How do you use an exclamation point in Spanish?

In Spanish, the exclamation point (¡) is used in a very similar way to English, but with a few important differences:

1. Placement:

* Start and end: Unlike English where the exclamation point goes at the end of the exclamation, in Spanish, it goes at the beginning and end of the exclamation.

* Example: ¡Hola! (Hello!)

* Example: ¡Qué bonito! (How beautiful!)

2. Inside and outside of quotation marks:

* Outside: The exclamation points go outside of the quotation marks when the entire sentence is an exclamation.

* Example: ¡"Hola!" dijo Juan. (""Hello!"" said Juan.)

* Inside: The exclamation points go inside the quotation marks when only the quoted part is an exclamation.

* Example: Juan dijo: "¡Hola!" (Juan said: ""Hello!"").

3. With question marks:

* Both: If a sentence is both a question and an exclamation, you'll use both question marks and exclamation points.

* Example: ¡¿Qué estás haciendo?! (What are you doing?!)

4. Not just for emotions:

* Imperative: Exclamation points are also used to emphasize imperative commands.

* Example: ¡Cierra la puerta! (Close the door!)

5. With other punctuation:

* Comma: Commas and periods go after the closing exclamation point.

* Colon or semicolon: Colons and semicolons go before the opening exclamation point.

* Example: ¡Hola!: ¿Cómo estás? (Hello!: How are you?)

Remember:

* The use of exclamation points is a matter of style. Use them sparingly for emphasis.

* In formal writing, exclamation points are used less often.

I hope this helps!