Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| qué | /ˈke/ |
| cuál | /ˈkwal/ |
Spanish uses different words for "what" depending on whether you are asking for a definition or selecting from a group. The phrase ¿Qué tal? is a standard idiomatic way to ask how someone is or how things are going. Additionally, the words menudo, vaya or (pero) qué can be used at the beginning of an exclamation. If you simply want someone to repeat themselves, the interjection ¿qué? is used.
Which one should you use?
Use qué when asking for a definition or asking "what is it?" Use cuál when you are asking to choose from a group or asking "which one?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Using only ¿Qué? to ask someone to repeat themselves is common, but it can be perceived as blunt or even rude depending on your tone. For a more polite way to ask someone to repeat what they just said, use ¿Cómo? instead.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The interrogative qué must always carry an accent mark to distinguish it from the relative pronoun que which means "that" or "which".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke/
Did you know?
- In certain dialects, ¿qué? is replaced by ¿mande? in Mexico to be more respectful, especially when speaking to elders.
- The word qué is a direct descendant of the Latin word quid, which is also the source of the English term 'quid pro quo'.
- The accent mark on qué is not just for pronunciation but is a 'diacritic' used to tell the reader the word is being used to ask a question.
Examples in context
- ¿Y a mí qué?So what?This sentence shows how to use qué to express "So what?"Tatoeba #2008103 by Shishir, translation #1340 by Sbgodin
- Sé de qué va.I know what it's about.This sentence shows how to use qué to say "what it's about".Tatoeba #5645606 by arh, translation #5636517 by CK
- ¿Qué vas a ser?What are you going to be?This sentence shows how to use qué to ask "What are you going to be?"Tatoeba #1225847 by wallebot, translation #16262 by AlanF_US
- Muy bien, ¿qué puedo hacer por usted?Very well, what can I do for you?
- ¿Cómo? No entendí bien.What? I didn't understand clearly.
- ¿Qué cosa? No veo nada especial.What thing? I don't see anything special.
- ¿Qué pasó? Estudiaste mucho.What happened? You studied a lot.
- ¿Qué dices? No te escuché bien.What do you say? I didn't hear you clearly.
- 6065 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are in the kitchen discussing a grocery list.
- Sofía¿Qué es esto?What is this?
- AlejandroEs un ingrediente nuevo.It is a new ingredient.
- Sofía¿Qué dice la receta?What does the recipe say?
- AlejandroDice que necesitamos sal.It says that we need salt.
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.
