Phrases with WHAT and WHAT

In Spanish they exist Two types of what: "what" and "what". Although at first glance they may seem the same, they are not since each of them performs a completely different function. For this reason, it is very important to always keep in mind the importance of the accent or graphic accent (´) since, In Spanish, the tilde is a graphic element that allows differentiating meanings and, therefore, words (habit - habit - dwelt).

In this lesson from a teacher we will discuss the difference between the two types of what, without accent "what" and with accent "what" and, for this, we are going to give you different phrases with what and what so you can understand when each one is used.

In Spanish, the particle "what" with tilde it is a pronoun that introduces sentences interrogative or exclamatory both direct and indirect. Remember that this pronoun is always a tonic:

• What things do you have!
• I don't know why you don't want to come with me.
• How well you live!
• What a beautiful day today!
• What do you think of this film?
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• How well your friend dances!
• He asked me what gift he wanted for my birthday.
• What day is today?
• What do you want for dinner tonight?
• What a marvel of dress!

However, in some interrogative sentences, the "what", depending on whether or not it has an accent, means one thing or another. Keep in mind that the difference is minimal and you have to pay attention to the pronunciation to differentiate them more easily. Let's see it through an example:

• What has he told you to drink?

It means something like 'What are the drinks he told you to drink?' The answer can be any word, for example "water", "coffee", "tea", and so on.

• What did he tell you to drink?

The person asking the question wants to know if the questioner has been told to drink. When faced with this question, the answer is usually affirmative "yes" or negative "no".

In this video of a teacher we discover the indirect interrogative sentences so that you understand what they are and can thus accent correctly.

In front of the accented "what" is found the "what" without accent, which can be either a relative pronoun: His son, who had fallen in the park, was crying, or one conjunction: He told me that he didn't want to see me anymore. These words are known by the name of homographs, since they are written the same but have different meanings. They are both unstressed.

Some examples of phrases with "what" with relative pronoun function and as conjunction are the following:

• The man wearing a coat is my father.
• I'm thinking I'm going to call my mother when she gets out of class.
• You and I have a lot to keep quiet.
• You have to work hard to get your boss to raise your salary.
• My brother says he doesn't come to the party.
• I would like all of us to raise a toast together.
• The moments we spent with my grandfather were very beautiful.
• We hope you reply as soon as possible.
• Hopefully everything that happens to you is good.
• I love you so much that I would do anything for you.
• My English teacher wants us to watch television in English.
• The theater performance that the young children did at school was very good.
• Today I can't go out because I have to clean up my room.
• Do not be afraid that I will help you in whatever way I can.
• I think you are not telling me everything you know.
• I think the best thing to do is talk to dad before doing anything.
• My grandfather says that if he behaves me he will give me a bicycle next year.

Although it may seem complicated at first glance, the difference between "what" with accent and "what" without it is very simple:

• "What" is used in all those phrases that have a interrogative or exclamatory character; that is, they are questions or exclamations, such as the following: What do you prefer to eat today: pasta or pizza? or What a beautiful drawing you have made! You must bear in mind that in these types of sentences the change in intonation is a detail that will help you know when to write "what" with an accent; since its pronunciation is slightly higher than the rest of the sentence in which it is inserted.
• "What" without accent, on the contrary, it is used in those sentences in which a subordinate nexus or a conjunction that link different sentences, such as I do not like that you speak to me in that tone or I don't think he has the money to come to the movies tonight.

The accent mark that carries the "What" is a diacritical accent that is used to differentiate between two words that are spelled the same way. In this video we tell you what is and how is the diacritical accent used.