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🇪🇸Spanish Exclamatory Sentences

Exclamatory sentences in Spanish are used to express strong feelings or reactions. They often begin with the word ¡qué! (what) or cómo! (how), followed by an adjective, adverb, or noun. The sentence is enclosed in inverted exclamation marks: ¡...!

Using ¡qué...!

¡Qué...! means What...! and is used to comment on a quality or situation.
You can follow ¡qué! with an adjective, noun, or even a clause:
Spanish Example
¡Qué bonito!
English Example
Usage Notes
Commenting on something attractive.
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Using ¡cómo...!

¡Cómo...! means How...! and is used to emphasize the manner or degree of something.
Spanish Example
¡Cómo corres!
English Example
Usage Notes
Amazement at someone's running.
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Sentence Structure

Exclamatory sentences can have different structures depending on what you want to emphasize.

Adjective or Adverb

Spanish Example
¡Qué alto!
English Example
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Noun Phrase

Spanish Example
¡Qué estrella!
English Example
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Verb or Clause

Spanish Example
¡Qué bien bailas!
English Example
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Additional Expressions

  • ¡Vaya...! — Expresses surprise or disbelief. ¡Vaya día! (What a day!)
  • ¡Siempre...! — Emphasizes a recurring situation. ¡Siempre llegas tarde! (You’re always late!)
  • ¡Hasta qué...! — Marks a surprising limit. ¡Hasta qué punto es difícil! (How difficult it is!)

Summary

Exclamatory sentences in Spanish vividly convey emotions by using special structures and punctuation. Key points include:
  • Begin with ¡qué...! or ¡cómo...! to express what or how.
  • Use ¡qué...! for commenting on qualities (adjectives, nouns).
  • Use ¡cómo...! for emphasizing manner or degree (verbs, adverbs).
  • Enclose the sentence in inverted exclamation marks: ¡...!.
  • You can also use other expressions like ¡vaya...!, ¡siempre...!, and ¡hasta qué...! for nuanced meanings.
These sentences make your Spanish more expressive and dynamic. Here are the main points about exclamatory sentences in Spanish:
  • They express strong emotions such as surprise, joy, or sadness.
  • They are written with inverted exclamation marks at the beginning and end: ¡...!.
  • Common starters are ¡qué...! (what) and ¡cómo...! (how).
  • ¡Qué...! is followed by an adjective, noun, or clause: ¡Qué bonito! (How pretty!).
  • ¡Cómo...! is followed by a verb or adverb: ¡Cómo corres! (How you run!).
  • Other expressions include ¡vaya...! (wow), ¡cuánto...! (how much), and ¡desde cuándo...! (since when...).
  • The word order can vary depending on what is being emphasized.
  • Context and intonation (in speech) are important for conveying the correct emotion.
Spanish Parts of Speech Interjections & Exclamations ¡Qué! ¡Cómo! ¡Vaya! Exclamatory Word Order Adjectives Adverbs Nouns Sentence Structure Interjections Expressing Surprise Expressing Joy Expressing Sadness Expressing Anger Using Intonation Common Exclamations Dialogue Examples Practice Sentences Translations


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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025