¿qué tienes?
The English phrase "what do you have?" is translated into Spanish as ¿qué tienes?
This phrase is used to ask someone about the items or possessions they currently have.
What does it mean word for word?
The word qué means "what" in this interrogative context.
Which one should you use?
The default form ¿qué tienes? is the informal version used with friends, family or people your own age, whereas ¿qué tiene usted? is the formal version.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you might hear ¿Qué tienes disponible? to mean "What do you have available?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask a group of people what they have, use the plural form ¿qué tienen?
Did you know?
- In some regional slang, ¿qué tienes? can be used as a challenge or a provocation, similar to saying 'What's your problem?' in English.
- While ¿qué tienes? asks about possessions, Spanish uses the verb tener to describe feelings that English attributes to the state of being, such as tengo hambre for 'I am hungry'.
- The word qué shares the same ancient roots as the English word 'what', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷid.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué tienes en la mano?What do you have in your hand?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
