qué son
/ke son/from spelling rules
The English phrase "what are" is translated into Spanish as qué son.
This phrase is used to ask for the identity or definition of multiple people or things.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what) and son (the third-person plural present indicative of ser, meaning "to be").
Which one should you use?
Use qué son when you are asking for a definition or the identity of something, such as asking "What are mites?" Do not use this phrase to ask about the location of objects. To ask where things are located, use dónde están instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb son must agree in number with the subject being identified. If the subject is plural, son is used.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke son/
Did you know?
- If you use qué son to ask about a group of people, you are actually asking about their profession or social role. For example, asking this about a group of people in uniform is asking 'what do they do for a living'.
- The word qué descends from the Latin quid, the same root that gives English the phrase 'quid pro quo'.
- Spanish speakers distinguish between asking for a definition and asking for a selection. To ask 'what are they' when choosing from a specific group, you must use cuáles son instead of qué son.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué son los ácaros?What are mites?This sentence is useful for asking for the definition of mites using qué son.Tatoeba #1706270 by marcelostockle, translation #6005105 by Adelpa
- ¿Para qué son éstos?What are these for?This sentence demonstrates how to ask about the purpose of objects using qué son.Tatoeba #6601679 by arh, translation #55793 by CK
- ¿Qué son estas cosas?What are these things?This sentence shows how to ask for the identity of multiple things using qué son.Tatoeba #2350770 by Shishir, translation #2646229 by CK
- ¿Cuáles son tus planes para el verano?What are your plans for the summer?
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are looking at some strange fruits in a market.
- Elena¿Qué son estas frutas?What are these fruits?
- DanielSon frutas tropicales.They are tropical fruits.
- Elena¿Qué son exactamente?What are they exactly?
- DanielNo lo sé, Elena.I don't know, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
