¿Cuál es: Que o Qué? (Still not sure...)
Hace unos días un hispanohablante me dijo que la palabra "qué", con tilde sobre la "é" solamente se usa en preguntas. Pero, ¿es cierto?
A few days ago, a native speaker told me that the word "qué", with an accent over "é" is used only in questions. But, is that true?
Por ejemplo, de estas dos oraciones, ¿cuál es correcta? "No sé que hacer." or "No sé qué hacer."
For example, of those two sentences, which is correct?
14 Answers
Qué
pronombre
1 what no sé qué hacer I don't know what to do ¿qué querías? what did you want?
adjetivo
1 (cuál) which no sé qué libro quiere I don't know which book he wants
2 (en frases interrogativas) how, what ¿qué años tienes? how old are you? ¿qué has dicho? what did you say?
3 (en frases exclamativas) how, what ¡qué bonito! how nice! ¡qué contenta estoy! I'm so happy! ¡qué flor más bonita! what a lovely flower! ¡qué pena! what a pity!
4 (cantidad) what ¡qué de gente! what a crowd!
FRASEOLOGÍA
no hay de qué don't mention it
¿qué hay?/¿qué tal? familiar how are things?
¡y qué! familiar so what!
Que
pronombre
1 (sujeto, persona) who, that; (cosa) that, which
la chica que vino ayer está enferma the girl who came yesterday is ill
el árbol que se quemó está en el jardín the tree that got burnt is in the garden
este árbol, que parecía muerto en invierno, está rebrotando this tree, which
looked dead in winter, is sprouting
2 (complemento, persona) whom, who; (cosa) that, which
el coche que me prestaste está ahí the car (that) you lent me is there
el niño que viste ayer es mi hijo the boy you saw yesterday is my son
3 preposition + que (complemento circunstancial) which; (lugar) where; (tiempo) when
la pistola con que le hirieron era nuestra the gun with which he was wounded was ours, the gun he was wounded with was ours
la casa en que vivía estaba lejos the house where he lived was far away
4 def art + que the one which, the one that ese libro es el que me gusta that's the book I like ésa es la que quiero that's the one I want
conjunción
1 that dice que no vendrá he says (that) he won't come quiero que lo hagas I want you to do it
2 (en comparaciones) than es más alto que su padre he is taller than his father
3 (deseo, mandato) ¡que esperes un momento! wait a moment! ¡que te diviertas! enjoy yourself!
4 (duda, extrañeza) ¿que no te hicieron pagar nada? (you say) they didn't make you pay anything?
5 (causal, consecutiva) ¡arriba, que ya son las ocho! get up, it's eight o'clock!
6 (tanto si ... como si ...) whether ... or not ... que llueva que no llueva, iremos de excursión whether it rains or not, we're going on a trip
7 (reiterativo) and charla que charla se nos pasó la hora we were so busy talking that the hour just flew by
8 (final) so that ven aquí que te vea bien come here so that I can see you properly
9 familiar (condicional) if que te gusta, te lo quedas; que no te gusta, lo cambias if you like it, keep it; if you don't, you can change it
10 que no (adversativa) not justicia pido, que no gracia I want justice, not mercy
FRASEOLOGÍA
¿a que no? / ¿a que sí? right?, isn't that right?
¿a que no ...? I bet you can't ...!
a que no sabes la respuesta I bet you don't know the answer
¡con lo que ...! you know how much ...
¡con lo que le gusta el queso y se lo han prohibido! you know how much he likes cheese, and now he's not allowed to have any!
que si esto que si lo otro what with one thing and the other
que si esto, que si lo otro, total que no lo ha traído what with one thing and another, in the end he didn't bring it
que para qué (para énfasis)
hace un frío que para qué it's really cold, it's so cold, it's freezing cold
se da unos aires que para qué he puts on these ridiculous airs
que yo sepa as far as I know
yo que tú ... if I were you ...
Qué is used in question (both direct and indirect)
¿Qué hora es? (direct question)
No sé qué voy a hacer. (indirect question)
Qué is use in exclamations, but so is que.
¡Qué día tan bonito! (What a lovely day!)
¡Que tenga un buen día! (Have a nice day!) ¡[Espero] que tenga un buen día!
Qué in exclamations commonly translates as "What a..."
To answer your question, the "tilde" or "accent mark" is used for the following reason:
- To ask a question (interrogación). Ex. ¿Qué hora es?
- As an interjection, outcry, complaint or exclamation (exclamación) Ex. ¡Qué excelente! Thus, in your example, "No sé qué hacer" would fall under this situation
Otherwise, it is used without the "tilde" as a relative pronoun: Ex. "El maestro dice que (that) es importante saber bien el uso del acento escrito."
Omg...nobody is answering his question?? 
Quentin did so long ago.
Chaparri, direct and indirect questions, so:
No sé: ¿qué hago?
No sé qué hacer.
Both are questions, one direct and one indirect, both carry a tilde.
Hola,
Hay varias discusiones sobre los usos de qué y que en la Internet. Puedes ir a elcastellano.org. también en la sección de preguntas más frecuentes del diccionario de la Real Academia.
Como longbeachmex mencionó anteriormente, se usa en preguntas y en exclamaciones...
Poor Chapirrito no one is answering your question so I will try.
Let's take a deep breath here...
From all the great answers you got so far I believe that you are trying to express an indirect question so lets simply apply the rule...
I would go for: No sé qué hacer...
Longbeach is correct, and basically :"que" when used as "that" or a conjunction doesn't require the accent.
Thank you all for helping. Heidita made a bit of an issue (in her funny, sweet way ) that I still had a question even though so many had already answered. But to tell you the truth, it was all the conflicting answers that perpetuated my confusion. Some said it should be "Qué" for one reason, others were also saying it should be "Qué" but for a different reason, then others gave answers that didn't make any sense at all. 
However I'm now 99% sure that I understand the answer, and why (thanks especially to Q and Carlos-F).
Thanks! 
"what" is qué ó en espanol "qué" es qué
pues la respuesta correcta seria no sé que hacer porq el qué se utiliza solo cuanto la pregunta la vas a empezar con un qué por ejemplo Qué te habias hecho?
Hopefully there will be more people to help me with this. After getting six responses I'm not any more clear on my question than when I started. Some answers are not clear at all to me, and others contradict one another.
To say: "I do not know what to do." (and other similar statements using 'what') would it be:
"No sé que hacer."
or
"No sé qué hacer."
Anyone? Anyone?? 
OK. Here is a link to Ricardo (a native speaker) using 'qué' in a statement.
Juego: Me molesta la gente que....
So... 
Este es mi solución sencillo. La frase segundo es mejor de primero. Usa "que" en una frase por una persona pero usa "qué" in la frase o pregunta por cosa o animal. Por ejemplo: Es la persona que estudioso. es, "She is a person who is studious." y "¿Qué es?" es, "What is that? "
This is my simple solution. The Second sentence is better than the first. Use "que" in a sentence for "who" and use "qué" in a sentence or question for "what". For example: "Es la persona que estudioso." is, "She is a person who is studious." y "¿Qué es?" es, "What is that? "
Yo deseo este solución es una ayuda por su pregunta. I hope this solution is a help for your question.
then the correct answer would not know what to do porq that uses only the question as you're starting with what for example you had done?
