A definitive guide on how to use this short, yet multiple-meaning, word effectively.
You’ve probably seen this word used countless times in the Spanish language… But, have you ever wondered about its multiple uses and meanings? “Que” can be directly translated as the English word “what”, but this is just one out of many other meanings of it. On many other occasions, Que can have a hugely different use!
This blog post will look at different situations when we need to use Que to convey a precise meaning. We will use Que in real-life sentences with its English translation. And you definitely should stick to the end of this post, where we will do a practice exercise to put everything we have learned into practice! So, without further delay, let’s jump right in!
¿Qué es “Que”? (What is Que?)
As we mentioned before, Que normally will be translated as “what” in English. This is the first definition that will pop out when using translation Apps or even when looking at a dictionary.
From the grammar point of view, Que is considered a relative pronoun, meaning that it is used as an introduction to a clause that provides information about a noun. For example: La persona que vi ayer. (The person that I saw yesterday).
In this sentence, the clause “que vi ayer” gives us more information about the noun “La persona”. Thanks to the use of Que, we can identify which person I am talking about.
Que also works as a conjunction to connect phrases and clauses. For example: Me gustaría que vinieras. (I would like you to come).
In this example, Que helps us to use the verb “Me gustaría” in conjunction with “vinieras”.
Having said that, it is important to know that the use of Que can drastically change depending on whether it has an accent mark or not, and also whether it is used in conjunction with a verb or an adjective.
Let’s take a look at two different versions of Que, the one with the accent mark and the one without it.
The difference between Que and Qué
It is quite surprising to see that just a simple accent mark can play such an important role in the meaning of a word. Que is a perfect example of this.
The first thing that you should remember is that there is Que without an accent and Qué with the accent. Let’s first take a look at Que (without the accent).
How to use Que
As a Pronoun and Relative Clause
This is the first scenario that we mentioned at the beginning of this article. Que helps us to provide additional information about who or what we are talking about. It helps us to determine more precisely the person or object we are mentioning. In English, we use words like “who”, “which” or “that” to do this.
For example:
- Ella es la mujer que vino ayer. (She is the woman who came here yesterday).
- Las personas que viven enfrente son muy ruidosas. (The people who live opposite are very noisy).
- Ese es el autobús que va hacia el aeropuerto. (That’s the bus that goes to the airport).
To make Comparisons
Que can be the equivalent of the English words “than” or “to” for this scenario.
For example:
- Yo soy más alto que mi hermano. (I am taller than my brother).
- Me gusta más este que ese. (I like this one better than that one).
- Prefiero el rock que el pop. (I prefer rock to pop).
To express a “Must Do”
When you need to express something someone must do, we will use Que in conjunction with the verb Tener. So “tener que” translates as “has/have to do something”.
For example:
- Tengo que decirte algo muy importante. (I have to tell you something very important).
- Tienes que hacer tu tarea. (You have to do your homework).
To express Cause and Consequence
Que helps us to connect two phrases in a sentence, to express the cause and consequence of a fact. In English, we would use words like “so” or “that” for this kind of sentence.
- Estaba tan cansado que me quedé dormido viendo la película. (I was so tired that I fell asleep watching the movie).
- Estábamos tan apresurados, que mejor tomamos un taxi. (We were in such a hurry, so we better took a taxi).
For Reported Speech:
To talk about something someone else said, we will use Que after the verbs Decir or Pedir.
For Example:
- Paola dice que se siente mal. (Paola says that she’s not feeling well).
- ¿Qué haces aquí? Dijiste que ibas a ir al cine. (What are you doing here? You said you were going to the cinema).
- Mi mamá me pidió que comprara un kilo de arroz. (My mom asked me to buy 2lb of rice).
To express the Subjunctive Mood
The word Que is one of the subjunctive mood’s best friends, meaning that for the majority of the sentences in this mood, we will need to use Que.
As you may know, or probably heard, the subjunctive mood helps us to express for main things:
- Wishes/Desires
- Probability
- Feelings
- Opinions and thoughts
We will always use Que for all these situations mentioned above. Let’s take a look at the first one:
Expressing Wishes or Desires
To express something you wish or desire in Spanish, you will normally begin the phrase with “Espero que…”, “Ojalá que…”, “Quiero que…”, or just simply with “Que…”.
Examples:
-
¡Que tengas un buen día! (Have a nice day!).
-
¡Ojalá que mañana no llueva! (Let’s hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow).
-
Quiero que vengas a mi fiesta de cumpleaños. (I want you to come to my birthday party).
Expressing Probability
Que also helps us to talk about situations that are likely to happen or not, or to talk about something we believe might be real.
Examples:
-
Puede ser que Martín no venga a clase el día de hoy. No se siente muy bien. (Martin may not come to class today. He doesn’t feel very well).
-
Es probable que mi hermano pueda reparar tu computadora. Él estudió Informática. (My brother can probably fix your computer. He studied Computer Science).
Expressing Feelings
To talk about something you like or dislike, surprise, or something that puts you in some emotional state, you will use Que + a subjunctive form of a verb.
Examples:
-
Me alegra que estés bien. (I’m glad you’re fine).
-
Me sorprende que hayas faltado sin avisar. (I’m surprised you didn’t come without saying anything).
-
A mis papás les preocupa que yo me desvele todas las noches. (My parents are worried that I stay up until late every night).
-
Me molesta que no colabores. (It bothers me that you don’t cooperate).
Expressing Opinions and Thoughts
We will often use Que when it comes to giving our opinion and feelings about certain situations: Me parece bien/mal que…, es lógico que…
For example:
-
Me parece bien que intentes comer más saludable. (I think it’s good that you try to eat healthier).
-
Me parece mal que hayas hecho eso. (I think it’s bad that you’ve done that).
-
Me parece una locura que tenga que levantarme a las cinco de la mañana en domingo. (It seems crazy to me that I have to get up at five in the morning on a Sunday).
-
Los vecinos de Jorge son muy ruidosos, es lógico que quiera mudarse a otra casa. (Jorge’s neighbors are very noisy, it makes sense that he wants to move to another house).
We also use Que + subjunctive with negative sentences when giving our thoughts or opinions.
For example: -
No creo que vaya a llover el día de hoy. (I don’t think it will rain today).
-
No pienso que sea una mala decisión. (I don’t think it’s a bad decision).
How to use Qué:
The good news is that Qué with an accent has fewer uses than Que without the accent. The direct translation of Qué can be the words “what” or “which”. Therefore, Qué helps us to ask a question, it is an interrogative pronoun.
For example:
-
¿Qué es eso? (What is that?).
-
¿Qué estás haciendo? (What are you doing?).
-
¿Qué sabor te gusta más, la vainilla o el chocolate? (Which flavor do you prefer, vanilla or chocolate?).
Now, Qué can also be used with an exclamation point in a sentence to express different feelings like surprise, anger, happiness, and so on. In English, we would use the words “how”, “what”, or “such” in these kinds of sentences. Let’s see:
-
¡Qué alegría! (What a joy!)
-
¡Qué lástima! (Such a pity!)
-
¡Qué asco! (How disgusting!)
-
¡Qué guapo! (How handsome!)
Reminder: Remember that in Spanish, we also use an interrogative or exclamation point at the beginning of a sentence: ¿/¡
Fun Fact
Did you know that there are some occasions when we can use Que and Qué together in a sentence? Sometimes Spanish speakers will ask: “¿Que qué?”. This question can be used to express surprise about what we’ve just heard. It could be the English equivalent of “Say what?”. Interesting, huh?
Word Que – Final Quiz/Worksheet
Translate these sentences into Spanish using the word Que:
- The woman that I love lives in Buenos Aires.
- He’s the guy that forgot his umbrella yesterday.
- When I was a child, I used to say that I was more handsome than my brother.
- Traveling by plane is more expensive than traveling by bus.
- You have to exercise at least twice a week.
- I wanted to go there so much that I got up very early.
- Emily said she could speak some Spanish.
- Have fun! (You)
- Let’s hope there’s not a lot of traffic on the way.
- It is likely to snow tomorrow.
- I am worried that Juan is not answering my messages.
- I’m excited that next week we’re going on a trip!
- It seems normal to me that Susan speaks Spanish so well. She lived in Peru for four years.
- What time is it?
- What a surprise!
Answers to the exercise:
-
La mujer que yo amo vive en Buenos Aires.
-
Él es el chico que olvidó su paraguas el día de ayer.
-
Cuando era niño, yo decía que yo era más guapo que mi hermano.
-
Viajar en avión es más costoso que viajar en autobús.
-
Tienes que hacer ejercicio al menos dos veces por semana.
-
Tenía tantas ganas de ir ahí, que me levanté muy temprano.
-
Emily dijo que podía hablar algo de español.
-
¡Que te diviertas!
-
Esperemos que no haya mucho tráfico en el camino.
-
Es probable que nieve mañana.
-
Me preocupa que Juan no conteste mis mensajes.
-
¡Me emociona que la próxima semana salgamos de viaje
-
Me parece normal que Susan hable tan bien español. Vivió en Perú por cuatro años
-
¿Qué hora es?
-
¡Qué sorpresa!
Final words
¿Qué significa Que? I think now we can answer this question more confidently, or at least with a deeper understanding. We hope this blog post helped you to improve your Spanish level, and that you can use it as a reference when in doubt about the word Que.
Don’t forget to book a lesson with one of our native Spanish tutors! We will be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have on your learning path. So, for now, ¡que les vaya bien!
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Bio: Hello, everybody! I was born on an island in Mexico and lived there for about 13 years, and then I moved to Mexico City to attend school. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Paris, where I lived for almost 4 years. Now, I’m currently living in Guatemala. I’m passionate about cultures and helping people achieve their goals. I have been working as a language teacher for about 4 years now, and I’m a language learner myself too! Looking forward to seeing you in class.
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