Yes/No Questions

Same words, new melody. Most yes/no questions use the exact words of the statement: Está aberto. (It is open.) / Está aberto? (Is it open?) Because the subject pronoun is usually dropped, the verb often comes first anyway. See dropping subject pronouns.

The melody. In traditional Galician speech, the voice is often high through the question and then falls from the last stressed syllable, which surprises learners who expect a rise. Many speakers end with a simple rise instead, as in Spanish. Both melodies are heard as questions.

Naming the subject. When you say who you mean, it often goes after the verb: Vén Antón hoxe? (Is Antón coming today?) Keeping it first with rising intonation is also possible: Vostede é de aquí?

Writing. Galician needs only the closing question mark. An opening ¿ is optional and mainly used in long sentences. See question and exclamation marks.

Answering. The most natural yes is to repeat the verb in the right person, sometimes adding si: Tes irmáns? Teño, si. (Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes, I do.) A plain si is also correct. Note that si is written without an accent. For no, use non: Non, non teño. See answering with the verb.

Pronouns. A yes/no question has no question word, so an object pronoun stays after the verb as in a statement: Coñécelo? (Do you know him?) Compare wh-questions, where it moves forward: Como te chamas? See pronouns in wh-questions.

Checking. To ask for agreement, add non? or verdade? at the end: Es de Lugo, non? For emphasis, add ou non?: Vés ou non? See tag questions.