What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from the verb hacer, which means to make or do and una pregunta, which means a question. Literally, the phrase means "to make a question."
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the tense of the phrase, you must conjugate the verb hacer. The noun pregunta remains unchanged unless you are changing the number of questions being asked, such as in hacer unas preguntas.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθeɾ una pɾeɡunta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying preguntar una pregunta. While preguntar means to ask, using it with the noun pregunta is redundant and incorrect in Spanish. Instead, use hacer una pregunta.
When do people say it?
When asking questions in Spanish, you may use various question words such as ¿Qué? (What?), ¿Quién? (Who?), ¿Cuándo? (When?), ¿Dónde? (Where?), ¿Por qué? (Why?) and ¿Cómo? (How?).
Did you know?
- The Spanish word hacer evolved from the Old Spanish fazer, which kept the 'f' sound from the Latin facere before it disappeared in modern speech.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to preface hacer una pregunta with a phrase like disculpa or perdón to soften the request and show politeness.
- In a classroom setting, a student might say tengo una pregunta instead of quiero hacer una pregunta, meaning 'I have a question'.
Examples in context
- Solo quería hacer una pregunta.I just wanted to ask a question.This sentence shows how to express a simple desire to ask a question using hacer una pregunta.Tatoeba #3136638 by marcelostockle, translation #1989685 by CK
- Yo alcé mi mano para hacer una pregunta.I raised my hand to ask a question.This sentence uses hacer una pregunta to describe the action of raising one's hand to pose a query.Tatoeba #1361860 by marcelostockle, translation #258371 by CK
- Él levantó la mano para hacer una pregunta.He raised his hand to ask a question.This sentence uses hacer una pregunta to describe a third party raising their hand to pose a query.Tatoeba #510800 by Shishir, translation #298949 by CK
- Me gustaría preguntarle sobre su proyecto.I would like to ask you about your project.
- ¿Puedo hacer una pregunta?Can I ask a question?
- Quería preguntarte algo.I wanted to ask you something.
- ¿Dónde está la biblioteca?Where is the library?
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are studying in a library.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿puedo hacer una pregunta sobre este libro?María, can I ask a question about this book?
- MaríaClaro, Alejandro, dime qué necesitas saber.Of course, Alejandro, tell me what you need to know.
- AlejandroNo entiendo esta parte del capítulo.I don't understand this part of the chapter.
- MaríaDéjame ayudarte con eso ahora mismo.Let me help you with that right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, pregunta, una, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
