Forming questions with qué in Spanish = what (Spain)

Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish
Note that this is a Europe focused lesson. Your active focus is Latin America.

Questions with "qué" in Spanish

Here are three ways to ask the question what? in Spanish using ¿qué?

1.     Qué [verbo] = what [verb]

¿Qué haces esta tarde?What are you doing this afternoon? [you = tú]

¿Qué desean de postre?What would you like for dessert? [you = ustedes]

Note that when you use qué [verb] it means what 

2.     Qué [ser] = what [to be]

¿Qué es la paella?What is paella?

¿Qué son los Sanfermines?What are Sanfermines?

Note that when you use qué [ser] you are asking for a meaning or definitionwhat is it?

3.     Qué [nombre] what/which [noun]

¿Qué música te gusta más?What/which music do you like the most? [you = tú]

¿Qué tapas comes?What tapas do you eat? [you = tú]

Note that you use qué to say what/which when it is followed by a noun.

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

¿Qué son los Sanfermines?What are Sanfermines?
¿Qué es la paella?What is paella?
¿Qué desean de postre?What would you like for dessert? [you = ustedes]
¿Qué tapas comes?What tapas do you eat? [you = tú]
¿Qué música te gusta más?What/which music do you like the most? [you = tú]
¿Qué haces esta tarde?What are you doing this afternoon? [you = tú]
Let me take a look at that...