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A SPANISH REFERENCE GRAMMAR

7. The neuters are used in referring to things whose gender is not yet known in queries of the type of zque es esto (eso, aquello) ? what is this (that)? In the reply the demonstrative is commonly omitted: es una ventana, it is a window. 331.

For demonstrative adjectives, see 225-227.

F. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS. These are: z quiên (quienes) ? who? z a quien (es) ? to whom? whom? de quien? whose? of whom? zque? what? which? z city° (-a, -os, -as) ? whose? el cudnto (-a, -os, -as) ? how much? how many? 332.

I. Interrogative pronouns bear written accents in both direct and indirect questions to distinguish them from relatives of the same spelling. See 292. 333.

z. z Quien? refers only to persons; z a quien? is the accusative as well as the dative form; z de quien? is the possessive form. 334.

  1. z De quien? and cilyo? are used almost exclusively in the predicate after ser. z Cilyo ? is little used. zDe quien es la pluma que Vd. tiene? whose pen have you? A quien? expresses whose with verbs of deprivation: a quien robaron el reloj ? whose watch did they steal? See 237; also 96 and 267. 335.

  2. z Que ? is invariable and refers only to things. As predicate nominative it asks for

KINDS OF VERBS   71

a definition: z que es la aritmetica? what is arithmetic? 336.

  1. z Que.? is often replaced in colloquial language by z clue cosa? : Tie cosa es esto? what is this? zquê cosa es un reloj ? what is a watch? 337.

  2. z Cu6.1? refers to persons or things and as predicate nominative denotes choice or selection: zcual es el infinitivo de dijo? what is the infinitive of dijo ? zcuales son los dias de la semana ? what are the days of the week? 338.

  3.  Cufinto ? : zcuanto cuestan estos libros? how much do these books cost? This word becomes exclamatory with a change of punctuation: i cudnto cuestan estos libros! how much these books cost! 339.

For interrogative adjectives see 232-237.

VIII. THE VERB A. KINDS OF VERBS AS TO FORM.

I. Regular. See paradigms of Apendice de verbos, pages 163 to 188; also the different tenses of the several moods.

  1. Irregular. Idem.

  2. Defective.   See Apendice de Verbos, section 46.

  3. Radical-changing. There are three classes:

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