Word order in questions

Question

Is word order important in questions?  Years ago, I learned that when asking a question, the order should be verb then subject, but I've seen an example where the word order is reversed: "¿Miguel estará en la oficina?"  I would have asked, "¿Estará Miguel en la oficina?"  It seems important because often folks (even some native speakers) don't use an inflection in their voice when asking a question. By using verb then subject, it becomes clearer that it is a question.

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Steven P.
In Spanish, the most standard word order in direct questions is verb first and subject after. For example, ¿Está Miguel en la oficina? is the neutral and most commonly taught structure. This order helps mark the sentence clearly as a question even without relying on intonation.
However, you will also hear and see questions where the subject comes first, such as ¿Miguel está en la oficina?. This is also correct, but it tends to be used more when the speaker is confirming or double-checking information, similar to when in English we might say “Miguel is at the office?” with a rising tone to express doubt or verification.
Your example with the future — ¿Estará Miguel en la oficina? — is perfect Spanish using the standard verb–subject order. If someone said ¿Miguel estará en la oficina?, it would still be grammatical, but it sounds more like a restated assumption or a check in context, rather than a neutral new question.
In short, both word orders exist and are used, but the verb–subject order is the default, especially in neutral or open questions, while subject–verb is more common in contexts of confirmation or expectation.
Hasta pronto
Silvia