cuál
/ˈkwal/
The Spanish word for 'which' is cuál.
cuál is used as an interrogative to mean 'which' or 'what' when referring to a specific choice from a group of mentioned or implied items. It can function as both a determiner and a pronoun. When you want to express possession with 'which' in Spanish, you should use 'de' along with cuál.
Meaning: (interrogative) what, of those mentioned or implied (det)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The interrogative form becomes cuáles when you are referring to multiple items.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkwal/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use 'qué' instead of cuál when asking 'which is…' because they translate the English 'what' directly. Instead of saying 'qué es', you should use cuál es.
Did you know?
- The word cuál can be used to ask about someone's name or telephone number, whereas English would use 'what', making the Spanish logic one of 'which' name or 'which' number among many.
- The word cuál shares its ancestry with the English word 'qualify', both tracing back to the Latin 'quālis' which refers to the nature or kind of a thing.
- English speakers may be surprised to find that cuál cannot be used directly before a noun in many regions, requiring cuál de los instead of just cuál.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuál es el mío?Which is mine?This sentence is useful for identifying ownership of a masculine singular object using cuál.Tatoeba #659663 by Shishir, translation #38002 by CK
- ¿Cuál es la mía?Which one is mine?This sentence is useful for identifying ownership of a feminine singular object using cuál.Tatoeba #659664 by Shishir, translation #1432893 by CM
- Cuál es tu pais?Which country is yours?This sentence is useful for asking about a specific country using cuál.Tatoeba #11248833 by Rebolicas, translation #11248577 by DJ_Saidez
- ¿Cuál de esos coches es tuyo?Which of those cars is yours?
- ¿Qué programa de televisión te gusta más?Which TV show do you like the most?
- ¿Qué color prefieres?Which color do you prefer?
- ¿Cuál quieres comer?Which one do you want to eat?
- ¿Cuál es tu dirección?What/Which is your address?
- ¿Qué dirección debería tomar?What/Which direction should I take?
- ¿Cuál de tus amigos viene a la fiesta?Which of your friends is coming to the party?
- 269 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are choosing a movie to watch.
- SofíaHay tres películas aquí. ¿Cuál quieres ver?There are three movies here. Which one do you want to see?
- MateoNo sé. ¿Cuál es tu favorita?I don't know. Which one is your favorite?
- SofíaMe gusta la de acción.I like the action one.
- MateoEstá bien, veamos esa.Alright, let's watch that one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “which” translations and entries cuál, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuál, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
