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How to Say "what" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “what” is “qué” — use 'qué' (with an accent) when asking a direct question about an object, idea, or situation, or in exclamations..

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qué

/keh//ke/

Question & Exclamation WordA1General
Use 'qué' (with an accent) when asking a direct question about an object, idea, or situation, or in exclamations.
A glowing question mark and exclamation point, representing 'qué' used for asking 'what?' and making exclamations like 'what a...!'

Examples

¿Qué hora es?

What time is it?

¿Qué es eso?

What is that?

¡Qué sorpresa!

What a surprise!

¡Qué bonito es el vestido!

How beautiful the dress is!

The Magic Accent

The accent mark is key! Use 'qué' for questions and exclamations. Use 'que' (no accent) for connecting ideas and comparing.

'Qué' vs. 'Cuál'

Mistake: “Asking '¿Qué es tu nombre?' is a common error from English.”

Correction: When asking for specific information like a name or phone number, use 'cuál': '¿Cuál es tu nombre?' Use 'qué' to ask for a definition: '¿Qué es un nombre?' (What is a noun?).

cuál

PronounA1General
Use 'cuál' (with an accent) when asking to identify or choose from a specific set of options, often when the answer is a name, number, or a particular item.

Examples

¿Cuál prefieres, el azul o el rojo?

Which one do you prefer, the blue or the red one?

cómo

AdverbA2Informal
Use 'cómo' (with an accent) when asking for repetition or clarification, essentially asking 'What did you say?' or 'Pardon?'.

Examples

- No entiendo. - ¿Cómo?

- I don't understand. - What? / Pardon?

lo

/loh//lo/

Pronoun / ArticleA2General
Use 'lo' in phrases like 'lo que' or 'lo bueno' to mean 'the thing that' or 'what is' when referring to an abstract concept or a general idea.
An illustration of an abstract idea, showing that 'lo' can refer to concepts and situations, not just physical objects.

Examples

No sé lo que quieres decir.

I don't know what you mean.

Lo bueno es que mañana es viernes.

The good thing is that tomorrow is Friday.

No entiendo lo que quieres decir.

I don't understand what you mean.

Lo de la fiesta fue increíble.

The thing about the party was incredible.

Turning Adjectives into Ideas

You can put 'lo' in front of an adjective to talk about the general idea of that quality. For example, 'lo difícil' means 'the difficult part' or 'the difficulty'.

Referring to a Whole Situation

Use 'lo que' (what) or 'lo de' (the thing about...) to talk about a situation or something that was just said, not just a single physical object.

Confusing 'lo que' and 'qué'

Mistake: “No sé que quieres.”

Correction: No sé lo que quieres. (I don't know what you want.) When 'what' means 'the thing that', use 'lo que'. Use 'qué' (with an accent) for direct questions like '¿Qué quieres?' (What do you want?).

Qué vs. Cuál

The most common mistake is confusing 'qué' and 'cuál'. Remember that 'qué' is used for general definitions or identifications ('What is this?'), while 'cuál' is used when choosing from options or asking for specific information like a name or number ('Which one is yours?').

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