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Spanish Sentence Types

Spanish, like English, has various sentence types that serve different functions in communication. The main types are:
  • Declarative Sentences(orEnunciativas): These make statements or express facts.
  • Interrogative Sentences(orInterrogativas): These ask questions.
  • Imperative Sentences(orImperativas): These give commands or requests.
  • Exclamatory Sentences(orExclamativas): These express strong emotions or reactions.
Each type has its own word order, punctuation, and sometimes special words to signal its function.

Declarative Sentences

Declarative sentences state information, describe reality, or express ideas.
These are the most common sentence type. They can be positive or negative.

Word Order

  • Follow the standard Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order.
  • Subject is usually explicit but can be omitted if clear from context.

Examples

Notes

  • In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending indicates the subject.
  • Negation is formed by placingnobefore the verb.

Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences ask for information, confirmation, or clarification.
There are two main types:yes/noquestions andopenquestions.

Yes/No Questions

  • Require a simple affirmative or negative answer.
  • Word order can remain SVO or invert to Verb-Subject (VS).
  • Always begin with an inverted question mark (¿) and end with a regular one (?).

Examples

Open Questions

  • Begin with a question word (qué, cómo, cuándo, dónde, por qué, quién, cuál, etc.).
  • Word order usually places the question word at the beginning, followed by the verb.
  • Also use inverted question marks.

Examples

Notes

  • In spoken Spanish, intonation alone can signal a yes/no question even without inversion.
  • Open questions always require more than a yes/no answer.

Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences give orders, commands, advice, or requests.
They are directed at one or more people.

Formation

  • Use the verb stem (fortúform) or special imperative forms.
  • Different forms exist fortú,usted,nosotros,vosotros,ustedes.
  • Negative commands use the present subjunctive form.

Examples

Politeness

  • To soften commands, usepor favoror replace withpodrías+ infinitive (e.g.,¿Podrías cerrar la puerta?).

Exclamatory Sentences

Exclamatory sentences express strong feelings such as surprise, joy, anger, or sadness.

Formation

  • Begin with an inverted exclamation mark (¡) and end with a regular one (!).
  • Use exclamation words likequéorcuánto.
  • Word order may be altered for emphasis.

Examples

Notes

  • Exclamations can also be formed as short phrases or single words with strong intonation.

Summary

That’s a clear overview of Spanish sentence types to help you recognize and use them correctly.

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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025