how do you say "do you"
I want to ask "Do you have....."
6 Answers
¿Tiene usted...
In Spanish, there isn't a word for "do." So to say "do you have?" you use the same word(s) as when you say "you have" and add a question mark. You can reverse the order of the subject and verb in your question. This seems to be most common. Or you can keep the same order of the words and just add the question marks.
Informal
(Tú) tienes un gato. You have a cat.
¿Tienes (tú) un gato? Do you have a cat?
¿(Tú) tienes un gato? --> use a questioning tone of voice
Note that the word tú is not needed, and usually is not used, except when you are learning.
Formal
Usted tiene un perro. You have a dog.
¿Tiene usted un perro? Do you have a dog?
¿Usted tiene un perro? --> use a questioning tone of voice
Alicia explained it very nice. So I want only add two things:
1) English requires the strong order of words in the sentence. But in Spanish you can use the same order of words in question (¿Tienes gato?) like in declarative form (Tienes gato.).
2) But reader/listener can quickly distinguish the two forms:
2a) Like reader he see question mark in the beginning of the sentence (nice invention...). 2b) Like listener he recognize intonation specific for question.
And one remark to point 2a: existence of two question marks in Spanish (the first "¿" and the last "?") allowed to spanish writers not to use quote so much in inserted sentences like in other languages (like in my native Czech for example).
Mirek
In Spanish, there isn't a word for "do."
Just to head off any possible future confusion. There is a word for do in Spanish (hacer), but you would not use it this type of situation (i.e. as an auxiliary verb). In Spanish the use of "do" as an auxiliary verb does not exist, and this is what Alicia has so generously explained to you.
Usted tiene
Tienes if informal. Tiene if formal.
