What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "how cool," where qué functions as an exclamatory "how" rather than the interrogative "what."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
qué guay is an informal expression used among friends or in casual settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
qué guay is primarily used in Spain and is less common in Latin American Spanish. In Mexico, you might use the slang Eso está chido or Está padre. In Spain, the colloquial expressions Eso mola or Está guay are also used to mean 'That's cool' or 'That's awesome'. In several South American countries, the informal phrase Eso está bacán means 'That's cool' or 'That's great'. In Argentina and Uruguay, you can use the informal expressions Eso está piola or Está copado to mean 'That's cool' or 'That's awesome'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke ɡwai/
Did you know?
- The word guay has undergone a complete reversal of meaning over the centuries. While it currently means 'cool' or 'great' in Spain, it originally derived from the Old Spanish word guay, which meant 'woe' or 'misfortune'.
- In Mexico, the phrase está padre uses the word for 'father' to mean 'cool'.
- While qué guay is the go-to expression in Spain, using it in Argentina or Mexico might make you sound like a character from a Spanish soap opera.
Examples in context
- ¿Oh? Puedes escribir sin mirar el teclado. ¡Qué guay!Oh? You can type without looking at the keyboard. That's cool!This sentence shows how to use qué guay to react to someone's skill.Tatoeba #492998 by Shishir, translation #328652 by fcbond
- ¡Eso está genial! ¡Felicidades!That's cool! Congratulations!
- ¡Qué guay es tu coche nuevo!Your new car is so cool!
- Voy a ir a Japón, ¡qué guay!I'm going to Japan, that's cool!
Example conversation
Lucía shows Javier a new app on her phone.
- LucíaMira esta aplicación, es muy útil.Look at this app, it's very useful.
- Javier¡Qué guay! ¿Cómo funciona?That's cool! How does it work?
- LucíaSolo tienes que pulsar este botón.You just have to press this button.
- JavierMe encanta, es genial.I love it, it's great.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries guay, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
