What does it mean word for word?
qué means "what" and must always include an accent mark when used in a question. quieres is the second-person singular present tense conjugation of the verb querer, meaning "you want".
Which one should you use?
While ¿qué quieres? is a direct translation of the English phrase, be aware that in many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking it too bluntly can sound more aggressive or impatient than it does in English.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the informal way to ask this is ¿qué querés? In some Central American countries, the informal form ¿qué querís? is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form ¿qué quieres? uses the informal tú conjugation. If you are speaking in a formal context, you may use ¿qué quiere usted? to address the person respectfully.
Did you know?
- The verb querer can mean both 'to want' and 'to love'. Depending on the context and who you are speaking to, ¿qué quieres? could be interpreted as asking what someone desires or as a way to ask what they want from a relationship.
- The verb querer is one of the few Spanish verbs that can be used to express a wish through the subjunctive mood. A phrase like quiero que quieras means 'I want you to want', showing how the verb changes the grammar of the entire sentence.
- The word qué shares a deep ancestral root with the English word 'what'. Both trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷ-, which was used to form interrogative pronouns.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué desea para cenar?What do you want for dinner?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are deciding on a movie to watch.
- AlejandroYa es hora de elegir una película. ¿Qué quieres?It is time to choose a movie. What do you want?
- SofíaQuiero ver una comedia romántica.I want to watch a romantic comedy.
- AlejandroNo me gustan esas películas.I don't like those movies.
- SofíaEstá bien, busquemos otra opción.That's fine, let's look for another option.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
