Inverted interrogative (¿ ) and Exclamation point (¡ ) - punctuation marks, which begin, respectively, interrogative and exclamatory sentences in writing in some languages, for example, Spanish, Greek and Church Slavonic.

In Spanish they are called: inverted interrogative ( signos de interrogacion) and an exclamation point ( signos de exclamacion).

Usage

Inverted question and exclamation marks are used before the first letter of an interrogative sentence.

The second edition of the Ortografía de la lengua castellana (1754), inverted question and exclamation marks are recommended to indicate the start of a question and an exclamation, respectively [ ] . However, these rules slowly came into use [ ] . There are books of the 19th century [ which?] , where these characters were not typed.

They can also be combined in several ways to express a combination of a question with surprise or disbelief. Initial characters are usually reflected at the end of a sentence with the usual question and exclamation marks (?, !), which are used in most languages ​​of European origin. It should also be noted that the inverted characters are placed below the usual ones, that is, they go beyond the bottom line of the line. In Spanish, inverted question marks and exclamations appeared only in the middle of the 18th century, but they did not become widespread immediately. At the moment, under the influence of the English language, there is a reverse trend - to put signs only at the end. Inverted signs were first proposed by the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (Spanish. Real Academia Española ) in 1754 and adopted over the next century.

On computers, inverted characters are supported by various standards, including ISO 8859-1, Unicode, and HTML. They can be set directly from keyboards designed for use in Spanish-speaking countries, or through alternative methods on other keyboards.

Some authors do not use these characters for short sentences. The same rule is true for the Catalan language.

Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda refused to use the upside down question mark.

When corresponding on the Internet, correspondents can omit inverted characters to save typing time.

Story

The inverted question and exclamation marks are widely used in Spanish and sometimes in some of its origins, such as the old standards of Galician (now acceptable but not recommended) or Catalan, as well as Varai and Asturian. In Spanish, they are called inverted interrogative ( signos de interrogacion) and an exclamation point ( signos de exclamacion). In Spanish, when writing, question and exclamation marks are placed both at the end and at the beginning of a sentence: only at the beginning are these marks “upside down”

As a rule, when studying a foreign language, the focus is on vocabulary, phonetics and grammar. And it is right. But do not forget about punctuation - the arrangement of punctuation marks. After all, there are times when you need, for example, to write a letter to a foreign friend or an official appeal to the embassy. A person who knows how to write correctly always makes a more pleasant impression. What are the characteristics of Spanish punctuation?

Punctuation marks in Spanish serve 2 functions:

• logical division of a sentence or phrase into parts, which allows you to better understand the meaning of what is written;
• the emotional orientation of the whole sentence or its separate part, and sometimes even one word (we will consider how it is later).

Question marks (Signo de interrogación) and exclamation marks (Signo de admiración)

The most interesting and unique in Spanish are the question and exclamation marks. They are used with the same orientation as in Russian: giving the sentence the intonation of a question or an exclamation, respectively.

But the Spaniards are so emotional that they immediately need to know with what intonation to pronounce this or that phrase. Therefore, question and exclamation marks are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of a sentence. Moreover, at the beginning of the sentence inverted: "¿", "¡"

For example:

¿Quien es Juan? - Who is Juan?

¿Ha salido a la calle? - Went outside?

¡Vamos a la playa! - Let's go to the beach!

¡Feliz cumpleaños! - Happy Birthday!

In Spanish, it is also allowed to put question or exclamation marks in the middle of a sentence in order to highlight with the appropriate intonation not the whole phrase, but only a part of it.

For example:

Voy a comprar algunos regalos ¿pero donde? I want to buy gifts, but where?

Se veían algunas casuchas pequeñas y ¿eso se llamaba una ciudad? - There were some small houses, and it was called a city?

Juan se fue al teatro, pero ¡no había tomado consigo las entradas! – Juan went to the theatre, but did not take the tickets!

José fue a ver María pero ¡Dios mío! su paraguas se quedó en casa - José went to Maria, and, oh my God, his umbrella was left at home.

Also, if the question word is not at the very beginning of the sentence, then the question mark is placed directly next to it. And in this case, the question word should not be capitalized.

For example:

Antonio, ¿cuando llegaremos? – Antonio, when will we arrive?

Mi querido, ¿por que no me lo dijiste? “My dear, why didn’t you tell me this?

Use of the dot (Punto final)

As in Russian, a period is placed at the end of each complete affirmative or negative sentence. She speaks of the end of logical thought.

For example:

Me llamo Angel. My name is Angel.

Voy a estudiar con vosotros. “I will study with you.

Soy de Moscu. - I am from Moscow.

Por favor, no me molesten. - Please don't disturb me.

Comma in Spanish (Coma)

1) The first rule of using a comma in Spanish does not differ from the native Russian language. A comma is placed if the sentence lists homogeneous members of the sentence without a union or the same union is used.

For example:

Mama ha traído las naranjas, las manzanas, las mandarinas, los plátanos. Mom brought oranges, apples, tangerines and bananas.

Tengo que invitar todos los amigos, los primos, los padres. I have to invite all my friends, cousins ​​and parents.

No me gusta leer libros, escuchar música. I don't like reading books, listening to music.

The comma is not put if the homogeneous members of the sentence are connected by a union.

For example:

Pedia traer los platos y las tazas, no las cucharas. She asked for plates and cups, not spoons.

Prefieres trabajar en la escuela y ayudar a mama. You prefer to work at school and help your mother.

2) A comma always stands out when referring to a person. It is unimportant to address by name (Maria, Ignacio) or with the use of a respectful form (señor, señora).

For example:

Pedro, no comas las frutas, prueba mi tarta. – Pedro, don’t eat fruit, try my cake.

Oye, querido, no es verdad y no trates de convencerme. “Listen, dear, it's not true, and don't try to convince me.

3) A clarification is highlighted on both sides with commas (just like in Russian).

For example:

El señor Álvarez, mi amigo, es una persona muy inteligente. “Señor Alvarez, my friend, is a very intelligent man.

4) A comma marks introductory words and phrases. The most commonly used ones are: además (besides), ahora bien (however), a pesar de (regardless), efectivamente (really), en consecuencia (as a consequence), en efecto (really), en fin (after all) ), en resumen (in the end), finalmente (in the end), no obstante (nevertheless), por el contrario (on the contrary), por lo demás (however), por otra parte (on the other hand), por supuesto ( of course), por último (eventually), pues bien (okay), sin embargo (certainly, of course).

Introductory words and expressions are separated by commas, even if they are accompanied by question or exclamation marks.

For example:

A pesar de sus defectos, era querido por todos. Despite his shortcomings, everyone loved him.

Y de este modo, ¡sabes! , podemos conseguirlo todo. “And that way, you know, we can achieve anything.

Finalmente, hemos llegado. “Finally, we have arrived.

No quiero molestarte, por el contrario, quiero ayudarte. “I don’t want to disturb you, but on the contrary, I want to help you.

5) A comma is also needed in cases where it is necessary to highlight gerund, participial or infinitive turns.

For example:

Al dar los primeros pasos, he sentido el decaimiento de mis fuerzas físicas - Having taken the first steps, I felt a breakdown.

6) In some cases, isolated adjectives and participles are also separated by commas:

Hellegado a mi casa, cansado, pero feliz. I came home tired but happy.

7) A comma is placed to separate non-union compound sentences:

No puedo ir al teatro hoy, mi madre está enferma. I can't go to the theater today, my mother is sick.

8) In compound sentences connected by unions, a comma can be omitted or placed before the union. Spanish grammar has no precise rules for this. Grammarians recommend putting a comma before the unions y, o, ni, pero, mas, if independent sentences are not closely related in meaning, or if they are quite common:

Los zapatos estaban en el suelo, y la camisa colgaba del respaldar de la silla. The slippers were on the floor and the shirt was hanging on the chair.

América Latina tiene muchos problemas, que tienen que resolver rápidamente. – Latin America has many problems that need to be addressed quickly.

Tenga la bondad de mandar el paquete al hotel, yo quiero pasear un poco. – Kindly send a package to the hotel, I want to take a little walk.

Semicolon (Punto y coma)

The setting of this punctuation mark coincides in most cases with the rules of the Russian language: it is placed in a non-union compound sentence if

a) its parts carry different information

For example:

Han pasado dos dias; el rey se encuentra en su cámara más hosco que nunca. So two days passed; the king was in his chambers and gloomy as ever.

b) if the parts of the sentence are distributed at the expense of homogeneous members or revolutions

For example:

Veo los toros, corren allá y atrás; la gente trataba de tranquilizarlos, sin mostrar la agitación. - I saw bulls running back and forth; people, not showing excitement, tried to calm them down.

Also, the use of a semicolon is mandatory if a common sentence is introduced by conjunctions mas, pero, aunque, sin embargo, no obstante

For example:

Peromi tío llegó al notar con cuánta admiración se observaba; pero yo bien comprendí que era de burla. “But my uncle arrived and noticed how well he was received; but I knew it was a joke.

Colon (Dos puntos)

1) After a general union before homogeneous members of the sentence:

Sus subordinados llegaban: cuatro hombres in ocho gatos. (His subordinates arrived: 4 men and 8 cats).

2) Before a sentence that explains the content of the previous one:

El escribiente, obedeciendo, salió in volvió acompañado de un señor algo calvo, grueso in muy canoso: era el oficial. (Having submitted, the secretary left, but soon returned, accompanied by a slightly bald, fat and gray-haired lord: he was an official).

3) After the following expressions a saber (i.e.; namely), como sigue (like the following), por ejemplo (for example), verbigracia (for example):

Los animales se dividen en seis clases, a saber: cuadrúpedos, peces, aves, etc. (Animals are divided into 6 classes, namely: quadrupeds, fish, birds, and so on).

4) In official documents, after the following words considerando (considering), resultando (therefore), resuelto (decided):

Considerando: Que el artículo 193 del reglamento establece (Considering that Article 193 lays down…)

5) In personal letters after the appeal:

Querido tío y venerado maestro: He recibido su carta (Dear uncle and respected teacher: I have received your letter).

In direct speech, after words that introduce direct speech:

Su voz fue un susurro: “Si, mi hijo. Si, para ti. - You said in a whisper: "Yes, my son, yes, for you."

Ellipsis (Puntos suspensivos)

It is used when submitting incomplete information or when some information is omitted (in quotes, for example).

If there is a question or exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, then the ellipsis is completely preserved.

For example:

Tuyo es… de balde - Yours… is broken.

Éste nos dice lo siguiente: “…y también las conquistas logradas por los deportistas…” - This pointed us to the following “…and also the awards that the athletes won…”

Brackets (Parentesis)

Usually phrases, introductory sentences, numbers, dates are placed in brackets. The content of the brackets explains or complements the meaning of everything previously said. Here there is a complete coincidence with the rules of the Russian language.

For example:

El tren número 65 (no es precise nombrar la linea) se detuvo en la pequeña estación. - Train number 65 (no need to name the line) stopped at a small station.

Quotation marks (comillas)

Using quotation marks, you can immediately remember the Russian language. They are put: in cases of quoting someone's thought; indicating the title of the book, newspaper, magazine, diploma, article ...; if the author used the word not in the meaning in which it is given in the dictionary, slang words, archaisms.

For example:

Rulo lee "El Pais". Roulo is reading El Pais.

Allí se albergaban los vagos crónicos, los borrachos, los llamados "crotos".

Inveterate vagabonds settled there, drunkards call them "krotos".

Dash (Guion mayor)

Setting a dash is necessary when transmitting direct speech and when including explanatory phrases in a sentence (this situation is similar to using brackets).

For example:

– Me quedaré aquí un momento - ¿y tú? (I'll stay for a while. And you?)

- Tambien me quedo. (I will also stay).

Cuba - es un pais caluroso. (Cuba is a hot country).

Incorrectly placed punctuation marks can change the meaning of a sentence and even everything previously written. The information in this lesson will help you express your thoughts in writing more accurately and avoid misunderstandings with the Spaniards.

Inverted question and exclamation marks are not found in Russian. But they are actively practiced in Spanish. Of course, those who study this language should know how and why they should be used. And we will just find out where the inverted exclamation and question marks came from and what they are for.

A bit of history

The inverted question mark, called signos de interrogacion in Spanish, and the inverted exclamation mark, called signos de exclamacion, have a rather interesting history.

And we will start from afar. The first question mark was depicted in a copy of the Bible in Syria, which dates back to the 5th century. He just didn't look like himself. The question of that time was recognized as a double point. It was placed not only at the end, but also at the very beginning of an interrogative sentence.

If you pick up ancient works written in Hebrew or Old Arabic, it turns out that there are no punctuation marks here. There is no definite evidence that the question mark came to these languages ​​from the Syriac language. Most likely, he appeared on his own.

Interestingly, Greece does not have the question mark we are used to. Here it is replaced by just a dot, under which a comma is placed.

In the form in which we know the question mark today, it appeared only in the 16th century. And it turned out from two letters - the first and last - the word "quaestio", which translates as "question". Moreover, initially the question mark looked like the letter "o", on top of which the letter "q" was inscribed. Over time, these two letters became the question mark as we know it today.

How inverted punctuation marks appeared in Spain

But in Spanish writing, inverted question and exclamation marks were introduced intentionally. This event happened in 1754 and the Spanish Royal Academy did it.

Since then, all Spaniards simply cannot imagine books, newspapers and magazines without their inverted exclamation and question marks. They are incredibly comfortable for them. And the Spaniards themselves do not understand why other nations do not use inverted punctuation marks in writing.

This allows you to see in advance whether you are going to read an exclamatory or interrogative sentence. So you will pronounce it with the necessary intonation from the very beginning.

Inverted question mark. Sentence examples

We repeat - in Spanish, at the end of the sentence, the usual punctuation mark is put, in this case a question. But at the beginning, this sign will be inverted.

As an example, a few suggestions:

¿Qué día de la semana es hoy? - What day is today? Alberto ¿cuántos años tienes? - Alberto, how old are you? ¿On salido a la calle? ¿está en la escalera? ¿en el portal? ¿en donde? Ernesto supo que aquel tiempo vendría, pero ¿cuando?

There are some rules to remember. So, for example, if the interrogative word is not at the beginning of the sentence, but the appeal is found first, then the inverted question mark is placed after the appeal, but before the question word. As an example - the second sentence, which is given above.

If you ask several questions at once, then only the first of them begins with a capital letter. Further capital letters are not used. But the inverted questions are a must. An example is the third sentence.

Inverted exclamation mark. Examples

The exclamation mark, like the question mark, is first placed upside down, and at the end of the sentence - familiar to us.

The phrase is pronounced with an exclamatory intonation. As an example, ¡pase lo que pase! Translation - where ours did not disappear.

If you need to make an interrogative sentence with an exclamatory intonation, then an inverted question mark is placed first, and an exclamation mark at the end. Example - ¿De donde vienes, ingrato! Translation - Where are you from, ungrateful!

Here is another example: what are you doing?! It would look like this in Spanish: ¡¿Qué haces?!

In the 19th century, inverted question and exclamation marks were tried to be introduced into the Portuguese language. But they didn't settle down there. I wonder if we would use these signs if we were also offered to use them?

A punctuation mark (!), placed at the end (and in some languages, for example, in Spanish, and at the beginning, inverted) of an exclamation sentence, sometimes an appeal, etc. Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Exclamation point- (Astonisher) punctuation mark [period, comma, colon, dash, ellipsis, etc.], expressing an exclamation, increased intonation. It is placed at the end of a sentence, and in some languages ​​(for example, in Spanish) also at the beginning of a sentence in ... ... Font terminology

Exclamation point

Exclamation point- An exclamation mark is placed at the end of an exclamatory sentence (including the word of a sentence), for example: He loves me, loves me so much! (Chekhov); Rather an overcoat and a hat! (A. N. Tolstoy); Right! Right! (Vs. Ivanov). Note 1. In… … A guide to spelling and style

Punctuation mark (!), placed at the end (and in some languages, for example, in Spanish, and at the beginning, inverted) of an exclamatory sentence, sometimes an appeal, etc. * * * EXCLAMATION POINT EXCLAMATION POINT, punctuation mark (!), … … encyclopedic Dictionary

A punctuation mark that is placed: 1) at the end of an exclamatory sentence. Oh, if I could rise to the sky at least once! (Bitter); 2) optional in exclamatory sentences with homogeneous members after each homogeneous member to indicate ... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms

A punctuation mark that is placed after expressions containing surprise or invocation ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Punctuation mark. It means expressiveness at the end of a sentence (exclamation): How vast are these squares, How booming and steep bridges! or when addressing: Lord! I am negligent, your stingy slave (A. Akhmatova. “How vast these areas ...”; “You gave me ... ... Literary Encyclopedia

See punctuation... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Books

• Decoration set "Happy Holidays!", 11 letters and an exclamation mark , . The set includes 11 letters and an exclamation mark on 2 sheets of A 1 and a holiday script for decorating a class, group, foyer, hall of an educational organization for the celebration of Cosmonautics Day and ...
• Exclamation point. Poems 1911 - 1915 , Tsvetaeva M.I .. ...

Question mark inverted vertically and horizontally by 180

As a rule, in Russian it is hardly possible to meet an inverted question mark. But in Spanish this sign is important. It is used at the beginning of a sentence and serves as an addition to the main question mark, which, like in all other languages, is traditionally used. Or it may not have anything to do with the main question mark at all, since intonation in Spanish can change. And the first few words in a sentence can be questioned. Also, an inverted question mark can be used not only at the beginning or end of sentences, but also in the middle of a sentence. Right before the question word.

Where is the inverted question mark used?

1. The inverted question mark is used in Microsoft Windows operating systems, since the use of the traditional question mark is prohibited there.
2. A 180-degree horizontal question mark (curl reversed) is used in Arabic.
3. A vertically upside down question mark (i.e. dot above and hook below) is used in Greek and Church Slavonic.

Perhaps, and it would be possible to use the question mark in an inverted form and in our language as not an interrogative, but rather affirmative and meaning that this is the answer to a question. But! Why additional rules in Russian?

How to write an upside down question mark

Writing it in any file is as easy as shelling pears. Yes its not on the keyboard, but that's not a problem. There is a keystroke combination to write a character. You must press the ALT key and while holding it, dial the combination of numbers 0191. In this case, the language should be switched to English.