When asking "What?" or "Pardon me?" when you didn't hear something correctly, is the expression, "Mande"? and is that the correct spelling or is there an accent mark over the "a"?

Question

When asking "What?" or "Pardon me?" when you didn't hear something correctly, is the expression, "Mande"? and is that the correct spelling or is there an accent mark over the "a"?

Answer 1

Using "Qué" depends on the contex, tone, and with whom. Among friends it's OK, but in unfamiliar circles it's better to say, "¿Cómo?" "Mande" is used by people of lesser education in Mexico and originates from servants asking their "patrones" "what." It literally means "Command me."

Answer 2

The "standard" Spanish expression is "¿Cómo?" You are correct that "¿mande?" (no accents) is used in Mexico, but "¿Cómo?" is recognized - even in Mexico - as being more correct. Mexicans have told me that they would never say "¿Mande?" in a formal situation, for example.

Answer 3

"¿Mande?" is correct in Mexico - not sure if in other countries.

More generic, widely used expressions that work anywhere are "¿Perdone?", "¿Disculpe?", "¿(Perdón) Cómo dijo?"

You can say "¿Qué?" exactly as you say "What?". It is just as polite as in English.