¿Qué es esto? ¿Cuál prefieres?What is this? Which one do you prefer?
Both qué and cuál can translate as "what" in English, but Spanish keeps them for two different jobs: qué asks for a definition or description, and cuál asks you to pick one item out of a group of possibilities.
Quick shortcut: qué asks "what is it" (a definition) or goes right before a noun (qué libro). cuál/cuáles asks "which one(s)" out of a set — and it's also the word Spanish uses with ser where English says "what": ¿Cuál es tu nombre?
Qué: asking for a definition, or right before a noun
Use qué when you're asking someone to define, explain or identify something in general, or when it comes directly before a noun:
- ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
- ¿Qué significa "adiós"? (What does "adiós" mean?)
- ¿Qué quieres comer? (What do you want to eat?)
- ¿Qué libro lees? (What/which book are you reading?)
- ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
qué + noun is the broadly neutral choice everywhere, though some varieties of Latin American Spanish also use cuál right before a noun in casual speech (¿Cuál libro quieres?) — qué is always correct.
Cuál/cuáles: choosing from a set
Use cuál (plural cuáles) when the question implies choosing one option (or several) out of a known or implied group:
- ¿Cuál prefieres, el rojo o el azul? (Which one do you prefer, the red one or the blue one?)
- ¿Cuáles son tus colores favoritos? (What/which are your favorite colors?)
- De estos libros, ¿cuál te gusta más? (Of these books, which one do you like best?)
- ¿Cuál de los dos quieres? (Which of the two do you want?)
cuál agrees in number with what it stands for (cuáles for plural answers), but it doesn't change for gender: ¿Cuál es tu casa? / ¿Cuáles son tus libros?
Cuál + ser: the trap for English speakers
This is where the two overlap in a way that trips up English speakers. English "What is your name?", "What is the capital of France?" and "What is your phone number?" all use "what" — but in Spanish, whenever ser is asking you to supply one specific piece of information out of a range of possible answers (a name, a date, a number, a capital city...), the standard, taught choice is cuál, not qué:
- ✅ ¿Cuál es tu nombre?, not ❌ ¿Qué es tu nombre? (What is your name?)
- ✅ ¿Cuál es la capital de Francia? (What is the capital of France?)
- ✅ ¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? (What is your phone number?)
- ✅ ¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy? (What is today's date?)
qué + ser usually asks for a true definition, not a piece of data: ¿Qué es el amor? (What is love?) ¿Qué es la democracia? (What is democracy?) The test is: does the question want you to define a concept (qué), or supply one item from a set of possible values, like a name or a number (cuál)? ¿Qué es la capital de Francia? is occasionally heard too, more as if asking someone to explain what a capital is than to name the city — cuál is the safe, standard choice whenever you want one specific fact back.
Common mistakes
- ❌ ¿Qué es tu nombre? → ✅ ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (a name is one value among many possible names — Spanish treats this as a choice, not a definition)
- ❌ ¿Cuál es esto? → ✅ ¿Qué es esto? (pointing at an unknown object and asking what it is is a definition question, not a choice among known options)
- ❌ ¿Cuáles es tu nombre? → ✅ ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (a name is a single expected answer, so the singular cuál is needed, not the plural cuáles)
- ❌ ¿Cuál es el amor? → ✅ ¿Qué es el amor? (a real definition question needs qué)
Quick check
Choose qué or cuál/cuáles:
- ¿___ es tu apellido?
- ¿___ quieres beber?
- ¿___ son tus platos favoritos?
- ¿___ significa esta palabra?
- ¿___ camisa te gusta más, la blanca o la negra?
Show answers
- ¿Cuál es tu apellido? (one specific value — a surname) 2. ¿Qué quieres beber? (asking what, in general) 3. ¿Cuáles son tus platos favoritos? (choosing among possible dishes, plural) 4. ¿Qué significa esta palabra? (a definition) 5. ¿Qué camisa te gusta más, la blanca o la negra? (right before a noun)
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Key takeaways
- qué asks for a definition/description, or goes right before a noun: ¿Qué es esto?, ¿Qué libro lees?
- cuál/cuáles asks you to pick one (or more) out of a set: ¿Cuál prefieres?, ¿Cuáles son tus colores favoritos?
- With ser, the standard, taught choice is cuál wherever it's asking you to supply one specific piece of information (name, date, number, capital) — even though English says "what": ¿Cuál es tu nombre?
- qué + ser is for asking someone to define a concept: ¿Qué es el amor?
- Right before a noun, qué is the broadly neutral choice: ¿Qué libro? Some Latin American varieties also use cuál here in casual speech, but qué is always correct.