¿How do you type that upside-down question mark thingy?
If you’re learning Spanish and you’re planning to write or take notes on a computer, at some point you’ll probably ask yourself this question. You’ll also need to type the other Spanish accents and characters like:
á, é, í, ó, ú, ü, ñ, ¡
But they can seem a bit fiddly. Are they really that important?
Well, Spanish speakers will probably know what you mean without them. But it looks sloppy – a bit like forgetting capital letters, commas and question marks in English:
if i type like this in english you know what im saying but theres something not quite right
If you want to wow people with your slick Spanish, you’ll need to get those accents and characters right.
Luckily, it’s easy when you know how!
Read on to learn how to type Spanish accents and characters on:
With newer Mac operating systems, typing accents above vowels is simple: just press and hold the letter you want to accent. Next, a menu pops up with all the possible accents. Select the accent you need or press the corresponding number.
For ñ, use this keyboard combination:
For the upside down question mark use this combination:
The keyboard combination for the ¡ symbol may change depending on which computer you’re using (for mine, it’s alt/option + ?).
Here’s a simple way to find it on your keyboard:
If you want to type á, é, í, ó and ú, but you don’t see a pop-up menu when you press and hold the vowel, you can type the accents with a simple keyboard combination.
The specific key will depend on the keyboard you have, but you can find it easily by using the following method:
If you have the U.S. international keyboard installed, you can type Spanish accents on Windows by simply typing an apostrophe followed by the vowel you want to accent.
á = ‘ + a
é = ‘ + e
í = ‘ + i
ó = ‘ + o
ú = ‘ + u
Here are the keyboard combos for the other accents/characters:
ü = ” + u
n = ˜+ n
¡ = alt + !
¿ = alt + ?
You can install this keyboard by searching language settings > options > add a keyboard > United-States International. Once you’ve installed it, you’ll see a language bar has appeared next to the clock in the start bar. If it’s not already selected, click on the language and select ENG INTL.
If you have a different keyboard, you can type accents and characters by holding down the alt key and typing a 3-digit number.
Important: for this to work, use the number pad on the right side of your keyboard, not the ones in a row across the top of the letters. If you don’t have one of those pads, you’ll find a solution below.
Here are the codes (character appears when you release the alt button)
á = Alt + 0225
é = Alt + 0233
í = Alt + 0237
ó = Alt + 0243
ú = Alt + 0250
ü = Alt + 0252
ñ = Alt + 0241
¿ = Alt + 0191
¡ = Alt + 0161
It’s probably a good idea to put a little cheat sheet next to your desk for a while to help you remember the codes!
If your keyboard doesn’t have a number pad to the right-hand side, you might be able to change the keys at the top right (e.g: 7,8,9,U,I,O,J,K,L,M) into a number pad. If you have this option, you should see the corresponding numbers under each letter.
To activate this number pad, you’ll need to use the Num Lock key (sometimes known as Num LK or Num). The exact steps to activate the number pad will depend on your keyboard/computer set up, but here are some of the most common:
Once you’ve found your number pad, you can get the Spanish accents and characters by typing the Alt+ number combinations above.
Another way to find Spanish accents and symbols in Windows is by using the character map.
Searching for the letters and symbols can get a little cumbersome, so if you’re going to use a character map to type Spanish accents, you could create a new document with all the Spanish accents and characters so you have them to hand.
If you’re using Microsoft Office, you can add accents to vowels by pressing and holding the following keys together:
For example, to put an accent over the letter a, press: Ctrl + ‘ + a = á
What about if you want to chat in Spanish on your smartphone?
With most smartphones, typing accents on keyboards is simple: just hold down the letter you’d like to accent, and a menu will pop up.
To turn question marks and exclamation points upside down, hold these buttons down and you’ll see a menu with the inverted versions.
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Do you know how to type Spanish symbols on your keyboard now? Write a Spanish sentence below, using some Spanish accents and characters!
If there’s one thing I love more than learning languages, it’s sitting on the sofa in my pants. Fortunately, these activities aren’t mutually exclusive, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to combine my two favourite pastimes.
I’ve had a lot of questions about Spanish recently so this sleepy Sunday seemed like the perfect time to share some of my favourite resources for learning Spanish the lazy way.
This laid-back podcast does exactly what it says on the tin. The lively presenters give you short ten minute snippets designed to feel “like going for a coffee with your friend who happens to speak Spanish”. The podcasts go through the basics at beginner level right through to advanced conversations and are perfect to listen to whilst snuggled up on the sofa with a cup of something delicious. The basic podcast version is free for all levels.
If you’ve seen me on instagram, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Spanish soap operas, otherwise known as telenovelas. I love having a guilt-free pass to binge watch bad TV, safe in the knowledge that I’m buffing up on some Spanish.
They might seem inane, but telenovelas are actually a deceptively savvy learning tool for several reasons. Firstly, the actors tend to speak slowly with exaggerated intonation, making their speech easier to follow compared to other types of TV programmes and films. Also, the acting is usually so hammy that it’s possible to follow the plot without understanding every word. This provides plenty of context from which to deduce the meaning of words, a strategy which is often thought to boost vocabulary learning. Finally, telenovelas are based around the day-to-day lives of the characters, so you get exposure to lots of relevant vocabulary that you might not come across in standard text books. Of course, not all of the words in Spanish soap operas are applicable to every day life. Still, it’s good to know I can cry “how dare you betray me Alejandro!!” in Spanish, should the need ever arise.
I’m so happy to see the growing body of Spanish language shows on Netflix. From comedies like club cuervos to documentaries about Pablo Escobar, now you can watch Netflix and brush up on your Spanish at the same time. Many of the shows are available with closed caption subtitles which allow you to read while you listen, a big plus if you struggle to follow the audio alone.
So there you have it. Three fenomenal excuses to get into your PJs, make yourself a tasty snack and plant your behind firmly on the sofa for a few hours. Happy learning!
Are you learning Spanish at the moment? Do you have any lazy learning strategies? Let us know in the comments below.
¿How do you type that upside-down question mark thingy? If you’re learning Spanish and you’re planning to write or take notes on a computer, at some point you’ll probably ask yourself this question. You’ll also need to type the other Spanish accents and characters like:
If there’s one thing I love more than learning languages, it’s sitting on the sofa in my pants. Fortunately, these activities aren’t mutually exclusive, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to combine my two favourite pastimes. I’ve had a lot of questions about Spanish