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Wh-Movement

How Spanish, English and Chinese form questions by moving or placing wh-words.

Compare languages

Wh-movement places question words at the beginning of the clause. English moves wh-words obligatorily. Spanish moves them obligatorily. Chinese leaves wh-words in situ (in place).

Overview

Wh-movement is the syntactic process that places question words at the beginning of a clause.

Spanish: Wh-words move to the front obligatorily. No auxiliary do-support. Qué vs cuál distinction (what vs which). Echo questions use normal order.
English: Wh-words move to the front obligatorily. Auxiliary do-support required for simple tenses. Subject wh-words do not trigger inversion.
Chinese: Wh-words stay in situ (in their original position). No movement. No auxiliary. Word order identical to declarative sentences.

Spanish

Wh-words

Spanish	English	Example
qué	what	¿Qué quieres?
quién	who	¿Quién vino?
dónde	where	¿Dónde está?
adónde	where to	¿Adónde vas?
cuándo	when	¿Cuándo llega?
por qué	why	¿Por qué lloras?
cuál	which	¿Cuál prefieres?
cuánto	how much	¿Cuánto cuesta?
cómo	how	¿Cómo estás?

Qué vs cuál

Qué = what (open, definitional):

¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Cuál = which (selection from set):

¿Cuál prefieres? (Which do you prefer?)
¿Cuál es tu favorito? (Which is your favorite?)

Movement to front

¿Qué lees? (What are you reading?)
¿Quién vino? (Who came?)
¿Dónde está? (Where is he?)

Note: No do-support. Direct verb-subject order.

Echo questions

¿Qué dijiste? (You said what? — high pitch on qué)
¿A quién viste? (You saw who?)

Note: Wh-word remains at the front, not postposed.

Indirect questions

No sé qué quiere. (I don’t know what he wants.)
Me preguntó quién vino. (He asked me who came.)

English

Wh-words

English	Example
what	What do you want?
who	Who came?
where	Where is he?
when	When did he arrive?
why	Why do you cry?
which	Which do you prefer?
how	How are you?
how much/many	How much does it cost?
whose	Whose book is this?

Movement + inversion

Object wh-questions (inversion required):

What are you reading?
Where did he go?
Why do you cry?

Subject wh-questions (no inversion):

Who came? (who = subject)
What happened? (what = subject)

Do-support

What did you say? (NOT What said you?)
Where does he live?

Echo questions

You said WHAT? (wh-word postposed, high pitch)
He went WHERE?

Note: English uniquely allows postposed wh-words in echo questions.

Pied-piping

Wh-word moves with its preposition:

To whom did you speak? (formal)
Who did you speak to? (informal, preposition stranding)

Indirect questions

I don’t know what he wants.
He asked me who came.

Note: No inversion in indirect questions.

Chinese

Wh-words

Chinese	English
什shén么me	what
谁shéi	who
哪nǎ儿er / 哪nǎ里lǐ	where
什shén么me时shí候hou	when
为wèi什shén么me	why
哪nǎ	which
多duō少shǎo	how much/many
怎zěn么me	how
怎zěn么me样yàng	how / what kind

In situ (no movement)

Chinese wh-words stay in their original position:

你nǐ读dú什shén么me？(You read what? = What are you reading?)
谁shéi来lái了le？(Who came?)
他tā去qù哪nǎ儿er？(He goes where? = Where did he go?)
你nǐ为wèi什shén么me哭kū？(You why cry? = Why do you cry?)

Note: Word order is identical to declarative sentences.

Classifier with wh-words

哪nǎ本běn书shū？(Which book? — 本běn = classifier)
哪nǎ个ge人rén？(Which person? — 个gè = classifier)

Echo questions

你nǐ说shuō什shén么me？(You said what?)
他tā去qù哪nǎ儿er？(He went where?)

Note: Chinese echo questions are structurally identical to regular wh-questions.

Indirect questions

我wǒ不bù知zhī道dào他tā想xiǎng要yào什shén么me。(I don’t know what he wants.)
他tā问wèn谁shéi来lái了le。(He asked who came.)

Wh-indefinites

Wh-words can mean indefinite in certain contexts:

谁shéi都dōu知zhī道dào。(Everyone knows. — who + 都dū = everyone)
什shén么me都dōu不bù要yào。(Don’t want anything. — what + 都dū = anything)

Comparison at a glance

Feature	Spanish	English	Chinese
Wh-movement	Yes (obligatory)	Yes (obligatory)	No (in situ)
Auxiliary inversion	No	Yes (do-support)	No
Echo question	Fronted (normal order)	Postposed (unique)	In situ (same as regular)
Wh + classifier	N/A	N/A	Required (哪nǎ本běn, 哪nǎ个gè)
Indirect questions	Normal word order	Normal word order	Same as declarative
Wh-indefinites	alguien/algo	someone/something	谁shuí都dū / 什shí么mó都dū

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
¿Qué lees?	What are you reading?	你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？
¿Adónde fue?	Where did he go?	他tā去qù哪nǎ儿ér？
¿Qué dijiste? (fronted)	You said WHAT? (postposed)	你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？(in situ)

Common mistakes

English speakers learning Chinese: 什shí么mó你nǐ读dú？ → 你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？ (wh-in-situ)
Chinese speakers learning English: What you are reading? → What are you reading? (inversion)
English speakers learning Spanish: Qué quieres tú? → ¿Qué quieres? (no do-support, no extra pronoun)
Spanish speakers learning English: What you want? → What do you want? (do-support)

Questions: How question formation works
Indirect Questions: How embedded questions work
Inversion: How word order changes
Word Order: How syntax works

Examples

What are you reading?

¿Qué lees? (qué moved to front)

Who came?

¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front)

Where did he go?

¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front)

Why do you cry?

¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front)

How much does it cost?

¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front)

Which book do you prefer?

¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres?

Echo question (surprise)

¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch)

Wh-indefinite (someone, something)

alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite)

Examples

What are you reading?

What are you reading? (what moved to front + auxiliary inversion)

Who came?

Who came? (who = subject, no inversion)

Where did he go?

Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion)

Why do you cry?

Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion)

How much does it cost?

How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion)

Which book do you prefer?

Echo question (surprise)

You said WHAT? (what in final position)

Wh-indefinite (someone, something)

someone, something (no wh-movement)

Examples

What are you reading?

你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ, no movement)

Who came?

谁shuí来lái了le？ (谁shuí in situ)

Where did he go?

他tā去qù哪nǎ儿ér？ (哪nǎ儿ér in situ)

Why do you cry?

你nǐ为wéi什shí么mó哭kū？ (为wéi什shí么mó in situ)

How much does it cost?

这zhè个gè多duō少shǎo钱qián？ (多duō少shǎo in situ)

Which book do you prefer?

你nǐ喜xǐ欢huān哪nǎ本běn书shū？ (哪nǎ本běn in situ)

Echo question (surprise)

你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ)

Wh-indefinite (someone, something)

有yǒu人rén、有yǒu的de东dōng西xī (someone, something)

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
What are you reading?	¿Qué lees? (qué moved to front)	What are you reading? (what moved to front + auxiliary inversion)	你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ, no movement)
Who came?	¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front)	Who came? (who = subject, no inversion)	谁shuí来lái了le？ (谁shuí in situ)
Where did he go?	¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front)	Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion)	他tā去qù哪nǎ儿ér？ (哪nǎ儿ér in situ)
Why do you cry?	¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front)	Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion)	你nǐ为wéi什shí么mó哭kū？ (为wéi什shí么mó in situ)
How much does it cost?	¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front)	How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion)	这zhè个gè多duō少shǎo钱qián？ (多duō少shǎo in situ)
Which book do you prefer?	¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres?	Which book do you prefer?	你nǐ喜xǐ欢huān哪nǎ本běn书shū？ (哪nǎ本běn in situ)
Echo question (surprise)	¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch)	You said WHAT? (what in final position)	你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ)
Wh-indefinite (someone, something)	alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite)	someone, something (no wh-movement)	有yǒu人rén、有yǒu的de东dōng西xī (someone, something)

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
What are you reading?	¿Qué lees? (qué moved to front)	What are you reading? (what moved to front + auxiliary inversion)	你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ, no movement)
Who came?	¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front)	Who came? (who = subject, no inversion)	谁shuí来lái了le？ (谁shuí in situ)
Where did he go?	¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front)	Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion)	他tā去qù哪nǎ儿ér？ (哪nǎ儿ér in situ)
Why do you cry?	¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front)	Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion)	你nǐ为wéi什shí么mó哭kū？ (为wéi什shí么mó in situ)
How much does it cost?	¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front)	How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion)	这zhè个gè多duō少shǎo钱qián？ (多duō少shǎo in situ)
Which book do you prefer?	¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres?	Which book do you prefer?	你nǐ喜xǐ欢huān哪nǎ本běn书shū？ (哪nǎ本běn in situ)
Echo question (surprise)	¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch)	You said WHAT? (what in final position)	你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ)
Wh-indefinite (someone, something)	alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite)	someone, something (no wh-movement)	有yǒu人rén、有yǒu的de东dōng西xī (someone, something)

Examples in context

What are you reading?

Spanish

¿Qué lees? (qué moved to front)

English

What are you reading? (what moved to front + auxiliary inversion)

Chinese

你nǐ读dú什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ, no movement)

Who came?

Spanish

¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front)

English

Who came? (who = subject, no inversion)

Chinese

谁shuí来lái了le？ (谁shuí in situ)

Where did he go?

Spanish

¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front)

English

Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion)

Chinese

他tā去qù哪nǎ儿ér？ (哪nǎ儿ér in situ)

Why do you cry?

Spanish

¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front)

English

Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion)

Chinese

你nǐ为wéi什shí么mó哭kū？ (为wéi什shí么mó in situ)

How much does it cost?

Spanish

¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front)

English

How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion)

Chinese

这zhè个gè多duō少shǎo钱qián？ (多duō少shǎo in situ)

Which book do you prefer?

Spanish

¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres?

English

Which book do you prefer?

Chinese

你nǐ喜xǐ欢huān哪nǎ本běn书shū？ (哪nǎ本běn in situ)

Echo question (surprise)

Spanish

¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch)

English

You said WHAT? (what in final position)

Chinese

你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？ (什shí么mó in situ)

Wh-indefinite (someone, something)

Spanish

alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite)

English

someone, something (no wh-movement)

Chinese

有yǒu人rén、有yǒu的de东dōng西xī (someone, something)

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Wh-words move to the front obligatorily. No auxiliary do-support. Qué vs cuál distinction (what vs which). Echo questions use normal order.

English: Wh-words move to the front obligatorily. Auxiliary do-support required for simple tenses. Subject wh-words do not trigger inversion.

Chinese: Wh-words stay in situ (in their original position). No movement. No auxiliary. Word order identical to declarative sentences.

Key concepts compared: What are you reading?, Who came?, Where did he go?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does English require both wh-fronting and auxiliary inversion while Spanish requires only wh-fronting and Chinese requires neither?

English wh-questions require two syntactic operations: 'What ARE you reading?' — the wh-word moves to the front, and the auxiliary 'are' inverts with the subject. Spanish requires only fronting: *¿Qué lees?* (What you-read) — the subject-verb order remains declarative. Chinese requires neither: <ruby>你<rt>nǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>读<rt>dú</rt></ruby><ruby>什<rt>shí</rt></ruby><ruby>么<rt>mó</rt></ruby>？ (You read what?). An English speaker learning Spanish will insert auxiliary 'do': *¿Qué haces leer?* (ungrammatical). A Spanish speaker learning English will omit auxiliary inversion: 'What you are reading?' (ungrammatical). A Chinese speaker learning English will produce 'What you read?' (omitting both fronting of the wh-word's inversion). Each language represents a different degree of syntactic complexity in question formation.

How does Chinese wh-in-situ interact with embedded clauses in ways that English and Spanish speakers find confusing?

Chinese allows wh-words to remain in situ even in embedded clauses: <ruby>你<rt>nǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>知<rt>zhī</rt></ruby><ruby>道<rt>dào</rt></ruby><ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>买<rt>mǎi</rt></ruby><ruby>什<rt>shí</rt></ruby><ruby>么<rt>mó</rt></ruby>？ (You know he bought what?). English requires wh-movement to the main clause: 'What do you know he bought?' (grammatical but marked) or 'Do you know what he bought?' (more natural). Spanish also requires fronting in the embedded clause: *¿Sabes qué compró?* A Chinese speaker learning English will keep the wh-word in the embedded clause: 'You know what he bought?' without fronting 'what' to the embedded clause beginning. An English speaker learning Chinese will try to front the wh-word: <ruby>什<rt>shí</rt></ruby><ruby>么<rt>mó</rt></ruby><ruby>你<rt>nǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>知<rt>zhī</rt></ruby><ruby>道<rt>dào</rt></ruby><ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>买<rt>mǎi</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby>？ (ungrammatical). The embedded clause is where wh-movement vs. in-situ creates the most persistent transfer errors.

Why do Spanish speakers learning English produce wh-questions with the main verb inverted instead of an auxiliary?

Spanish wh-fronting does not require auxiliary inversion; the verb stays in its declarative position: *¿Qué compraste?* (What you-bought?). English requires an auxiliary: 'What DID you buy?' A Spanish speaker will produce 'What bought you?' by inverting the main verb, following Spanish word order but applying English's inversion requirement to the wrong element. Or they will produce 'What you bought?' by omitting inversion entirely. The error arises because Spanish has one operation (fronting) and English has two (fronting + auxiliary inversion). Spanish speakers must learn that English auxiliary 'do' is a syntactic dummy that carries tense and agreement, not a semantic verb. Chinese speakers learning English make the same error: 'What you bought?' because Chinese has neither operation.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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questions word-order

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Wh-words

Qué vs cuál

Movement to front

Echo questions

Indirect questions

English

Wh-words

Movement + inversion

Do-support

Echo questions

Pied-piping

Indirect questions

Chinese

Wh-words

In situ (no movement)

Classifier with wh-words

Echo questions

Indirect questions

Wh-indefinites

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References