¿Qué pasa?
/ˈke ˈpasa/word by word
The English phrase "what's up?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué pasa?
¿Qué pasa? is a common way to ask "What's up?" in an informal setting. It functions as a greeting to ask someone how they are or to ask what is currently happening.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "What passes?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿Qué pasa? is an informal greeting typically used among friends or peers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The expression ¿Cómo te va?, which means "How's it going?", is frequently used in Spain.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke ˈpasa/
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with ¿Qué pasa?, a common response if nothing specific is happening is Nada (Nothing).
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, ¿Qué pasa? can shift from a friendly greeting to a confrontational 'What's your problem?' depending on the speaker's tone and facial expression.
- If you want to sound much more 'street' in parts of Mexico, you might replace ¿Qué pasa? with ¿Qué onda?, which literally translates to 'what wave?'
- The verb in ¿Qué pasa? comes from the same root as the word for 'raisin', which in Spanish is pasa.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué pasa, tío?Hi! What's up, man?
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe.
- Alejandro¡Hola, Sofía! ¿Qué pasa?Hi, Sofía! What's up?
- SofíaNada, Alejandro. Todo bien.Nothing, Alejandro. Everything is good.
- Alejandro¿Quieres tomar un café?Do you want to have a coffee?
- SofíaSí, me gustaría mucho.Yes, I would like that a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (qué, pasa) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pasa, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
