Topics
AdvancedWh-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 |
|---|---|
| 什么 | what |
| 谁 | who |
| 哪儿 / 哪里 | where |
| 什么时候 | when |
| 为什么 | why |
| 哪 | which |
| 多少 | how much/many |
| 怎么 | how |
| 怎么样 | how / what kind |
In situ (no movement)
Chinese wh-words stay in their original position:
- 你读什么？(You read what? = What are you reading?)
- 谁来了？(Who came?)
- 他去哪儿？(He goes where? = Where did he go?)
- 你为什么哭？(You why cry? = Why do you cry?)
Note: Word order is identical to declarative sentences.
Classifier with wh-words
- 哪本书？(Which book? — 本 = classifier)
- 哪个人？(Which person? — 个 = classifier)
Echo questions
- 你说什么？(You said what?)
- 他去哪儿？(He went where?)
Note: Chinese echo questions are structurally identical to regular wh-questions.
Indirect questions
- 我不知道他想要什么。(I don’t know what he wants.)
- 他问谁来了。(He asked who came.)
Wh-indefinites
Wh-words can mean indefinite in certain contexts:
- 谁都知道。(Everyone knows. — who + 都 = everyone)
- 什么都不要。(Don’t want anything. — what + 都 = 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 (哪本, 哪个) |
| Indirect questions | Normal word order | Normal word order | Same as declarative |
| Wh-indefinites | alguien/algo | someone/something | 谁都 / 什么都 |
Examples in context
What are you reading?
- ES: ¿Qué lees?
- EN: What are you reading?
- ZH: 你读什么？
Where did he go?
- ES: ¿Adónde fue?
- EN: Where did he go?
- ZH: 他去哪儿？
You said what?
- ES: ¿Qué dijiste? (fronted)
- EN: You said WHAT? (postposed)
- ZH: 你说什么？(in situ)
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 什么你读？ → 你读什么？ (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)
Related topics
- 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?
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?
你读什么？ (什么 in situ, no movement)
Who came?
谁来了？ (谁 in situ)
Where did he go?
他去哪儿？ (哪儿 in situ)
Why do you cry?
你为什么哭？ (为什么 in situ)
How much does it cost?
这个多少钱？ (多少 in situ)
Which book do you prefer?
你喜欢哪本书？ (哪本 in situ)
Echo question (surprise)
你说什么？ (什么 in situ)
Wh-indefinite (someone, something)
有人、有的东西 (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) | 你读什么？ (什么 in situ, no movement) |
| Who came? | ¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front) | Who came? (who = subject, no inversion) | 谁来了？ (谁 in situ) |
| Where did he go? | ¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front) | Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion) | 他去哪儿？ (哪儿 in situ) |
| Why do you cry? | ¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front) | Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion) | 你为什么哭？ (为什么 in situ) |
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front) | How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion) | 这个多少钱？ (多少 in situ) |
| Which book do you prefer? | ¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres? | Which book do you prefer? | 你喜欢哪本书？ (哪本 in situ) |
| Echo question (surprise) | ¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch) | You said WHAT? (what in final position) | 你说什么？ (什么 in situ) |
| Wh-indefinite (someone, something) | alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite) | someone, something (no wh-movement) | 有人、有的东西 (someone, something) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
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) | 你读什么？ (什么 in situ, no movement) |
| Who came? | ¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front) | Who came? (who = subject, no inversion) | 谁来了？ (谁 in situ) |
| Where did he go? | ¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front) | Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion) | 他去哪儿？ (哪儿 in situ) |
| Why do you cry? | ¿Por qué lloras? (por qué moved to front) | Why do you cry? (why moved + do-insertion) | 你为什么哭？ (为什么 in situ) |
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? (cuánto moved to front) | How much does it cost? (how much moved + does-insertion) | 这个多少钱？ (多少 in situ) |
| Which book do you prefer? | ¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres? | Which book do you prefer? | 你喜欢哪本书？ (哪本 in situ) |
| Echo question (surprise) | ¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch) | You said WHAT? (what in final position) | 你说什么？ (什么 in situ) |
| Wh-indefinite (someone, something) | alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite) | someone, something (no wh-movement) | 有人、有的东西 (someone, something) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
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
你读什么？ (什么 in situ, no movement)
Who came?
Spanish
¿Quién vino? (quién moved to front)
English
Who came? (who = subject, no inversion)
Chinese
谁来了？ (谁 in situ)
Where did he go?
Spanish
¿Adónde fue? (adónde moved to front)
English
Where did he go? (where moved + did-insertion)
Chinese
他去哪儿？ (哪儿 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
你为什么哭？ (为什么 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
这个多少钱？ (多少 in situ)
Which book do you prefer?
Spanish
¿Qué libro prefieres? / ¿Cuál libro prefieres?
English
Which book do you prefer?
Chinese
你喜欢哪本书？ (哪本 in situ)
Echo question (surprise)
Spanish
¿Qué dijiste? (normal order, high pitch)
English
You said WHAT? (what in final position)
Chinese
你说什么？ (什么 in situ)
Wh-indefinite (someone, something)
Spanish
alguien, algo (no wh-movement as indefinite)
English
someone, something (no wh-movement)
Chinese
有人、有的东西 (someone, something)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
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?.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026