The Order of Words in a Question
Hello everyone, I am confused about the order of words in a question. I have two similar phrases that I am trying to translate.
The first phrase would be "Did you eat the chicken?" So if I translate this to the usted form then I come up with "¿Comió el pollo?" The other phrase is "Did the chicken eat?" And then when I translate this I come up with the same thing, that is, "¿Comió el pollo?"
Now, I believe that I've done something wrong, as both these phrases are obviously very different but I come up with the same translation. Even when I type both of these phrases into the translator it still gives me the same problem. It would be very much appreciated if someone could explain to me this problem I'm having or translate the sentences the proper way. Thanks!
1 Answer
The 3rd person singular comió is the same for he, she, you (sir), you (madam) and also it, so the same question would apply to all, but context would indicate who (or what) you are talking to or about.
You could of course use the present perfect tense which is a compound verb made with the present tense of
haber – auxiliary verb to have in the past + past participle (that’s the …ado or …ido ending for regular verbs) to ask the question ¿Ha comido el pollo? – (You) have eaten the chicken? – Have you eaten the chicken?
And would you really ever say Did the chicken eat?
Surely you would ask Has the chicken been fed? - ¿Ha sido alimentado el pollo?
I hope this is helpful.
