Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| quién | /ˈkjen/ | singular |
| quiénes | /kjenes/ (from spelling rules) | plural |
quién is used as an interrogative pronoun to ask about a single person, regardless of whether that person is masculine or feminine. When the answer to your question is expected to be multiple people, you must use the plural form quiénes.
Which one should you use?
quién is the singular form used for one person, while quiénes is the plural form used for multiple people. Note that the interrogative pronoun quién (with an accent) is different from the relative pronoun quien (without an accent), which is used to connect parts of a sentence rather than to ask a question.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking a question, you must use the form with an accent on the 'e'. Use quién when asking about a single person and quiénes when expecting a response involving more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkjen/
What mistakes should you avoid?
When using quién or quiénes in a question, always remember to include the accent mark on the 'é'.
Did you know?
- If you ask ¿quién? in a sarcastic tone while someone is bragging, it can function as a challenge meaning 'who do you think you are?'
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if someone asks ¿quién es? when a knock is heard at the door, it is common to answer with soy yo meaning 'it is I' regardless of the formal grammar rules.
- The Spanish word quién is a distant cousin of the English word 'who'. Both originate from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷos.
Examples in context
- No sé quién es.I don't know who he is.This sentence shows how to use quién to ask about a single person's identity.Tatoeba #534280 by Shishir, translation #260118 by CK
- No sé quién soy.I don't know who I am.This sentence demonstrates using quién to ask about a single person's identity.Tatoeba #1875881 by Shishir, translation #5117753 by CarpeLanam
- ¿Y tú quién eres?And who might you be?This sentence shows a way to ask someone who they are using quién.Tatoeba #745681 by Shishir, translation #264999 by CM
- ¿Quién es el nuevo presidente?Who is the new president?
- ¿A quién has invitado a la conferencia?Whom have you invited to the conference?
- ¿Quiénes son los invitados especiales?Who are the special guests?
- ¿Quién está organizando la fiesta de cumpleaños?Who is organizing the birthday party?
- ¿Quiénes fueron los ganadores del concurso?Who were the contest winners?
- ¿Quién es ese chico nuevo en la clase?Who is that new boy in the class?
- ¿Quiénes son esas personas del otro equipo?Who are those people from the other team?
- 1876 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are at a party looking for a friend.
- Mateo¿Quién es el dueño de la casa?Who is the owner of the house?
- LucíaNo sé quién es, pero es muy amable.I don't know who he is, but he is very kind.
- Mateo¿Quién llamó a la puerta hace un momento?Who knocked on the door a moment ago?
- LucíaNo estoy segura de quién fue.I am not sure who it was.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “who” translations and entries quién, quiénes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quién, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
