¿Qué son esos?
The English phrase "what are those?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué son esos?
You can use the colloquial phrase ¿Qué son esos bichos? to ask "What are those creatures?" For an informal way to say "What the heck are those?", you can use ¿Qué diantres son esos?
Which one should you use?
The default form ¿Qué son esos? is used for masculine objects or a mixed group of masculine and feminine objects. Use the feminine form ¿Qué son esas? if the objects you are referring to are grammatically feminine nouns.
Did you know?
- The word diantres in ¿Qué diantres son esos? is a euphemism. It was created to avoid saying rayos or diablos (devils), which were once considered too profane for polite company.
- The word bichos in the phrase ¿Qué son esos bichos? literally means 'bugs' or 'insects'. However, in many Spanish speaking countries, it is used as a generic term for any strange object, animal or person.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, if you are asking about things that are very far away, you might switch to ¿Qué son aquellos? instead of ¿Qué son esos?
Examples in context
- Mira, ¿qué son esos bichos en el jardín?Look, what are those creatures in the garden?
- ¡Ajá! ¿Qué diantres son esos que tienes en la caja?Aha! What the heck are those you have in the box?
- ¿Qué son esos?What are those?
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are looking at some strange tools on a table.
- SofíaMateo, ¿qué son esos?Mateo, what are those?
- MateoSon herramientas para el jardín.They are tools for the garden.
- SofíaParecen muy antiguos.They look very old.
- MateoSí, eran de mi abuelo.Yes, they belonged to my grandfather.
