QUÉ or CUÁL/CUÁLES?

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?