What is the difference between 'que' and 'cual'?

Question

What is the difference between 'qué' and 'cuál'?

Answer 1

Cuál and Qué can both mean Which or What depending on the context.

For example. "¿Qué casa es la más grande?" ..."Which house is the biggest?"

"¿Cuál es la casa más grande?"..."Which is the biggest house?"

"Cuál es tu nombre?" ... "What is your name?"

"¿Qué hace?" ... "What are you doind?"

If the question is asking you to say which one of two or more objects, use Cuál.

A recent conversation I recently overheard......"La entrada es gratis". My friend, who misheard said "Qué es gratis?". The reply came back..."Gratis ... no tiene que pagar" when the question she should have asked was "¿Cuál es gratis?" to which she would have received the reply "La entrada".

As a rule of thumb, use Cuál before the the verb Ser (¿Cuál es... ¿Cuál fue...etc)

Answer 2

íHola, Bernaozkan! Bienvenidos al foro! Hi, Bernaozkan! Welcome to the forum. Take a look at this thread.link textGame Qué vs Cuál and look at the article from the reference sectionlink text¿Qué es...? / ¿Cuál es...? (by Lazarus)

Answer 3

Que is What and cual is which in singular

Answer 4

Qué = What and Cuál = which when used in interrogative forms i.e. with stress over the é and á.