what is the used of ¿ ?
¿a qué estamos hoy?
3 Answers
The ¿? are used to form interrogative sentences similiar to the single question mark used in English.
The only real difference is that in English we always place the question mark at the end of the sentence. In Spanish:
The inverted question mark (¿) is a punctuation mark written before the first letter of an interrogative sentence or clause to indicate that a question follows.
Por ejemplo:
In mixed, declarative / interrogative sentences, the clause that asks a question is isolated with the starting-symbol inverted question mark, for example:
Aunque no puedes ir con ellos, ¿quieres ir con nosotros? (Although you can't go with them, would you like to go with us?)
The other thiing that is different from English is that the ? can be used in combination with the exclamation mark in exclamatory/interrogative sentences or clauses. ¿Really! ¡Estás cierto?
Your question ¿Cuál es la fecha? or ¿ A qué estamos hoy? used the question marks correctly.
It helps to put the emphasis on the correct part of the sentence, which is at the beginning when it concerns a request for information. See also Pronunciation of Information Questions
In Engliish, when we have a question we just put ? at the end. In Spansih, when there is a question you use¿ before the question and ? after. One difference is that in Spanish, you can also use ¿ in the middle of a sentence when that sentence ends in a question:
Si no te gusta la comida, ¿por qué la comes?
If you don't like the food, why are you eating it?
