¿Qué quieres hacer?
The English phrase "what do you want to do" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué quieres hacer?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what), quieres (you want) and hacer (to do/to make).
Which one should you use?
In the phrase ¿Qué quieres hacer?, the verb querer is conjugated in the second person singular quieres to match the informal tú subject.
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking to someone you address with the formal usted, use the form ¿Qué quiere hacer? If you are asking a group of people what they want to do, use ¿Qué quieren hacer?
Did you know?
- In Spain, if you ask ¿Qué quieres hacer? to a friend, they might respond with Me da igual, which literally means 'it gives me equal'. It is the most common way to say 'I don't mind'.
- While ¿Qué quieres hacer? is a direct question, using the word querer can sometimes sound too demanding in certain Spanish-speaking cultures. In a restaurant, a waiter is more likely to use ¿Qué desea hacer? to be more polite.
- The Spanish verb hacer comes from the Latin facere, which is the same root found in English words like 'factory' and 'facility'.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué quieres hacer?What do you want to do?This example shows the use of ¿Qué quieres hacer?Tatoeba #606988 by Dejo, translation #24759 by CK
- ¡Bienvenido! ¿Qué desea hacer durante su estadía?Welcome! What would you like to do during your stay?
- Hola, ¿qué quieres hacer esta tarde?Hi, what do you want to do this afternoon?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
