How do I say "What Motivates Me?"

Question

I want to ask the question:

"What motivates me?"

I'm thinking "¿Qué me motivar?"

But should I use cuál instead of qué? I'm not sure. I'm listing things that motivate me, that interest me and excite me. For example: my family, having fun, music, my faith, food....Kind of an abstract list of anything that motivates me. So what is the best way to convey that meaning of the word "motivate" in Spanish?

Answer 1

Great question!

Go ahead and use "qué" instead of "cuál". Be sure to conjugate the verb in the 3rd person singular form. You can say "¿Qué me motiva?", if you want words that look a lot like English. You can also say something like "¿Qué da sentido a mi vida?" meaning "what gives my life meaning?" in a fairly exact translation. Based on the context of your question, I think you really mean to ask the second question. To answer you can say something like "La comida da sentido a mi vida", or "Mi fe da sentido a mi vida". Or, if you want to say several things, make the verb plural: "Mi familia, mis amigos y mi fe dan sentido a mi vida".

I hope this has helped.

Thank you so much! That's exactly what I wanted, and I'll use that second question. Great! =) - StillLearning, FEB 21, 2010

Answer 2

¿Qué me motiva? is correct.