qué
/ˈke/
The English word 'what' is translated into Spanish as qué. Wiktionary also lists cuál.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| qué | /ˈke/ |
| cuál | /ˈkwal/ |
Qué is an interrogative pronoun used to ask 'what'. In colloquial speech, you may hear Qué tal to mean 'What's up?' or 'How's it going?' and ¿Qué pasa? to mean 'What's up?' or 'What's going on?' Additionally, the related forms menudo, vaya or (pero) qué can be used to begin an exclamation.
Which one should you use?
Use qué when asking for a definition or asking 'what is [noun]'. Use cuál when you are asking to choose from a set or asking 'which one'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as an interrogative pronoun in a question, qué must always carry a written accent mark.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈke/
Did you know?
- In certain dialects, particularly in Mexico, ¿Qué onda? is used as a very common slang alternative to ¿Qué tal? or ¿Qué pasa? It literally translates to 'What wave?', but it simply means 'What's up?'
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, instead of asking ¿Qué? when you did not hear someone, people will use ¿Cómo? which literally means 'How?'
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying ¿Qué? in response to being called can be perceived as blunt or rude. Instead, people often use ¿Dime? or ¿Sí? to mean 'Yes?' or 'What is it?'
Examples in context
- ¿Y a mí qué?So what?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?
- ¿Cuál es tu color favorito?What is your favorite color?
- ¿Qué haces este fin de semana?What are you doing this weekend?
- 6065 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are talking in a kitchen.
- Alejandro¿Qué quieres comer hoy?What do you want to eat today?
- LucíaNo sé, ¿qué hay en la nevera?I don't know, what is in the fridge?
- AlejandroSolo hay pasta y tomate.There is only pasta and tomato.
- Lucía¡Qué rico! Vamos a cocinar eso.How delicious! Let's cook that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries qué, cuál, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
