¿Qué quieres hacer?
The English phrase "what do you want to do?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué quieres hacer?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their preferences or plans for an activity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what), quieres (you want) and hacer (to do).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, Spanish does not require an auxiliary verb like "do" to form this question. The question is formed by the word order and the interrogative qué.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase ¿Qué te apetece hacer? is commonly used to ask someone what they feel like doing.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to someone in a formal context or to someone you do not know well, 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?
- Spanish uses the word hacer to describe the weather, such as hace frío for 'it is cold', treating the weather as something the day 'does'.
- The Spanish word qué comes from the Latin word quid, which is where English gets the term 'quid pro quo'.
- In very casual Spanish, rather than asking 'what do you want to do?', someone might simply say ¿Qué plan hay? which translates to 'what plan is there?'
Examples in context
- Señor López, ¿qué le gustaría hacer hoy?Mr. López, what would you like to do today?
- Juan, ¿qué quieres hacer esta tarde?Juan, what do you want to do this afternoon?
- Carmen, ¿qué te apetece hacer hoy?Carmen, what do you feel like doing today?
- Pablo, ¿qué te pinta para hoy?Pablo, what do you feel like doing today?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
