qué

See also: Appendix:Variations of "que"

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin quid.

Adverb

qué

1. what (such)

Pronoun

qué

1. (interrogative) what (interrogative pronoun)

Related terms

• que

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ke/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

qué

1. (Provence) which

Conjunction

qué

1. (nonstandard) Alternative form of que (representing the Hispanic pronunciation) (clarification of this definition is needed)

Interjection

qué

1. (Provence, Switzerland) Isn’t it? Is it not?
2. (Provence) What?

Mandarin

Romanization

qué (que², Zhuyin ㄑㄩㄝˊ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 瘸

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan que, from Latin quid, but also usurping some of the roles of Latin quod.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ke/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

qué

1. which

   Synonyms: quin, qual

Pronoun

qué

1. (interrogative) what
2. that, that which

Portuguese

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɛ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɛ/

Interjection

qué

1. (onomatopoeia) quack (imitative of the sound of a duck)

   Synonyms: quá, quac, quém

Usage notes

Like many onomatopoeias, qué can be used repeatedly, such as in qué qué.

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin quid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈke/ [ˈke]

• Audio; “¿Qué [...]?”:

  (file)

• Audio; “¿Qué!”:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: qué
• Homophone: que

Determiner

qué (interrogative)

1. what; which (interrogative only)

   ¿Qué camisa quiere?

   Which shirt do you want?

2. what; which

   No sabía qué hacer

   I didn't know what to do

Adverb

qué

1. (before a noun) what a; such (used as an intensifier)

   ¡Qué lástima! ― What a pity!

   ¡Qué suerte! ― What luck!

   ¡Qué casa más bonita! ― What a pretty house!

   ¡Qué mierda de tiempo! ― What shitty weather!

2. (before an adjective) how (used as a modifier to indicate surprise, delight, or other strong feelings)

   ¡Qué feo! ― How ugly!

   ¡Qué alto! ― He's so tall!

   ¡Qué guay! ― That's so cool!

Pronoun

qué

1. what (interrogative only)

   ¿Qué ves? ― What do you see?

Usage notes

• There are certain times where cuál would translate as "what" in English and qué would translate as "which". This can confuse English speakers.

Here are some guidelines:

1. If you are using a form of the verb ser, then unless you are asking the definition or meaning of something, you would use cuál even if in English, one would translate it as "what"

   ¿Cuál es su nombre?

   What is your name?

   ¿Cuál es el problema aquí?

   What is the problem here?

2. If in English, the interrogative pronoun "what" or "which" is operating as an adjective preceding the modified noun, then you would use qué and not cuál even if in English you might translate it as "which"

   ¿Qué medicamentos ha tomado en el pasado, señor?

   Which medications have you taken in the past, sir?

   ¿Qué pobre señorita ha capturado tu corazón esta vez?

   Which poor young lady has captured your heart this time?

   ¿Qué color de la pintura prefieres para las paredes del baño, rosa o marrón?

   Which color of paint do you prefer for the bathroom walls, pink or brown?

Derived terms

• no sé qué y no sé cuánto
• para qué
• por qué
• qué demonios
• qué sé yo
• ¿y qué?

 

Related terms

• que

 

See also

• cuál

Further reading

• “qué”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kwɛ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kwɛ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wɛ˦˥]

Noun

qué • (㹟, 𤡱)

1. poultry

See also

• chim nuôi
• gà vẹt