One sentence, two meanings
Viene mañana and ¿Viene mañana? are the same words in the same order. The only difference is the pitch movement at the end: in one the voice drops, in the other it climbs.
English usually builds a question with an auxiliary and inversion (Does he come tomorrow?), and the melody just rides along. Spanish has no do, and nothing has to move: the melody carries the question. You already know this pattern from You're coming tomorrow? said with a rise. Even with the verb up front (¿Viene Ana mañana?) the sentence still needs the high ending.
Hear the difference
Viene mañana.
[[ˈbjene maˈɲana] ↘]
He is coming tomorrow.
¿Viene mañana?
[[ˈbjene maˈɲana] ↗]
Is he coming tomorrow?
Está cansada.
[[esˈta kanˈsaða] ↘]
She is tired.
¿Está cansada?
[[esˈta kanˈsaða] ↗]
Is she tired?
The statement - falling
A statement starts at mid pitch, holds it, and falls from the last stressed syllable down into your low range. That last note is the lowest of the sentence.
Mañana tengo que trabajar.
[[maˈɲana ˈteŋɡo ke tɾaβaˈxaɾ] ↘]
Tomorrow I have to work.
El piso está en el segundo.
[[el ˈpiso esˈta en el seˈɣundo] ↘]
The flat is on the second floor.
Los niños ya están durmiendo.
[[los ˈniɲos ʝa esˈtan duɾˈmjendo] ↘]
The children are already sleeping.
The yes/no question - rising
A question answered with sí or no is called a pregunta total. It opens exactly like a statement. From the last stressed syllable the voice goes up and stays up.
¿Tienes un momentito?
[[ˈtjenes un momenˈtito] ↗]
Have you got a moment?
¿Has visto mis llaves?
[[as ˈbisto mis ˈʝaβes] ↗]
Have you seen my keys?
¿Te apetece un café?
[[te apeˈteθe un kaˈfe] ↗]
Do you fancy a coffee?
Questions with a question word - falling
A question with a question word (pregunta parcial: qué, dónde, cuándo, por qué) carries its signal in the word itself. The melody falls at the end, as in a statement and as in English Where do you live? A rising ending sounds more like asking someone to repeat.
Without and with a question word
¿Vives aquí?
[[ˈbiβes aˈki] ↗]
Do you live here?
¿Dónde vives?
[[ˈdonde ˈbiβes] ↘]
Where do you live?
¿Cuándo empieza?
[[ˈkwando emˈpjeθa] ↘]
When does it start?
¿Por qué llegas tarde?
[[poɾ ˈke ˈʝeɣas ˈtaɾðe] ↘]
Why are you arriving late?
Tags and open lists
Tags: ¿no? ¿verdad?
English copies the auxiliary and flips the polarity (He is coming, isn't he?). Spanish just adds ¿no? or ¿verdad?, unchanged for every sentence. The statement in front falls normally, and the tag rises on its own.
Eres de Madrid, ¿no?
[[ˈeɾes ðe maˈðɾið] ↘ [no] ↗]
You are from Madrid, aren't you?
Nos vemos el jueves, ¿verdad?
[[nos ˈbemos el ˈxweβes] ↘ [beɾˈðað] ↗]
We are meeting on Thursday, right?
Lists: something is still coming
In lists and before a main clause the voice does not fall but stays suspended. Only the final item falls. English does this too, so copy your own list intonation.
Compré pan, queso y jamón.
[[komˈpɾe pan] → [ˈkeso] → [i xaˈmon] ↘]
I bought bread, cheese and ham.
Después de cenar, vemos una serie.
[[desˈpwes ðe θeˈnaɾ] → [ˈbemos ˈuna ˈseɾje] ↘]
After dinner we watch a series.
