qué número
/ke numeɾo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "what number" is translated into Spanish as qué número.
The phrase qué número is used as an adverb to ask which number in a numbered series.
Meaning: what number, which (in a numbered series) (adv)
Which one should you use?
While qué número is used to ask for a number to identify something (like a bus), cuál es el número is more common when asking 'which one is the number' from a set of options.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 'qué' must always carry an accent mark when used in an interrogative or exclamatory sense.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke numeɾo/
Did you know?
- In certain colloquial settings, número can be used as a slang term to describe a 'character' or a person who is an eccentric 'piece of work'.
- In some Latin American contexts, asking qué número regarding a person's clothing size is common, whereas English speakers usually ask 'what size'.
- The word número comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *nem-, meaning 'to take' or 'to allot', suggesting that a number is something 'assigned' to an object.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué número de autobús tengo que coger para ir a la calle del parque?What number bus do I take to get to Park Street?This sentence is useful for asking which bus number you need to take to reach a specific street.Tatoeba #6564526 by arh, translation #6561193 by CK
- ¿Qué número de ómnibus debo tomar para llegar a Waikiki?What number bus do I take to get to Waikiki?This sentence is useful for asking which bus number you must take to reach a destination.Tatoeba #401158 by zgv, translation #29236 by CK
- ¿Qué número de camiseta llevas?What number is on your shirt?
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are waiting for their turn at a clinic.
- Daniel¿Qué número tienes tú?What number do you have?
- SofíaTengo el número doce.I have number twelve.
- DanielYo tengo el quince.I have fifteen.
- SofíaEntonces te toca después de mí.Then it is your turn after me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries número, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
