¿Qué lo qué?
casual, Dominican Republic
Dominicans greet each other with ¿Qué lo qué?, a casual "what's up" typical of the Dominican Republic. The plain question is ¿Cómo tú estás?, with tú before the verb. It is also called ¿Qué tal?
Meaning: greeting asking about well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué lo qué? | casual, Dominican Republic |
| ¿Qué tal? | neutral |
| ¿Cómo tú estás? | everyday, Caribbean |
How does it change in a sentence?
Caribbean Spanish often keeps the pronoun before the verb in questions, so Dominicans say ¿Cómo tú estás? where other regions say ¿Cómo estás?
How do you pronounce it?
In Dominican speech the s at the end of a word is often weak, so estás can sound like "ehtá".
Did you know?
- A colmado is the neighborhood corner store of the Dominican Republic and a common meeting spot.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué lo qué, mi hermano?What's up, my brother?
- ¿Cómo tú estás hoy?How are you today?
- Todo bien, ¿y tú?All good, and you?
Example conversation
Juan Carlos greets his friend Miguel in a colmado in Santo Domingo.
- Juan Carlos¿Qué lo qué, Miguel?What's up, Miguel?
- MiguelTranquilo, aquí. ¿Y tú?Chill, here. And you?
- Juan CarlosBien. Dame una Presidente fría.Fine. Give me a cold Presidente.
