¡Qué tengas un buen viaje! What is the purpose of "que" here?

Question

I just can't seem to understand the use of the word qué no matter how much I read about it.

Such as in this translation of "Have a good trip:" ¡Qué tengas un buen viaje!

Why wouldn't it just be "Tengas un buen viaje"? What is the purpose of the word "qué" here?

Kim

Welcome to SpanishDict. - rac1, Dec 7, 2016

Answer 1

Que tengas un buen viaje (no accent over the e in Que) is That you have a good trip and is understood as meaning something like I hope that you have a good trip, or I desire that you have a good trip.

Literally, Have a good trip would be Tenga un buen viaje, but would sound odd.

I agree - 000a35ff, Dec 7, 2016

Answer 2

Actually que can be used with or without tilde depending on the presence or not of exclamation: ¡Qué tengas un buen viaje! / Que tengas un buen viaje.

Oops! Right you are (of course). - jtaniel, Dec 7, 2016

Answer 3

In this sense, it is supposed to be "que" without an accent mark. The reason it is there is so that it can indicate that the sentence is subjunctive. Many people don't know how to spot the subjunctive in English because we weren't really taught it (at least I wasn't). Just know that the subjunctive MUST be triggered by certain things; it can't just be there in a sentence.

The reason it is not "Tengas un buen viaje" is because that is a command and we aren't commanding people to have a good trip, but we are trying to show our desire for the person to have a good trip.

The conjugations for the imperative mood and the subjunctive present are the same, with some exceptions on tú and vosotros, but you can read more about that here at Formal Commands and at Tú Commands

Here is some good info on the Spanish Subjunctive

Okay, that is difficult, but I kinda get it. Then why wouldn't you say something like "Espero tengas un buen viaje"? If "que" means that, which, who, or whom, then what is its translation here? - kimkg, Dec 7, 2016

btw, Rocket Spanish used it with the accent on the "e." Are they just wrong? - kimkg, Dec 7, 2016

You can say "Espero que tengas un buen viaje". "Que" MUST be used though. "Que tengas buen viaje" means "That you have a good trip." Rocket Spanish is wrong in that regard. - codyandrews1993, Dec 7, 2016

Answer 4

Cody, you say in the sentence "Tengas un buen viaje" that "tengas" is a command. I thought that that informal 2nd person form of the imperative, which matches the informal 2nd person subjunctive form, can only be used in the negative, as in "No tengas un buen viaje." For the positive informal 2nd person form, wouldn't it be "Ten un buen viaje"?

So then the example "Tengas un buen viaje" would be the informal 2nd person subjunctive form, correct? Of course without the "que" I imagine it would sound odd to a native Spanish speaker.

I see that you are fluent in Spanish. I definitely am not, so please tell me, am I correct or really off base?

¡Gracias!

Hola "Güiño," See my post on this. - Daniela2041, Dec 8, 2016

Well, you must have missed it when I said "with some exceptions on tú and vosotros". Even thought it is - codyandrews1993, Dec 8, 2016

Well, you must have missed it when I said "with some exceptions on tú and vosotros". Even thought it is "tengs", it CANNOT be subjunctive without being triggered. I would say you're close. - codyandrews1993, Dec 8, 2016

However, I chose not to make my post about commands and more about subjunctive given the circumstances of the original question. - codyandrews1993, Dec 8, 2016

Answer 5

The expression "Que tengas un buen viaje." is a shortened form of:

"Espero que tengas un buen viaje. or

"Ojalá que tengas un buen viaje." or other similar expressions on the part of one person who desires that the second person has a good trip.

The reason for the unaccented "e" is that it is supposed to be following the first clause, which has mysteriously disappeared.

Just "Have a good trip!" in the familiar imperative form would be "Ten un buen viaje." But I don't know of anybody that would use that form.

In the formal (usted) form it would be "Tenga un buen viaje" Which might be used by some.

Gracias, mi Maestra Hermosa! xx - Winkfish, Dec 8, 2016