cuál de
/kwal de/from spelling rules
The English phrase "which of" is translated into Spanish as cuál de.
cuál de is used to ask for a specific choice from a limited group of people or things.
Which one should you use?
Use cuál de when the choice refers to a single item or person from a group. If the group being chosen from consists of multiple items or people, the phrase changes to the plural cuáles de.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is often followed by the definite articles los (masculine plural) or las (feminine plural) to specify the group, such as in cuál de los libros (which of the books).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using qué de to mean "which of". While English speakers often make this error, cuál de is the correct phrase for selecting from a limited set.
Did you know?
- The word cuál shares its distant ancestry with the English word 'who' through the Proto-Indo-European root for interrogatives. While they look different now, they both serve to identify specific entities in a group.
- If you are choosing between things in a very informal or regional setting, some speakers might swap cuál de for qué in certain dialects, even though strictly speaking it is a grammatical error. This is a common point of friction between textbook Spanish and street Spanish.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuál de estos es tuyo?Which of these is yours?This sentence shows how to use cuál de to ask which of a group belongs to someone.Tatoeba #5465456 by ecorralest101, translation #5360687 by mailohilohi
- ¿Cuál de estos es tu perro?Which of these dogs is yours?This sentence uses cuál de to ask which of a group of dogs is yours.Tatoeba #4321376 by gianich73, translation #5226846 by jaxhere
- ¿Cuál de ellos es tu hermano?Which of them is your brother?This sentence uses cuál de to ask which of a group of people is a brother.Tatoeba #558972 by Leono, translation #305109 by CK
- ¿Cuál de los dos coches prefieres?Which of the two cars do you prefer?
- ¿Cuál de estos libros es el más interesante?Which of these books is the most interesting?
- ¿Cuál de los dos refrescos prefieres?Which of the two sodas do you prefer?
- ¿Cuál de los dos actores te gusta más?Which of the two actors do you like more?
- ¿Cuál de las películas viste ayer?Which of the movies did you watch yesterday?
- ¿Cuál de estos colores prefieres para tu habitación?Which of these colors do you prefer for your room?
- ¿Cuál de ellos va a la fiesta?Which of them is going to the party?
- ¿Cuál de ellas es tu mejor amiga?Which of them is your best friend?
- ¿Cuál de las dos camisetas te gusta más?Which of the two shirts do you like more?
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at a collection of books in a shop.
- Mateo¿Cuál de estos libros te gusta más?Which of these books do you like more?
- SofíaMe gusta mucho aquel de la portada azul.I really like that one with the blue cover.
- Mateo¿Cuál de ellos es el que quieres comprar?Which of them is the one you want to buy?
- SofíaCompraré ese, es muy interesante.I will buy that one, it is very interesting.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuál, de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
