¿Qué?
general
The Spanish question word for "what" is ¿Qué? and it is the same in Mexico. A very Mexican polite reply when you did not hear someone is ¿Mande?, literally "command me". ¿Cómo? also works for "pardon".
Meaning: question word asking for information (pronoun)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué? | general |
| ¿Mande? | Mexico, polite |
| ¿Cómo? | pardon |
Replying with a bare ¿Qué? can sound curt, especially to elders. Many Mexicans answer being called with ¿Mande? instead.
Which one should you use?
The pronoun cuál means "which" and is used where English uses "what" before verbs, as in ¿Cuál es tu nombre?
How does it change in a sentence?
The accent matters. Qué is the question word, while que without an accent means "that".
Did you know?
- ¿Mande? comes from the verb mandar and was once a way to show respect to someone of higher status.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué quieres comer?What do you want to eat?
- ¿Mande? No te oí.Pardon? I did not hear you.
- No sé qué hacer.I do not know what to do.
Example conversation
Grandma Chela calls her grandson Beto from the kitchen.
- ChelaBeto, ven un momento.Beto, come here a moment.
- Beto¿Mande, abuela?Yes, grandma?
- Chela¿Qué quieres para cenar?What do you want for dinner?
- BetoUnos tamales, por favor.Some tamales, please.
