What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun qué (what) and the third-person singular form of the verb pasar (to happen or to pass).
Which one should you use?
Unlike the formal greeting ¿cómo está usted?, which specifically asks about a person's well-being, ¿qué pasa? focuses more on the current situation or the state of affairs.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿qué pasa? is an informal expression. For a more formal way to ask "What's happening?" or "What's going on?", you should use ¿qué ocurre?
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, particularly in Mexico, people may use ¿qué haces? to mean "What's up?" In certain regions of Spain, ¿qué cuentas? is used to mean "What's new?" or "What's going on?"
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke ˈpasa/
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with ¿qué pasa? and nothing specific is happening, a very common and natural response is Nada (Nothing).
Did you know?
- The word pasa in this phrase shares the same root as the word for 'raisin' in Spanish, which comes from the Latin term for a 'spread grape'.
- While ¿qué pasa? asks what is happening, a common response in some regions is aquí estamos, which literally means 'here we are'.
- While ¿qué pasa? is a standard greeting, using the more formal ¿qué ocurre? to ask 'what is happening' can sometimes make the situation sound more serious or ominous than intended.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, ¿qué ocurre?Good morning, what's happening?
- Hola, ¿qué tal? ¿Cómo estás? ¿Qué pasa en tu vida?Hello, what's up? How are you? What's going on in your life?
- ¿Qué pasa, tío?What's up, man?
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo run into each other on the street.
- Elena¡Hola, Mateo! ¿Qué pasa?Hi, Mateo! What's up?
- MateoHola, Elena. Todo bien, ¿y tú?Hi, Elena. Everything is good, and you?
- ElenaMuy bien, solo pasaba a saludar.Very well, I was just stopping by to say hi.
- Mateo¡Qué bueno! Nos vemos luego.That's good! See you later.
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.
