entonces, ¿qué pasa?
/enˈtonθes ˈke ˈpasa/word by word
The English phrase "so, what's up?" is translated into Spanish as entonces, ¿qué pasa?
This phrase is an informal greeting used to ask someone what is happening or how they are doing. Other informal ways to express a similar sentiment include ¿qué hay de nuevo? and ¿qué tal?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of entonces (so/then) and ¿qué pasa? (what happens/what is happening?).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase is informal. The shorter version ¿qué pasa? is also used as an informal way to say "what's up?" in English.
How do you pronounce it?
/enˈtonθes ˈke ˈpasa/
Did you know?
- If you want to sound even more informal in Mexico, you might swap ¿qué pasa? for ¿qué onda?, which literally translates to 'what wave?'
- In Spain, you might hear people say ¿qué pasa, tío? to a friend, where tío, literally meaning 'uncle', is used exactly like the English word 'dude' or 'guy'.
- The word pasa in ¿qué pasa? shares a surprising linguistic ancestor with the word for a raisin, from the Latin passa, meaning a dried grape.
Examples in context
- ¡Ey, chicos! ¿Qué pasa?Hey, guys! What's up?
- Oye, Juan. ¿Qué hay de nuevo?Hey, Juan. What's new?
Example conversation
María and Javier meet at a cafe.
- MaríaHola Javier, entonces, ¿qué pasa?Hi Javier, so, what's up?
- JavierNo mucho, solo estoy cansado.Not much, I'm just tired.
- María¿Por qué estás tan cansado?Why are you so tired?
- JavierTuve mucho trabajo hoy.I had a lot of work today.
