qué
es
en
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Translating...
what, what!, that which
/ke/
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A versatile interrogative and exclamatory word that asks for identification, expresses surprise, or introduces a relative clause.
Similar words
el cual
qué tal¡cielos!
¡caramba!
el que
qué ocurre
qué pasa
¡diablos!
¡vaya!
qué sucede
Meanings
Examples
¿Qué hora es?
What time is it?
¿Qué libro compraste?
What book did you buy?
¿Qué quieres comer?
What do you want to eat?
¿Qué significa esta palabra?
What does this word mean?
¿Qué película viste ayer?
What movie did you watch yesterday?
¿Qué pasa?
What is happening?
Similar words
cuál
qué cosa
qué talqué pasa
qué sucede
qué ocurre
Examples
¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise!
¡Qué rápido corres!
What fast you run!
¡Qué bien lo hiciste!
What well you did it!
¡Qué horror!
What horror!
¡Qué lástima!
What a pity!
¡Qué alegría!
What joy!
Similar words
¡vaya!
¡caramba!
¡madre!
¡santo!
¡diablos!
¡cielos!
Examples
No entiendo qué dices.
I don’t understand that which you say.
Esto es qué necesitaba.
This is that which I needed.
¿Recuerdas qué prometimos?
Do you remember that which we promised?
El asunto qué tratamos es importante.
The matter that which we discuss is important.
Observa qué ocurre.
Observe that which happens.
Explícame qué sucedió.
Explain that which happened.
Similar words
el que
la que
lo que
lo cual
el cual
la cual
Etymology
From Latin quid through Old Spanish que, with the accent added to mark stress.
FAQ
What does qué mean in English?
Qué translates to what, and in exclamatory contexts to what!, or as a relative pronoun to that which.
How do you use qué to ask a question?
Place qué at the start of a question, followed by the verb and the rest of the sentence, and end with an opening question mark.
When should I use qué instead of cuál?
Use qué when asking for a definition or description; use cuál when choosing from a known set of options.
How is qué used in exclamatory sentences?
Put ¡qué at the beginning of an exclamation, often followed by an adjective or noun, and close with an exclamation mark.
Can qué introduce a relative clause?
Yes, qué can link a clause that refers to an entire idea, functioning like that which in English.
What punctuation follows qué in a question?
A question beginning with ¿ and ending with ?; the opening inverted question mark is mandatory in Spanish.
Is qué ever used as an adjective?
When it appears before a noun, qué acts as an interrogative adjective, e.g., ¿Qué libro?
What is the origin of qué?
Qué comes from Latin quid via Old Spanish que, with the accent added later to indicate stress.
Are there common mistakes with qué?
A frequent error is mixing qué with cuál, especially when a limited set of choices is implied.
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