30 Examples of Subject Questions in English

The subject questionsin English (subject questions) are used to ask who (quien) or what (que) did the action. They are used when the subject is unknown. For example: quien won the Oscars?/ Who won the Oscar?

The subject questionsstart with quien or with que. Used quien (who) when the subject is a person and que (what) when the subject is a thing or a situation. For example: que happened?/ What happened?

The subject questions they constitute the only exception to the structure of the questions in English, since they do not follow the structure: auxiliary + subject + verb. For example: Who composed the Ninth Symphony? (And not: Who did compose the Ninth Symphony?)

The subject questionscan carry the question word quien (who, who), which is used for people and que (what), which you use for things and situations. can also be used which(which one, which ones, what), which is used for people or things, to express a limited number of options and whose(whom's), which is used to express possession.

• See also: «wh-questions" in English

Structure of the subject questions in English

The structure of the subject questions is:

who + conjugated verb + ?

For example:

• quien said that? / Who said that?
• que made that noise?/ What made that noise?

Unlike the rest of the questions in English, the subject questions:

• They don't have auxiliaries do, doesand did.
• They do not have inversion between the verb and the subject, since the subject is unknown.
• They carry the main conjugated verb.

For example: Who came to the party?(And not: Who did come to the party?)

to take into account: que and which they can be followed by a noun or noun phrase to ask about both things and people. For example: que student yelled?/ Which student yelled?

• See also: Interrogative sentences in English

Subject questions and object questions

While the subject questions are used to ask about the subject, the object questions are used to ask about the object or the complement of the sentence.

Subject questions	object questions
They are used to ask about the subject of the sentence. The question has no subject. quien called?	They are used to ask about the object or complement of the sentence. The question has a subject. who did you call?
They don't have auxiliaries (do, doesand did). Who lives here?(And not: Who does live here?)	They carry the auxiliaries (do, doesand did). quien do you live with?
There is no inversion between the auxiliary and the subject, which is unknown. What is going on?	There is inversion between the auxiliary (which goes first) and the subject. where did he go? (did: assistant, I have: subject)
The main verb is always conjugated. quien studied at Harvard?	The main verb is not conjugated in the simple tenses. quien did you study with?
Can be used with question words (wh-words): who, what, whichand whose.	They can be used with any question word. (wh-word): when, where, why, how, who, what, whichand whose.

• It can help you: «Yes-no questions" in English

Examples of subject questions in English

1. Who called you?
   Who called you?
2. Who lives in that old house?
   Who lives in that old house?
3. Who wrote “Macbeth”?
   Who wrote Macbeth?
4. Who came to class?
   Who came to class?
5. Who told you the secret?
   Who told you the secret?
6. Who uses public transportation?
   Who uses public transport?
7. Who broke the vase?
   Who broke the vase?
8. Who invited you?
   Who invited you?
9. Who speaks English fluently?
   Who speaks English fluently?
10. Who ate my sandwich?
    Who ate my sandwich?
11. What makes you happy?
    What makes you happy?
12. What is happening?
    What is happening?
13. What fell on the floor?
    What fell to the ground?
14. What made you think that?
    What made you think that?
15. What caused the accident?
    What caused the accident?
16. What country doesn't respect actions against global warming?
    What country does not respect the actions against global warming?
17. What president said that?
    What president said that?
18. What happened between you two?
    What happened between you two?
19. What physical activities promote well-being?
    What physical activities promote well-being?
20. What are the odds?
    What are the odds?
21. Which script won the award?
    Which script won the award?
22. Which student got the highest mark?
    Which student got the highest grade?
23. Which of you thinks we should put it to the vote?
    Which of you think we should put it to a vote?
24. Which river overflowed its banks?
    What river overflowed?
25. Which elevator is not working?
    What elevator is not working?
26. Which is the capital of the US, Washington or New York?
    What is the capital of the USA, Washington or New York?
27. Which story received good reviews?
    Which story received good reviews?
28. Which of the two countries has the largest population?
    Which of the two countries has the largest population?
29. Which singer sang "I'll always love you"?
    Which singer sang "I'll always love you"?
30. Which is better?
    Which is better?

Questions with quien

The questions with quien They may be subject questionsif they ask about the subject (who) and object questionsif they ask about the object of the sentence (to whom, with whom, for whom), in which case the preposition is added at the end of the question, if necessary. For example:

• quien wrote this? / Who wrote this? (subject matter: ask about the subject.)
• quien did you write to?/ Who did you write to?(object question: Ask about the object. Subject: you)

Questions with que

The questions with que They may be subject questions if they ask about the subject (what), and object questionsif they ask about the object of the sentence (what). In both cases you can add a noun after que to limit its meaning. For example:

• que was that?/ What was that? (subject matter: ask about the subject.)
• What TV shows does he prefer? / What TV shows do you prefer? (object question: Ask about the object. Subject: I have)

Follow with:

• Questions with "que»
• Sentences with "que"
• Sentences with "which”
• Sentences with "where»
• Sentences with "do" and "does»
• Sentences with "how old», «how far" and "how often»

Interactive test to practice