o que
/u ˌki/
The Portuguese word for 'what' is o que.
In Brazil, o que is the most frequent and versatile translation for the English word 'what.'
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase o que is literally composed of the masculine singular article o (the) and the relative pronoun que (that/which).
Which one should you use?
Use o que when the word is at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. However, use o quê when the word stands alone or is at the end of a sentence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, o que is the most common way to say 'what.'
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/u ˌki/
Did you know?
- When asking 'What?' in response to something you didn't hear, Brazilians often use Oi? instead of O que?
- While o que translates to 'what', its cousin 'who' in English is actually a distant relative of the Portuguese que via the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷid.
- In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, people often drop the o and simply say que to ask 'what', even though textbooks insist on the full o que.
Examples in context
- É o que é.It is what it is.Tatoeba #2781340 by carlosalberto, translation #2528426 by CK
- O que você é?What are you?Tatoeba #879733 by alexmarcelo, translation #545893 by gracehero
- O que ele vê?What does he see?Tatoeba #1180569 by alexmarcelo, translation #1179075 by araneo
- Você sabe o que eu estou dizendo?Do you know what I am saying?
- Que tal?What do you think? or How about?
- Que filme você quer assistir?What movie do you want to watch?
- Que queres beber?What do you want to drink?
- O que você vai fazer amanhã?What are you going to do tomorrow?
- 7774 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A woman is asking her partner about a gift.
- RodrigoO que é isso?What is this?
- JulianaÉ um presente para você.It is a gift for you.
- RodrigoO que você comprou?What did you buy?
- JulianaUm livro novo.A new book.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries o que, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries o, o que, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
