The Rundown on the Upside-Down Question Mark
You might have spotted a peculiar character in Spanish writing: a question mark curiously flipped upside down. In this article we'll discuss what this symbol means and how to use it in your writing like a pro.
The inverted question mark made its debut in the 18th century and, surprisingly, is unique to Spanish and other languages that branched from Spanish. This article will cover what it is and how to use it correctly.
When to use the inverted question mark
In Spanish, question marks are written at the start and end of a question. This placement makes it easier to notice questions when reading.
You can think of them like quotation marks or parenthesis; they come in pairs to indicate what they apply to.
This also brings to mind the inverted question mark's sibling, the inverted exclamation mark:
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How to use the inverted question mark
You can phrase a question by surrounding it with an inverted question mark (also called the upside-down question mark) at the beginning and the traditional question mark at the end:
¿Qué horas son?
What time is it?
Next steps
We hope to continue with you through your Spanish journey. Check out our other articles for more grammar tips.