What and which before a noun are used to ask for an identification, a class, or a concrete choice. In what book, what street or what movie, the question aims to discover which is the book, the street, or the movie. In which book or which option, the focus is on selecting one among several possible ones. When the noun is already present, these adjectives convey the idea of search; without them, the phrase loses the value of a question about identity or selection. Their behavior relates to other modifiers of the noun such as the Adjectives, but here the function is interrogative.

The interrogative adjective always goes in front of the noun: what color, which season, how many people. It does not appear after the name in this use. Between them no article is placed, so you say what book and not what the book. The basic sequence is interrogative adjective + noun. If the noun carries another modifier, the interrogative remains at the beginning: what two books, what a big problem, which of your friends. That position helps the question to be recognized from the start of the sentence.

Placement of the interrogative adjectives

Idea
The interrogative adjective goes before the noun that asks.
No article is placed between the adjective and the noun.

Which fits best when the situation already presents several possibilities and the question asks to choose one. In a list of restaurants, you ask which do you prefer; at a table with several glasses, which glass is yours; in front of several paths, which route do we take. It also works when comparing between options known to the speaker and the listener. In Interrogative Pronouns you will see which without a noun; here, with the noun after, the word modifies directly the noun that is being selected.

Use of which to choose options

Usage	Explanation
Choice among alternatives	Used when there are known options and you want to request a specific choice.
Selection from a list	Used to choose among several possibilities that the speaker already imagines.

How much, how much, how many and how many agree with the noun in gender and number. You say how much water, how many books, how many hours, how much money. That concordance shows what quantity, measure, or degree is being asked. With countable nouns, the idea is usually number: how many chairs. With matter or abstract nouns, it is usually measure or amount: how much rice, how much patience. In phrases like how much time is left or how far is the distance, the interrogative asks for a precise or approximate amount. This pattern also appears in contexts of Quantitative Adjectives, but here the form introduces a question.

Agreement of cuánto with the noun

Idea
How much changes form to agree in gender and number with the noun.
The interrogative form asks for quantity or measure.
The interrogative form also asks for degree.

These adjectives carry an accent when they introduce a question, both direct and indirect: What book are you reading?, Which train leaves first?, How many tickets do you want? They are also used in indirect clauses after verbs such as know, say, ask or see: I don’t know which book he chose, Explain to me which door is the correct one, He asked how many days were left. The accent is kept because the word retains its interrogative value even if the question mark does not appear. In an indirect clause, the noun stays together with the adjective, just like in a direct question.

Questions with accents on interrogatives

Usage	Explanation
Direct question	Has an accent when it opens a direct question.
Indirect question	Has an accent also inside an indirect question.
Question with quantity	Used with an accent when asking for quantity in a direct or indirect question.

In everyday speech, what is used very frequently where which would also be possible, especially if the question is natural and quick: what car do you want, what movie did you see. Which sounds more marked when the choice between options is clear. With an exclamatory tone, what in front of the noun expresses intensity, not a question: What a great idea!, What a night! That use belongs to exclamative adjectives, even though the form is the same. In some regions preferences also change, but the placement in front of the noun and the concordance of how much remain the same.

quéquéqué

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Se usa para enfatizar una reacción vivaz en contextos coloquiales y exclamativosSe usa en tono expresivo para remarcar una emoción fuerte o cómicaSe usa con mucha naturalidad en exclamaciones para intensificar sorpresa o admiración

Colloquial and exclamative variants

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Spain	qué	Used very naturally in exclamations to intensify surprise or admiration.	¡Qué sombrero tan valiente lleva el loro!¡What a hat the parrot is wearing!
Mexico	qué	Used to emphasize a lively reaction in colloquial and exclamatory contexts.	¡Qué fiesta montó la abuela con sus tamales cantantes!What a party grandma put together with her singing tamales!
Argentina	qué	Used in an expressive tone to stress a strong or humorous emotion.	¡Qué idea tan loca tuvo el perro pianista!What a crazy idea the pianist dog had!

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