¿Qué estudias?
The English phrase "what are you studying?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué estudias?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their current field of study or academic major.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "What do you study?" because Spanish uses the simple present tense to express ongoing actions or habits, such as a current field of study.
Which one should you use?
¿Qué estudias? is used to refer to one's general major or field of study. In contrast, the progressive form ¿Qué estás estudiando? is more often used to ask what specific subject a person is working on at this exact moment.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are asking a group of people what they are studying, use the plural form ¿Qué estudian? To use the formal "you" when asking a professor or an older person what they are studying, use the form ¿Qué estudia usted? instead of ¿Qué estudias?
Did you know?
- If you want to ask someone about their 'major' in a more formal or specific way, you might use the word carrera, which literally means 'career' or 'race'.
- While ¿Qué estudias? asks for your major, students in Spain often use the word grado to refer to their undergraduate degree, which literally translates to 'grade' or 'degree' of temperature.
- If you answer ¿Qué estudias? with Nada, it can be a socially acceptable, humorous way to say you are taking a break or are not currently enrolled, rather than being a rude dismissal.
Examples in context
- Estudio medicina.I study medicine.
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time at a campus cafe.
- AlejandroHola, soy Alejandro. ¿Qué estudias?Hi, I'm Alejandro. What are you studying?
- LucíaHola, Alejandro. Estudio medicina.Hi, Alejandro. I'm studying medicine.
- Alejandro¡Qué bien! Es una carrera difícil.That's great! It's a difficult major.
- LucíaSí, pero me gusta mucho.Yes, but I like it a lot.
