Punctuation Marks in Spanish – Lesson 8

Why Spanish uses upside-down question marks

You’ve already seen them in the previous lessons: Spanish questions start with an upside-down question mark (¿) and exclamations start with an upside-down exclamation mark (¡). Today we look at why Spanish does this, and how to use them yourself.

Short lesson, but an important one!

¿ and ¡: one at the start, one at the end

In English, you only put a question mark at the end of a question. In Spanish, you use two: an inverted one at the start, and a normal one at the end.

The same goes for exclamation marks:

The marks at the beginning are called inverted (or upside-down) question and exclamation marks. In Spanish: signos de interrogación and signos de exclamación.

Reason 1: you know right away it’s a question

Imagine you’re reading this sentence:

Because of that little ¿ at the start, you know from the very first word that this is a question. So you can read it with the right tone in your head.

In English, you can sometimes guess it’s a question from the first words (“Are you…”), but often you only really know when you reach the question mark at the end.

Reason 2: Spanish doesn’t flip the words

This is the most important one. In English, you usually change the word order to make a question: “it is okay” becomes “is it okay?”.

In Spanish, you often don’t change anything. The sentence stays exactly the same, only the marks change:

Same three words, three different meanings. When you speak, your tone of voice shows the difference. When you write, the punctuation marks do. That’s why they matter so much in written Spanish.

Where to put ¿ and ¡

The upside-down mark goes where the question or exclamation actually starts. Usually that’s the start of the sentence, but not always:

Also: no space after ¿ or ¡, and no space before ? or !. Just like in English.

How to type ¿ and ¡

The hardest part is often just finding them on your keyboard. Here’s how:

• iPhone and Android: press and hold the ? or ! key, and pick the upside-down one.
• Mac: Option + Shift + ? for ¿, and Option + 1 for ¡.
• Windows: hold Alt and type 168 on the number pad for ¿, or 173 for ¡. Or add a Spanish keyboard in your settings.

Practice: add the right punctuation

How would you write these in Spanish? Think about it, then click to check.

1. cómo te llamas (What’s your name?)

¿Cómo te llamas?

2. mucho gusto (Nice to meet you!)

¡Mucho gusto!

3. está bien (Is it okay?)

¿Está bien? Same words as “it’s okay”, only the marks change.

4. está bien (It’s okay.)

Está bien. No question marks: it’s a statement.

5. y tú, de dónde eres (And you, where are you from?)

Y tú, ¿de dónde eres? The ¿ goes where the question starts.

6. hola (Hi!)

¡Hola!

Quiz: Spanish punctuation

8 quick questions. Let’s see if you’ve got it!

Frequently asked questions

Do Spanish speakers really use ¿ and ¡ in text messages?

Honestly, many native speakers skip them in quick, casual texts. But in anything a bit more careful (emails, social media posts, school, work), they’re expected. As a learner, it’s best to always use them: it shows you know the rule and makes you easier to understand.

Is the upside-down question mark used in other languages?

It’s basically unique to Spanish (and a few languages of Spain that sometimes borrow it). That’s why it’s one of the first things people notice about written Spanish.

Can a sentence have both a question and an exclamation?

Yes, for very surprised questions. Most often you’ll see something like ¡¿En serio?! (Seriously?!). It’s rare, so don’t worry about it for now.

Before you go to the next lesson

That’s it! Short lesson, but now you know why Spanish uses those upside-down marks, and how to type them. From now on, use them every time you write Spanish. Not for me, but for yourself. See you in the next one. ¡Adiós!