{"id":482,"date":"2022-06-08T06:31:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T06:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/?p=482"},"modified":"2022-06-14T09:33:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T09:33:52","slug":"which-is-right-que-or-cual-how-to-tell-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/ko\/which-is-right-que-or-cual-how-to-tell-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Which is right- qu\u00e9<\/i> or cu\u00e1l<\/i>? How to tell the difference!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are some quick and easy rules as to when to use each word<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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When you started learning Spanish, you probably realised quite quickly that you needed to ask a lot of questions – \u00bfC\u00f3mo te llamas?<\/i>, \u00bfQu\u00e9 te gusta hacer<\/i><\/strong>?<\/i> and many more. One thing you might (not!) have noticed is how the Spanish equivalents of what<\/strong> and which<\/strong> work differently. To ask for someone’s address, do you say \u00bfQu\u00e9 es tu direcci\u00f3n?<\/i><\/strong> (What is your address?) or \u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu direcci\u00f3n? <\/i><\/strong>(Which is your address?). It’s \u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu direcci\u00f3n?<\/i><\/strong> Confused? – you won’t be after reading the rest of this blog!<\/p>\n

Question words are basic Spanish vocabulary that you need to know, and so it’s important to get them right when speaking and writing. Let’s take a look at some points you need to bear in mind when using qu\u00e9 <\/i><\/strong>and cu\u00e1l<\/i><\/strong>. Both of these can be translated as what<\/strong> and which<\/strong> depending on what we are trying to say. Here are some quick and easy rules as to when to use each word:<\/p>\n<\/div>

When we want to say “what”<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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  • <\/i>Qu\u00e9<\/em><\/mark> is used to ask for definitions, time and explanations<\/li>\n
  • <\/i>Cu\u00e1l<\/em><\/mark> is more often used for asking for personal information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>

    When we want to say “which”<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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    • <\/i>Qu\u00e9<\/em><\/mark> can be used to ask about objects and personal preferences<\/li>\n
    • <\/i>Cu\u00e1l<\/em><\/mark> is used to ask someone to make a choice or pick from various options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>

      Easy, right? No? Well here are some examples to give you a clearer idea<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
      <\/div><\/div>
      <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      English question<\/b><\/td>\nSpanish question<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      What do you want to eat?<\/td>\n\u00bfQu\u00e9 quieres comer?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      What time is it?<\/td>\n\u00bfQu\u00e9 hora es?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      What’s your address?<\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu direcci\u00f3n?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      What’s your favourite colour?<\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu color favorito?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Which phone do you have?<\/td>\n\u00bfQu\u00e9 m\u00f3vil tienes?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Which museum in Madrid is the most interesting?<\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1l es el museo m\u00e1s interesante en Madrid?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Which are the best restaurants in Madrid?<\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1les son los mejores restaurantes en Madrid?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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      You might have spotted in the last example that cu\u00e1l<\/i><\/b> has changed to cu\u00e1les<\/i><\/b>. Why is that? Simple – it’s because restaurants<\/b> is in plural<\/b>. We always have to use cu\u00e1l<\/i><\/b> <\/i>for singular nouns, and cu\u00e1les<\/i><\/b> for plural nouns. Let’s take a look at a couple of other examples using cu\u00e1l<\/i><\/b> and cu\u00e1les<\/i><\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Cu\u00e1l<\/b><\/td>\nCu\u00e1les<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      \u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu bol\u00edgrafo? – Which is your pen?<\/em><\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1les son los hijos de Paula? – Which ones are Paula’s children?<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      \u00bfCu\u00e1l es tu coche? – Which is your car?<\/em><\/td>\n\u00bfCu\u00e1les son los peores hoteles en Madrid? – Which are the worst hotels in Madrid?<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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      So, to sum up, the main points to remember are that both qu\u00e9 <\/i><\/b>and cu\u00e1l<\/i><\/b> can be translated as which <\/b>and what<\/b> depending on the question you’re trying to form. Knowing the difference means thinking carefully about the type of information<\/b> you’re asking for, and you need to make sure that you use cu\u00e1les<\/i><\/b> when talking about plural forms<\/b>.<\/p>\n

      If this doesn’t all make sense yet then don’t worry. Taking a course here at Hablamos<\/mark> <\/i>will help you to understand and speak Spanish in record time. Asking questions is one of the first things we learn in any new language, and our teachers will give you all the right tools to make yourself understood whatever the situation.<\/p>\n

      As with anything when studying Spanish, the best way to improve is to practise by having lots of conversations and speaking with as many people as you can. You might not get it right every time, but here in Madrid, people are very forgiving and just love to hear foreigners making an attempt to speak their language. When you come to study or live here, make sure you get out and about as much as possible. You’ll soon find yourself making loads of new friends with your beautifully formed Spanish questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>

      Come study at Hablamos<\/mark> and make yourself understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world!<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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