What does it mean word for word?
The phrase qué diablos literally translates to 'what devils', which acts as an intensifier similar to 'what the heck' or 'what the hell' in English.
Which one should you use?
While ¿qué diablos estás haciendo? is a standard way to express this sentiment, you might encounter ¿qué carajo estás haciendo? which is a much more vulgar and aggressive version, closer to 'what the hell' or 'what the fuck'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿qué diablos estás haciendo? is an informal way to express this question. For a significantly more vulgar and slang-heavy register, speakers use ¿qué carajo estás haciendo?
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, the phrase ¿Qué rayos estás haciendo? is used to mean 'What the heck are you doing?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the present continuous tense, combining the verb estar with a gerund, to describe an action happening right now. To change the subject from the informal 'you' to 'he', 'she' or the formal 'you', change estás to está.
Did you know?
- To make the phrase even more emphatic, some speakers add the word miércoles to the middle of the sentence. While it literally means 'Wednesday', in this context it serves as a polite substitute for a stronger swear word.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, the word rayos (meaning 'lightning bolts') is used as a polite substitute for diablos to avoid religious terms.
- The word qué shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European roots as the English word 'what', making them distant linguistic cousins.
Examples in context
- Oye, Juan, ¿qué diablos estás haciendo con ese experimento en la cocina?Hey, Juan, what the heck are you doing with that experiment in the kitchen?
- ¡Oye, amigo! ¿Qué rayos estás haciendo con mi teléfono?Hey, buddy! What the heck are you doing with my phone?
Example conversation
Maria finds Alejandro painting the living room wall bright neon green.
- MaríaAlejandro, ¿qué diablos estás haciendo?Alejandro, what the heck are you doing?
- AlejandroQuería darle un toque moderno a la sala.I wanted to give the living room a modern touch.
- María¡Pero es un color horrible!But it's a horrible color!
- AlejandroLo siento, ya lo voy a borrar.I'm sorry, I'll erase it now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diablos, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
