternative question
Spanish
¿Lees o escribes? (A o B)
English
Do you read or write? (A or B)
Chinese
你读书还是写字？(A 还是 B)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Key concepts compared: Declarative (statement), Yes/No question, Wh-question.
Understanding sentence types across languages prevents common transfer errors.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026