qué
/ˈke/
The Spanish phrase for "what do you" is qué.
qué is used to ask for specific information or a description of something.
Which one should you use?
The accented qué is used for questions, whereas the unaccented que is used as a relative pronoun meaning "that" or "which".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke/
Did you know?
- To sound more polite when you didn't hear someone, instead of saying ¿qué?, it is much better to use ¿cómo? which means 'how'.
- The Spanish qué shares the same ancient root as the English word 'what', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European source *kʷid.
- The word qué is used in 'exclamatory' sentences that are not questions, such as ¡Qué lástima!, which means 'what a pity!' In these cases, it still keeps its written accent.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué ves en Tom?What do you see in Tom?This sentence is useful for using qué to ask what someone sees.Tatoeba #5748550 by arh, translation #5748167 by CM
- ¿A qué se dedica?What do you do for a living?This sentence is useful for using qué to ask what someone does for a living.Tatoeba #4735495 by lawka, translation #410785 by CK
- ¿A qué te dedicas?What do you do?Tatoeba #512390 by Shishir, translation #17125 by CK
- Hola, señor. ¿Qué hace usted en su tiempo libre?Hello, sir. What do you do in your free time?
- Disculpe, señora. ¿Qué hace usted para ganarse la vida?Excuse me, ma'am. What do you do for a living?
- Buenas tardes, señorita. ¿Qué hace usted aquí?Good afternoon, miss. What are you doing here?
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué haces esta tarde?Hi! What are you doing this afternoon?
- ¿Qué haces para divertirte?What do you do for fun?
- Oye, ¿qué haces en este lugar?Hey, what are you doing in this place?
- 568 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking in a cafe about a new book.
- Javier¿Qué quieres leer hoy?What do you want to read today?
- ElenaQuiero una novela de misterio.I want a mystery novel.
- Javier¿Qué buscas en una historia?What do you look for in a story?
- ElenaBusco algo muy emocionante.I look for something very exciting.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry qué, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
