¿qué quieres de mí?
The English phrase 'what do you want from me?' is translated into Spanish as ¿qué quieres de mí?
This phrase is used to ask someone what they expect or require from you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what), quieres (you want), de (from/of) and mí (me).
Which one should you use?
¿qué quieres de mí? uses the informal tú conjugation, which is standard for friends, family or peers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, a common informal way to ask this is ¿Qué querés de mí?
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the formal 'you', replace the informal quieres with quiere and add the pronoun usted to make ¿qué quiere usted de mí? or ¿Qué desea usted de mí? similarly. If you are asking a group of people what they want from you, use the third-person plural form quieren in the phrase ¿qué quieren de mí?
Did you know?
- The word qué is a direct descendant of the Latin 'quid', which is also the root of the English word 'quid' used as slang for a British pound sterling.
- In Spanish, the phrase ¿qué quieres de mí? can be used as a rhetorical plea for mercy or a way to tell someone to stop bothering you.
- While English uses the preposition 'from' to show source, the Spanish de functions more like 'of'. A literal word-for-word translation is actually 'what do you want of me?'
Examples in context
- Disculpe, señor, ¿qué desea usted de mí?Excuse me, sir, what do you want from me?
- ¡Hola Juan! ¿Qué quieres de mí?Hi Juan! What do you want from me?
- No entiendo tu actitud, ¿qué quieres de mí?I don't understand your attitude, what do you want from me?
- Dime la verdad, ¿qué quieres de mí?Tell me the truth, what do you want from me?
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are having a heated argument at home.
- DanielNo puedo seguir así, ¿qué quieres de mí?I can't go on like this, what do you want from me?
- ElenaSolo quiero que seas más honesto.I just want you to be more honest.
- DanielSiempre pides demasiado.You always ask for too much.
- ElenaNo es verdad, Daniel.That's not true, Daniel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, mí, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
