How do I use cuál in a sentence?

Question

cuál as in what's.

Please note that it is mandatory on this forum to use correct spelling, grammar, and capitalization in your posts. - Zoltán, Oct 11, 2009

Answer 1

Cuál is more on the lines of which.

¿Cuál te gusta más? Which do you like more?

¿Cuáles son tus películas favoritas? Which are your favorite movies?

OR

¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? What is your telephone number?

If you replace that sentece with the word qué, then you would be asking for the defination of your telephone number.

POR EJEMPLO

Qué is used when asking for definitions.

• ¿Qué es una ciudad? What is a city?
• ¿Qué hace un presidente? What does a president do?
• ¿Qué significa "talanquera"? What does "talanquera" mean

Qué normally is most often used before nouns (although cuál isn't necessarily incorrect and you will hear it sometimes used to mean "which"):

• ¿De qué color es la camisa? What color is the shirt?
• ¿Qué casa prefieres? Which house do you prefer?
• ¿Qué libro leíste? Which book did you read?

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Cuál usually is used before es and other forms of ser when not seeking a definition:

• ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? What is your phone number?
• ¿Cuál es tu problema? What is your problem?
• ¿Cuáles son las ciudades más grandes? What are the biggest cities?

Cuál is used to suggest a selection or choice from among a group:

• ¿Cuál miras? Which one are you looking at? But, ¿Qué miras? What are you looking at?
• ¿Cuál prefieres? Which one do you prefer? But, ¿Qué prefieres? What do you prefer?
• ¿Cuáles quieres? Which ones do you want? But, ¿Qué quieres? What do you want?
• ¿Cuál es el más caro? Which is the most expensive?
• ¿Cuáles son los más caros? Which are the most expensive?

great post nikki - 00494d19, Oct 12, 2009

Dang! Excellent! - Goyo, Oct 12, 2009

Yay! Thanks. - NikkiLR, Oct 12, 2009

Answer 2

You would use it when saying something like "which", not "what's" - for instance, if you were about to buy a car you might ask "Cual es la mejor opción?"

Answer 3

Cuál is an interrogative pronoun. There is also cual which is a relative pronoun. The difference is similar to that between qué and que.

I only mention it, because the the cual in your title had no tilde, but the cuál in your description did.

cual and que are sometimes interchangeable when used as a relative pronoun.

El libro que... (the book that has a ripped cover....)

El libro, el cual... (the book which has a ripped cover...)