To ask somebody about whether it is hot or cold in a certain place you use the same phrase as you would if you were simply telling them the information.
So the quetion becomes how to know the difference.
The difference between the answer and the question actually depends on the inflection on the last word. You take it up a tone when it is a question.
Your voice rises a bit at the end in a question.
Example: This is the question: ¿Hace calor en México?
This is the answer: Hace calor en Mexico.
(In the podcast, listen to how my voice rises at the end of the sentence).
If you just say “Hace calor en México” as your response, you are implying positive answer, but you can also be more explicit with your answer and say “Sí, hace calor en México”.
To give negative response you just have to say “No hace calor en México”
In English, we have words like “what, when, how, and where” to ask questions. Spanish has these words too, but they often aren’t used.
In many cases, if you want to make something a question, there won’t be any question words involved. Keep in mind that if you say the statement back to the person who asked it (Hace calor in Mexico) you’re implying that the answer is “yes.”
Repeat the following phrases in Spanish. Pay special attention to the intonation in the questions. At the end try to figure out if it was a question or a statement.
Let’s get started!
¡Empecemos!
| ¿Hace mucho calor en Panama? | Question |
| Hace mucho calor en Panama. | Statement |
| ¿Hace frío en Costa Rica? | Question |
| ¿Hace un poco de frio en Canada? | Question |
| Hace frío en Costa Rica | Statement |
| Hace mucho frío en Canada | Statement |
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Spanish Greetings and Basic Conversation
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