Home
Q&A
Qué or cuál? That is the question...

Qué or cuál? That is the question...

7
votes

As usual, here is the latest post on my website. I hope you like it and it´s useful for all of you smile

Do you know when you need to use “qué” or “cuál/cuáles”?

Qué and cuál can be confusing if you are starting to learn Spanish because both can be translated as the same words into English: what and which.

QUÉ:

It´s usually closer to “what” and it is used when we ask for definitions or explanations and before nouns. Although in Latin America is often used “cuál” or “cuáles” before nouns, “qué” is preferred.

¿Qué estás comiendo? What are you eating? ¿Qué te dijo Antonio? What did Antonio tell you? ¿Qué libro quieres comprar? Which book do you want to buy? ¿Qué perro te gusta? Which dog do you like?

CUÁL/CUÁLES:

It´s usually closer to “which” and it´s used to suggest a selection or choice within a group. Whereas “qué” is the same in singular and plural, the plural of “cuál” is “cuáles”.

Tenemos dos coches. ¿Cuál prefieres? We have two cars. Which one do you prefer? ¿Cuál de los coches es más caro? Which of the cars is more expensive? ¿Cuáles te gustan? Which ones do you like?

Look the difference: ¿Cuál prefieres? Which one do you prefer? ¿Qué prefieres? What do you prefer?

¿Cuál quieres comprar? Which one do you want to buy? ¿Qué quieres comprar? What do you want to buy?

*NOTE: when we use the verb ser, “what” can mean both “qué” and “cuál/cuáles”:

QUÉ + SER: is used to identify something, for definitions or after a preposition.

CUÁL/CUÁLES + SER: is used to ask for information (not seeking a definition) but it can be confusing since English often uses “what”.

¿Qué es un teléfono? What is a telephone? Answer: es un aparato para hablar con otras personas. ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? What is your telephone number? Answer: 676-897-938

¿Qué es una capital? What is a capital? Answer: dicho de una población: principal y cabeza de un Estado, provincia o distrito (definición según el diccionario de la RAE) ¿Cuál es la capital de España? What is the capital of Spain? Answer: Madrid

1145 views
updated Jun 15, 2015
posted by SpanishSkypeorg
Gracias amiga. - ian-hill, Jun 13, 2015
Excellent! I have always had trouble with that. This helps immensely!! - Winkfish, Jun 14, 2015
Great post mate thanks. I shall keep it going with a bump or three. - ray76, Jun 14, 2015

1 Answer

0
votes

This is worth viewing again.

updated Jun 14, 2015
posted by ray76