que
/ke/
The Spanish word que.
In its unstressed form without an accent, que acts as a relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which' or 'who' to connect clauses.
Which one should you use?
The presence or absence of the accent mark distinguishes the interrogative qué (what) from the relative pronoun que (that/which).
How do you pronounce it?
/ke/
Did you know?
- Spanish uses que to introduce a 'subjunctive' mood when expressing a wish or a desire, such as que tengas un buen día for 'have a good day'.
- In some Spanish dialects, the phrase ¡Qué! is used as a sharp exclamation of disbelief or shock, acting more like 'No way!' than a question about what happened.
- In certain regions, starting a sentence with Que… is a common way to repeat a command or a statement that the speaker feels was ignored.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué quieres que haga por ti?What do you want me to do for you?
- Espero que Ud. tenga un buen día.I hope you have a good day.
- ¡Qué divertido!How fun!
- ¿Qué onda, compadre?What's up, buddy?
- ¿Qué libro prefieres?Which book do you prefer?
- Espero que vengas a la fiesta.I hope that you come to the party.
- ¿Dices que es verdad?Are you saying that it is true?
- No creo que él sepa la respuesta.I don't think that he knows the answer.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are meeting at a cafe.
- Lucía¿Qué quieres beber, Daniel?What do you want to drink, Daniel?
- DanielQuiero un café, por favor.I want a coffee, please.
- LucíaEspero que te guste este lugar.I hope that you like this place.
- DanielSí, se ve muy bonito.Yes, it looks very pretty.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry que, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
