What in Spanish: 9 Ways To Say What in Spanish With Full Example Sentences
Imagine you’re a detective in a thrilling Spanish mystery novel. Your mission? To uncover the secret identities what in Spanish. These sneaky little words are masters of disguises.
Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on this linguistic masquerade ball. We’ll introduce you to a colorful cast of characters – 9 different ways to say what in Spanish. To get in the mood, watch this great video for alternatives of what in Spanish:
This lesson was made by Spring Spanish (a project I co-founded), and Paulísima explains which alternatives are the best for qué in Spanish.
And now, are you ready to crack the case of the mysterious Spanish “whats”?
1. Qué [What]
Effortless Answers
Qué is the most common way to say what in Spanish. It can be used in many situations, making it a go-to choice for beginners and fluent speakers alike.
You’d use it to ask about things, definitions, or to express surprise.
It’s neutral in terms of politeness, suitable for both formal and informal situations. Grammatically, qué is an interrogative pronoun.
You’ll often see it at the beginning of Spanish questions, but it can pop up in the middle of sentences too.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? |
| ¿Qué quieres para cenar? | What do you want for dinner? |
| ¡Qué día tan bonito! | What a beautiful day! |
| ¿Qué opinas sobre esta idea? | What do you think about this idea? |
2. Cuál [Which]
Cuál (and its plural form cuáles) is used when you’re asking to choose from options or identify something specific.
It’s like asking “which one” in English.
This word is neutral in politeness and can be used in various settings. Grammatically, cuál is also an interrogative pronoun.
You’ll use it when you’re expecting the answer to be a choice or a specific item from a group.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuál es tu película favorita? | Which is your favorite movie? |
| ¿Cuál de estos zapatos te gusta más? | Which of these shoes do you like more? |
| ¿Cuál es la capital de España? | What (which) is the capital of Spain? |
| ¿Cuál fue tu primer trabajo? | What (which) was your first job? |
3. Cuáles [Which ones]
Cuáles is simply the plural form of cuál, like we mentioned it before.
You’d use it when you’re asking about multiple options or items. Like cuál, it’s neutral in politeness and is an interrogative pronoun.
Use cuáles when you expect the answer to involve multiple choices or items.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuáles son los ingredientes de esta receta? | What (which ones) are the ingredients of this recipe? |
| ¿Cuáles de estas camisas quieres comprar? | Which of these shirts do you want to buy? |
| ¿Cuáles son tus planes para el fin de semana? | What (which ones) are your plans for the weekend? |
4. Qué tal [How about / How are you]
Qué tal is a bit different from the others.
It’s more of a set phrase that can mean “how about” or “how are you” depending on the context.
It’s informal and friendly, used as a greeting or to make suggestions. Grammatically, it’s an interrogative phrase.
You’ll hear it a lot in casual conversations, but it’s definitely better than just throwing what in Spanish in front of people.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué tal tu día? | How was your day? |
| ¿Qué tal si vamos a la playa? | How about we go to the beach? |
| ¿Qué tal la película? | How was the movie? |
| ¿Qué tal te fue en el examen? | How did you do on the exam? |
5. Cómo [How]
While cómo primarily means “how,” it can sometimes be translated as “what” in English.
It’s used to ask about the way something is done or the state of something.
It’s neutral in politeness and is an interrogative adverb. You’ll use cómo when you want to know about the manner or condition of something.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te sientes? | How do you feel? |
| ¿Cómo se dice “hello” en español? | How do you say “hello” in Spanish? |
| ¿Cómo es tu nuevo jefe? | What is your new boss like? |
| ¿Cómo quieres tu café? | How do you want your coffee? |
| ¿Cómo llegaste a casa? | How did you get home? |
6. Cuánto [How much]
Cuánto (and its feminine and plural forms cuánta, cuántos, cuántas) is used to ask about quantity or amount.
While it literally means “how much” or “how many,” it can often be translated as “what” in English when asking about quantities.
It’s neutral in terms of politeness and is an interrogative adjective or pronoun, depending on its use.
You’ll use cuánto when you want to know about the quantity of something.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto tiempo necesitas? | How much time do you need? |
| ¿Cuánto dinero tienes? | How much money do you have? |
| ¿Cuánto pesa este paquete? | How much does this package weigh? |
| ¿Cuánto falta para llegar? | How much longer until we arrive? |
7. Lo que [What (as a relative pronoun)]
Lo que is a bit different from the others.
It’s not used to ask questions, but rather to refer to something previously mentioned or to introduce a clause.
It’s neutral in politeness and is a relative pronoun.
You’ll use lo que when you want to say “what” in the sense of “that which” or “the thing that.”
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Dime lo que piensas. | Tell me what you think. |
| No entiendo lo que está pasando. | I don’t understand what’s happening. |
| Haré lo que pueda. | I’ll do what I can. |
| Me gusta lo que veo. | I like what I see. |
| Escucha lo que te digo. | Listen to what I’m telling you. |
8. Que [That/Which]
Que without an accent is not typically used to mean “what” in questions.
Instead, it’s a relative pronoun meaning “that” or “which.” It’s neutral in politeness.
You’ll use que to connect clauses or to provide additional information about a noun.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| La casa que compré está en el centro. | The house that I bought is in the center. |
| El perro que ladra no muerde. | The dog that barks doesn’t bite. |
| La chica que conocí ayer es muy simpática. | The girl that I met yesterday is very nice. |
| El restaurante que me recomendaste estaba cerrado. | The restaurant that you recommended to me was closed. |
9. Algo [Something]
Algo doesn’t directly translate to “what,” but it can sometimes be used in a similar way, especially in questions.
It means “something” and is an indefinite pronoun. It’s neutral in politeness.
You might use algo when you’re asking about an undefined thing or action.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Necesitas algo? | Do you need something? |
| ¿Hay algo que pueda hacer para ayudar? | Is there something I can do to help? |
| Si pasa algo, llámame. | If something happens, call me. |
| ¿Quieres algo de beber? | Do you want something to drink? |
| Tengo algo importante que decirte. | I have something important to tell you. |
10. Practice using what in Spanish with our exercises
Let’s take a look at these flashcards!
You can practice more alternatives for what in Spanish. The only thing you have to do is click the button here, and request full practice worksheets:
11. Learn different ways to say what in Spanish with Conversation Based Chunking
Here’s an advice for you: you can learn using what in Spanish with the Conversation Based Chunking method.
This approach focuses on the natural building blocks of the language: lexical chunks. So, instead of learning que, algo, cuál and more expressions for what in Spanish, you can incorporate these words into your Spanish sentences, and learn it that way.
In no time, you’ll see that you’re not even thinking of the translations for what in Spanish, but you’re using them naturally. To understand this method better, we can send you a FREE Spanish Chunking Starter Pack – click the button, and we’ll do the rest! 😉
