How to Say “What” in Spanish
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According to the Spanish language, "what" can be translated to several words depending on the context. The most common translations of "what" are "qué," "cuál," and "cuales."
"Qué" is used as an interrogative pronoun to ask about the identity of a person, thing or concept. It can be used to ask what something is or what someone is doing, for example "¿Qué es esto?" meaning "What is this?" or "¿Qué estás haciendo?" is "What are you doing?"
"Cuál" is used as an interrogative adjective to ask about the identity of a specific person, thing or concept among a group or a set of options. It can be used to ask which one among a set of options, for example "¿Cuál es tu color favorito?" meaning "What is your favorite color?" or "¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?" which is "What is your phone number?"
"Cuales" is the plural form of cuál, it is also used as an interrogative adjective to ask about the identity of several specific persons, things or concepts among a group or a set of options. It can be used to ask which ones among a set of options, for example "¿Cuáles son tus libros favoritos?" meaning "Which are your favorite books?" or "¿Cuáles son tus amigos?" meaning "Which are your friends?"
These Spanish translations, "qué" is also used in the construction of certain idiomatic expressions, such as "qué tal" meaning "how are you" or "how is everything" and "qué pasa" means "what's happening" or "what's going on."
It's important to note that the word "que" is also used as a conjunction and it has different meanings depending on the context. "No sé qué hacer" is "I don't know what to do'' it's used as a conjunction to link clauses or "Es lo que necesito" meaning "It's what I need" It's used to indicate reason or purpose.
Spanish has several words that can be used to translate "what," depending on the context. "Qué" is used as an interrogative pronoun, "cuál" is used as an interrogative adjective to ask about a specific person, thing or concept among a group and "cuales" is the plural form of cuál. It's important to consider the context of the sentence and also the different meanings and use of "que" as a conjunction in Spanish language.