- Apply the golden rule - only capitalise names and sentence beginnings
- Recognise that days, months, and languages stay lowercase in Spanish
- Use opening punctuation marks (¿ and ¡) before questions and exclamations
- Write people's names with capitals but keep titles lowercase (señor García)
- Format Spanish sentences with correct capitalisation
← Back to Grammar
FoundationsBeginner
Spanish Writing Style: Capitalisation & Punctuation Made Simple
Understand when to use capital letters in Spanish
What You'll Learn
Overview
Spanish uses fewer capital letters than English! Good news - this makes Spanish writing simpler. Plus, Spanish gives readers helpful warnings with special punctuation marks (¿ and ¡) so they know what's coming.
🎯 The Golden Rule
"When in doubt, DON'T capitalise!"
Spanish only capitalises two things: names and sentence beginnings. That's it!
💡 Why Spanish Writing is Easier
English capitalises days (Monday), months (January), languages (English). Spanish keeps them all lowercase: lunes, enero, español. Much simpler!
Structure & Formation
Step 1: The "Less Is More" Capitalisation Rule
Spanish is much more relaxed about capitals than English. Think of it as being polite - only shout (capitalise) when absolutely necessary!
🧠 The Golden Rule
"When in doubt, DON'T capitalise!"
Spanish only capitalises what's truly special - names and sentence beginnings
✅ DO Capitalise These
Sentence beginnings
El gato es negro.
People's names
señor García
Place names
Madrid, España
Institutions
Universidad de Madrid
❌ DON'T Capitalise These
Days
los lunes
Months
en enero
Languages
hablo español
Titles
señor García
Step 2: Spanish's Special "Warning System" - Double Punctuation
🚨 Why Spanish Uses Opening Marks
Spanish is considerate! It warns readers at the beginning: "Hey, get ready for a question!" or "Excitement coming!"
¿...?
Question Sandwich
¿Cómo te llamas?
Opening warns → Question → Closing confirms
¡...!
Exclamation Sandwich
¡Qué bonito!
Opening warns → Exclamation → Closing confirms
Step 3: Common Question Words That Signal ¿...?
When you see these words, you know a question is coming! They're your signal to use ¿ at the beginning:
¿Qué...?
What?
¿Qué hora es?
¿Quién...?
Who?
¿Quién eres?
¿Cuándo...?
When?
¿Cuándo vienes?
¿Dónde...?
Where?
¿Dónde vives?
¿Por qué...?
Why?
¿Por qué estudias?
¿Cómo...?
How?
¿Cómo estás?
¿Cuál...?
Which?
¿Cuál prefieres?
¿Cuánto...?
How much?
¿Cuánto cuesta?
💡 Pro Tip: These question words often have accents (á, é, ó) when used in questions, but lose them when used in statements. Example: ¿Cuándo vienes? (When are you coming?) vs. Cuando vengas (When you come).
Step 4: Learn the Special Characters
¿ Inverted Question Mark
¿Cómo te llamas?
¿Dónde vives?
Keyboard: Alt + 168 (Windows) or Option + Shift + ? (Mac)
¡ Inverted Exclamation Mark
¡Hasta mañana!
¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Keyboard: Alt + 161 (Windows) or Option + 1 (Mac)
Examples
DO Capitalise
Sentence start
El gato es negro.
The cat is black.
Names
señor García
Mr Garcia
Places
Madrid, España
Madrid, Spain
Institutions
Universidad de Madrid
University of Madrid
After ¿
¿Cómo te llamas?
What's your name?
After ¡
¡Qué bonito!
How beautiful!
DON'T Capitalise
Days
los lunes
on Mondays
Months
en enero
in January
Languages
hablo español
I speak Spanish
Titles
señor García
Mr Garcia
Adjectives
lengua española
Spanish language
Book titles
el señor de los anillos
The Lord of the Rings
Questions & Exclamations
Question
¿Qué hora es?
What time is it?
Question
¿Dónde vives?
Where do you live?
Question
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you?
Exclamation
¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Happy birthday!
Exclamation
¡Hasta mañana!
See you tomorrow!
Exclamation
¡Qué bonito día!
What a beautiful day!
Download Study Guide
Get a PDF with all capitalisation rules, question words, and practice exercises.
Common Mistakes
Over-Capitalisation Mistakes
Wrong: Hablo Español Y Francés
Correct: Hablo español y francés
Languages don't get capitals in Spanish - only capitalise at sentence start
Wrong: El Señor De Los Anillos
Correct: El señor de los anillos
Spanish titles only capitalise the first word - no English-style Title Case
Wrong: En Enero y Febrero
Correct: en enero y febrero
Months and seasons are always lowercase in Spanish
Wrong: los Lunes
Correct: los lunes
Days of the week are never capitalised in Spanish
Missing Opening Marks
Wrong: Cómo estás?
Correct: ¿Cómo estás?
Questions need ¿ at the start - it warns readers a question is coming
Wrong: Qué bonito!
Correct: ¡Qué bonito!
Exclamations need ¡ at the start - Spanish uses a 'sandwich' of marks
Wrong: Hola! Cómo estás?
Correct: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
Both exclamations and questions need their opening marks
Names vs Titles Confusion
Wrong: el señor garcía
Correct: el señor García
Titles (señor, doctor) stay lowercase, but actual names always get capitals
Wrong: el Doctor Martínez
Correct: el doctor Martínez
The title 'doctor' is lowercase, but the surname 'Martínez' is capitalised
The Golden Rules
When in Doubt
DON'T capitalise! Spanish uses far fewer capitals than English.
Question/Exclamation
Always use the opening mark (¿ or ¡) - it's not optional!
Quick Test
Time to test your Spanish writing skills! These questions cover the most common mistakes English speakers make:
1. 🔍 Spot the capitalisation! Which word needs a capital in: 'el señor garcía'?
2. ✋ Greeting check! How do you correctly write 'good morning' in Spanish?
3. ❓ Punctuation puzzle! How does Spanish handle questions?
4. 📅 Calendar confusion! When do days of the week get capitals in Spanish?
5. 🌍 Language logic! How do you write 'Spanish language' in Spanish?
6. 📚 Book title test! How should you write 'The Lord of the Rings' in Spanish?
7. 📆 Month madness! Which is correct for 'January 15th'?
8. 👋 Complete the greeting correctly: '____ buenos días, ____ garcía!'