Introduction
Asking who in Spanish is one of the first skills beginners learn. This article explains the question word for who, how to use it in sentences, polite forms, and common beginner mistakes. You will get clear examples, useful vocabulary, and practice sentences you can use right away.
- What is the Spanish word for who?
- Basic question forms with quién
- Who + verb: common beginner patterns
- Who vs who (plural): cuándo usar quiénes
- Polite and informal ways to ask who
- Common phrases and everyday examples
- Short dialogues and realistic practice
- Common mistakes beginners make
- Practice exercises for beginners
- Vocabulary list: must-know words with who
- Conclusion
What is the Spanish word for who?
The most common Spanish word for who is quién. Use it when you want to know the person responsible for an action, the identity of someone, or the name of someone. Remember: quién has an accent mark when used in questions and direct interrogatives.
Examples of the word alone:
Quién
Quiénes (plural form for who when asking about multiple people)
Basic question forms with quién
There are two main ways to use quién: alone as a short question and inside full questions. Short questions are common in conversation. Full questions provide context and use question word order or include question marks in writing.
Short conversational questions:
¿Quién?
¿Quiénes?
Full question examples:
¿Quién es ella?
¿Quiénes son ellos?
Structure tip: inversion and intonation
In Spanish, you can invert subject and verb like in English question form, but often you simply use the same word order as a statement and rely on intonation or question marks. Key point: include the opening and closing question marks in writing: ¿ … ?
Statement order vs question order:
Ella es la profesora. — Statement
¿Quién es la profesora? — Question
Who + verb: common beginner patterns
Start with simple verbs that beginners know: ser, tener, trabajar, llamar, and conocer. Below are patterns with sample sentences and short translations.
Using ser to ask identity or role:
¿Quién es? — Who is it?/Who is he/she?
¿Quién es tu maestro? — Who is your teacher?
Using llamarse to ask for a name:
¿Cómo se llama? — What is his/her name?
¿Quién se llama Ana? — Who is called Ana?/Who is named Ana?
Using tener for possession or relationships:
¿Quién tiene mi libro? — Who has my book?
¿Quién tiene hijos? — Who has children?
Using trabajar for jobs:
¿Quién trabaja aquí? — Who works here?
Using conocer for familiarity:
¿Quién conoce a María? — Who knows María?
Who vs who (plural): cuándo usar quiénes
Use quién for one person and quiénes for several people. This is important because Spanish marks plurality clearly in question words. Beginner tip: if you expect more than one person, use quiénes.
Examples:
¿Quién viene a la fiesta? — Who is coming to the party? (one or unknown)
¿Quiénes vienen a la fiesta? — Who are coming to the party? (expecting multiple people)
Note that subject-verb agreement still applies:
¿Quién viene? — viene (singular)
¿Quiénes vienen? — vienen (plural)
Polite and informal ways to ask who
In social contexts you may prefer polite phrasing. Use conditional or indirect questions for politeness. Always consider tone and context.
Informal:
¿Quién es? — Who is it?
Polite / indirect:
¿Me puede decir quién es? — Can you tell me who it is?
¿Sabe usted quién llamó? — Do you know who called?
Beginner tip: use usted with older people or in formal situations; use tú with friends and peers.
Common phrases and everyday examples
Here are practical phrases you will see or use in daily situations like hotels, restaurants, classes, and public signs.
At the reception desk:
¿Quién tiene la reservación? — Who has the reservation?
On the classroom roll call:
¿Quién falta hoy? — Who is missing today?
On a phone message:
¿Quién llamó? — Who called?
At a meeting:
¿Quién está a cargo? — Who is in charge?
On a form or ID check:
¿Quién corresponde a este documento? — Who corresponds to this document?
Short dialogues and realistic practice
Practicing short dialogues helps memorize forms. Each line shows a natural exchange for beginners.
Reception example:
Recepcionista: ¿Quién hizo la reservación?
Cliente: Yo hice la reservación. Me llamo Juan.
Classroom example:
Profesor: ¿Quién falta hoy?
Estudiante: María falta hoy.
Phone example:
Persona A: ¿Quién llamó?
Persona B: Carlos llamó a las 9.
Common mistakes beginners make
Beginners often forget the accent on quién, mix singular and plural, or wrongly translate who word order from English. Watch for these errors and correct them early.
Missing accent:
Incorrect: Quien es tu amigo?
Correct: ¿Quién es tu amigo?
Wrong plurality:
Incorrect: ¿Quiénes es tu amigo?
Correct: ¿Quién es tu amigo? or ¿Quiénes son tus amigos?
Literal English word order leading to odd Spanish:
Incorrect: ¿Es quién la profesora?
Correct: ¿Quién es la profesora?
Practice exercises for beginners
Try these simple exercises. Read the Spanish question, then say or write the answer in Spanish. Keep answers short.
Exercise 1
¿Quién es el director?
Answer example: El director es Miguel.
Exercise 2
¿Quiénes van al cine esta noche?
Answer example: Ana y Luis van al cine.
Exercise 3
¿Quién tiene la llave?
Answer example: Yo tengo la llave.
Exercise 4
¿Quién llamó por teléfono?
Answer example: María llamó por teléfono.
Exercise 5
¿Quién trabaja en recepción?
Answer example: Carlos trabaja en recepción.
Vocabulary list: must-know words with who
Here are short vocabulary items that pair well with quién questions. Learn these to form useful sentences.
el profesor / la profesora — the teacher
el amigo / la amiga — the friend
el jefe / la jefa — the boss
la reservación — the reservation
la llave — the key
el teléfono — the telephone
la reunión — the meeting
el director / la directora — the director
Quick grammar reminder
Who question word: quién (singular) and quiénes (plural). Use with verbs that match number. Include accent in questions. When using with prepositions such as con or para, place the preposition before the question word: ¿Con quién? ¿Para quién?
Examples with prepositions:
¿Con quién vienes? — Who are you coming with?
¿Para quién es este regalo? — For whom is this gift?
Conclusion
Mastering how to ask who in Spanish gives you the power to identify people, ask for names, and handle many real-life situations. Focus on the difference between quién and quiénes, keep the accent mark, and practice the short dialogues and exercises above. With these beginner tools, you will feel confident asking and answering who questions in everyday Spanish.
