qué pasa
/ˌke ˈpasa/
In Spanish, the English phrase "sup" is expressed as qué pasa.
qué pasa is an informal greeting used to say hello or to ask what is happening. It can function as a casual greeting similar to "what's up" or as a genuine question to ask what is currently occurring.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what happens".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
qué pasa is an informal expression. For another informal way to say "How's it going?" or "How are you doing?", you might use ¿Qué tal? instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Depending on where you are, you may encounter different casual greetings. In Mexico, people often use ¿Qué onda? to mean "What's up?" when greeting friends. In Argentina, the casual greeting ¿Todo bien? is used to mean "Is everything okay?" or "Is everything good?"
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌke ˈpasa/
Did you know?
- The word pasa comes from the Latin term passa, which literally meant a 'spread grape'.
- If you use qué pasa in a professional setting, you might sound unintentionally blunt or even confrontational, as it lacks the polite distance of more formal greetings.
- While qué pasa is common, in many parts of Spain, people may respond to this greeting with a simple Nada, meaning 'Nothing', even if things are actually happening.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola, Pablo! ¿Qué tal?Hey, Pablo! What's up?
- ¡Che, Juan! ¿Todo bien?Hey, Juan! What's up?
- ¡Hola, amigo! ¿Qué onda?Hi, friend! What's up?
- ¿Qué pasa, amigo?What's up, friend?
- Oye, ¿qué pasa por aquí?Hey, what's happening around here?
Example conversation
Two friends run into each other on the street.
- María¡Hola, Alejandro! ¿Qué pasa?Hi, Alejandro! What's up?
- AlejandroNada especial, María. ¿Y tú?Nothing special, María. And you?
- MaríaTodo bien, solo voy al cine.Everything's good, I'm just going to the cinema.
- Alejandro¡Qué bien! Nos vemos luego.That's great! See you later.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry qué pasa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pasa, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
