Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| qué | /ˈke/ |
| cuál | /ˈkwal/ |
The primary interrogative pronoun for 'what' is qué. In Puerto Rico, ¿Qué? is the standard way to say 'what'. You may also encounter the phrase ¿Qué pasó?, which means 'What happened?' and the informal expression ¿Y eso? to mean 'And that?' or 'What's that?' Additionally, the phrase ¿Y a mí qué? is a common idiom used to dismissively express 'So what?' or 'Why should I care?'
Which one should you use?
Use qué when you are asking for a definition or a general description. In contrast, use cuál when you are asking someone to choose from a set of options or to identify a specific thing, such as a name or a phone number.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use qué as an interrogative pronoun in a question, it must always carry an accent mark.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, if you want to ask 'What is it?' in a very informal way, you might hear ¿Qué onda?, which literally means 'What wave?'
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you say ¿Qué? when someone calls your name, it can sound slightly blunt or even rude. A softer way to respond is to say ¿Dime? which means 'Tell me?'
- The word qué is a direct descendant of the Latin word quid. This is the same root that gives English the legal term 'quid pro quo', meaning 'something for something'.
Examples in context
- ¿Y a mí qué?So what?This sentence is useful for expressing 'So what?' using qué.Tatoeba #2008103 by Shishir, translation #1340 by Sbgodin
- Sé de qué va.I know what it's about.Tatoeba #5645606 by arh, translation #5636517 by CK
- ¿Qué vas a ser?What are you going to be?Tatoeba #1225847 by wallebot, translation #16262 by AlanF_US
- ¿Qué hora es?What time is it?
- ¿Qué necesitas?What do you need?
- ¿Qué dices?What are you saying?
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué pasó?Hey! What's up/What's going on?
- ¿Qué pasó aquí?What happened here?
- 6065 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are at a cafe when Javier's phone rings.
- Sofía¿Qué quieres comer, Javier?What do you want to eat, Javier?
- JavierNo sé, ¿qué hay de bueno?I don't know, what is good here?
- SofíaHay un sándwich de queso muy rico.There is a very tasty cheese sandwich.
- Javier¡Ah! Entonces pediré eso.Oh! Then I will order that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries qué, cuál, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuál, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
