¿qué dijiste?
The English phrase "what did you say?" is translated into Spanish as ¿qué dijiste?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone to repeat something they have just said.
Which one should you use?
While ¿qué dijiste? is a direct way to ask someone to repeat themselves, the single word ¿cómo? is a very common, shorter and more casual way to say "what?" or "pardon?" when you did not hear someone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase ¿Qué has dicho? is frequently used to ask for repetition. In Latin America, the variation ¿Me puedes repetir eso? is frequently used in informal settings, as is the slightly more polite ¿Me puedes repetir eso, por favor? Additionally, ¿Me repites eso? is an informal and friendly way to ask someone to repeat something.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are asking a group of people to repeat what they said, use ¿qué dijeron?
Did you know?
- Spanish has a specific word, mandar, which means 'to command' but is used in the phrase ¿mande? to mean 'what did you say?' This reflects a historical social hierarchy where the listener positioned themselves as ready to take orders.
- The word dijiste contains a hidden history of the letter 'x'. In Old Spanish, the phrase was written as 'dixiste', before the spelling evolved into its modern form.
- The phrase ¿cómo? is not just a shorter version of ¿qué dijiste?, but it literally means 'how?' Using 'how' to mean 'what' is a standard linguistic quirk in Spanish.
Examples in context
- Perdón, ¿qué dijiste?Sorry, what did you say?
- No te oí, ¿qué dijiste?I didn't hear you, what did you say?
Example conversation
A noisy cafe where the two are sitting together.
- MaríaHay mucho ruido aquí.It is very noisy here.
- AlejandroDije que tengo hambre.I said that I am hungry.
- María¿Qué dijiste?What did you say?
- AlejandroQue tengo mucha hambre, María.That I am very hungry, María.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dijiste, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
