a qué
/a ke/from spelling rules
The English phrase "at what" is translated into Spanish as a qué.
This phrase is most commonly used in questions regarding specific times, such as ¿A qué hora…? (At what hour/time…?).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition a (at/to) and the interrogative pronoun qué (what).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, ¿A qué horas? is used to emphasize that something is taking too long or occurring at an inconvenient time.
How do you pronounce it?
/a ke/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly place the preposition after the interrogative, but in Spanish, the preposition a must come before qué.
Did you know?
- The word qué comes from the Latin quid, which is the same root used in the English word 'quid pro quo'.
- While ¿A qué hora? asks for a time, saying ¿A qué? alone is often used to mean 'What for?' or 'To what end?' in a conversation.
- While English uses different prepositions for time and speed, Spanish uses a qué for both, as seen in ¿A qué hora? and ¿A qué velocidad?
Examples in context
- ¿A qué hora nació?At what hour was she born?This sentence is useful for asking about the specific hour of a birth using a qué.Tatoeba #981514 by Shishir, translation #509195 by blay_paul
- ¿A qué hora te vas?At what time are you leaving?This sentence is useful for asking about the time someone is leaving using a qué.Tatoeba #1403686 by marcelostockle, translation #1768287 by CM
- ¿A qué hora se fue?At what time did he leave?This sentence is useful for asking about the time someone left using a qué.Tatoeba #1973439 by Shishir, translation #1487019 by rkqb
- ¿A qué hora es la reunión?At what time is the meeting?
- ¿A qué edad empezaste a aprender español?At what age did you start learning Spanish?
- ¿A qué hora quedamos?At what time are we meeting?
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about an upcoming music concert.
- Daniel¿A qué suena la música?What does the music sound like?
- LucíaSuena como jazz moderno.It sounds like modern jazz.
- Daniel¿A qué te refieres con moderno?What do you mean by modern?
- LucíaMe refiero a que es muy relajante.I mean that it is very relaxing.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
