qué hace
/ke aθe/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase qué hace translates to the English question "what does" when asking about a person's current activity or occupation.
This phrase is used to inquire about what someone is currently doing or what their profession is. It is important to note that qué hace is ambiguous. Depending on the context, it can mean "What does he/she/it do?" (referring to an occupation) or "What is he/she/it doing?" (referring to a current action).
Which one should you use?
While qué hace is a general form, you can also use ¿A qué se dedica? to specifically ask about someone's profession, which literally means "To what do you dedicate yourself?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The form qué hace is the third person singular conjugation of the verb hacer (to do/make). When addressing someone informally using the pronoun tú, the phrase changes to qué haces. The verb form hace is used with the pronoun usted, while haces is used with tú.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke aθe/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, you might use qué hace to ask about the weather, such as '¿Qué hace hoy?', meaning 'How is the weather today?'
- The word hace is used in Spanish to express time passing, such as in the phrase hace dos años for 'two years ago'.
- The word qué descends from the Latin quid, which is the same root used in the English phrase 'quid pro quo'.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué hace tu tía?What does your aunt do?This sentence is useful for asking what your aunt does.Tatoeba #1403691 by marcelostockle, translation #17411 by CK
- ¿Qué hace tu hijo?What does your son do?This sentence is useful for asking what your son does.Tatoeba #1610024 by marcelostockle, translation #274383 by CK
- ¿Qué hace tu padre?What does your father do?This sentence is useful for asking what your father does.Tatoeba #1236825 by Shishir, translation #64082 by CK
- ¿A qué se dedica Juan?What does Juan do?
- ¿Qué hace usted para ganarse la vida?What do you do for a living?
- ¿A qué se dedica Pedro?What does Pedro do?
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about their friend Lucas.
- Sofía¿Qué hace Lucas ahora?What is Lucas doing now?
- DanielÉl está estudiando en la biblioteca.He is studying in the library.
- Sofía¿Y qué hace tu hermano?And what does your brother do?
- DanielÉl es arquitecto.He is an architect.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hace, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
