Don’t know what is the meaning of “que” in Spanish? Don’t worry! You’re in the right place.

The word “que” pops up frequently in Spanish and has many different English translations. It seems like a small and pretty insignificant word, but it is very useful in the Spanish language. 

“Que” can be directly translated as the English word “what”, but this is just one out of many other meanings of it. 

In this blog post, we’ll explain the multiple meanings of “que” in Spanish. We’ll explain how it’s used and provide example sentences. 

Are you ready? Let’s get right to it!

Also for you: A Beginner’s Guide To Spanish Prepositions

How to Use of “Que” in Spanish

1. As a Pronoun and Relative Clause

The word “que” helps us to provide additional information about who or what we are talking about.  In English, it can mean: what, which, or that.

It helps us to determine more precisely the person or object we are mentioning.

Examples:

• Ella es la mujer que cantó ayer. (She is the woman who sang yesterday).
• Las personas que viven enfrente son muy ruidosas. (The people who live opposite are very noisy).
• Ese es el autobus que va hacia la escuela. (That’s the bus that goes to the school.)

2. To make Comparisons

“Que” is also used to make comparisons in Spanish. In this case, it is the equivalent of the English words “than” or “to”.

Examples:

• Su casa es más vieja que la mía. (His house is older than mine.)
• Yo soy más alto que mi hermano. (I am taller than my brother).
• Prefiero leer que jugar videojuegos. (I prefer to read than playing videogames.)
• Prefiero el pop que el country (I prefer pop to country music).

3. Expressing Wishes or Desires

There are many phrases in Spanish that can be used to express wishes or desires. For example,  “Espero que…”, “Ojalá que…”, “Quiero que…”, or just simply with “Que…”.

Examples:

• ¡Qué tengas un buen día! (Hope you have a good day!)
• Espero que hoy no llueva. (I hope that it doesn’t rain today.)
• Quiero que venga el verano pronto. (I want summer to come soon.)
• Ojalá que mi hermana me pueda visitar este año. (I hope my sister can visit me this year.)

4. Expressing Feelings

When expressing feelings using “que”, you’ll use: Que + a subjunctive form of a verb.

Examples: 

• Me alegra que estés bien. (I’m glad you’re fine).
• Me molesta que no ayudes a limpiar. (It bothers me that you don’t help clean.)
• A mi madre le preocupa que yo no estudie. (My mother is worried that I don’t study.)

5. To Express a “Must Do”

When you need to express something someone must do, we will use Que in conjunction with the verb Tener.

Examples:

• Tengo que ir a la escuela. (I have to go to school.)
• Ella tiene que ir al supermercado en la mañana. (She has to go to the supermarket in the morning.)
• Tengo que decirte algo muy importante. (I have to tell you something very important).
• Usted tiene que ir al hospital. (You have to go to the hospital.)

6. To Express Cause and Consequence

In English, you would use words like “so” or “that” for this kind of sentence. “Que” helps us to connect two bits in a sentence, expressing the cause and effect of a fact. 

Examples: 

• Estaba lloviendo tan fuerte que se inundó la calle. (It was raining so hard that the street flooded.)
• Estaba tan cansado que me quedé dormido viendo la película. (I was so tired that I fell asleep watching the movie).

Using Qué in Spanish Questions

You’ve probably noticed that the word “que” sometimes has an accent and sometimes it doesn’t. The word is the same but can be used differently, and the accent plays a critical role.

When you use “qué” with an accent, it means it is part of a question, an exclamation, or an interjection. 

Examples:

• ¿Qué haces esta tarde? (What are you doing this afternoon?)
• ¿Qué es la paella? (What is paella?)
• ¡Qué bonita canción! (What a nice song!)
• ¡Qué tengas un buen día! (Hope you have a good day!)

Read More: 8 Spanish Question Words – Quién, Cuándo, Dónde, Cómo, Por Qué, Cuánto Explained

¿Qué Piensas? (What do you think?)

Now you know how to use “que” in Spanish and what’s the difference between the words with and without an accent. 

We hope this blog post was useful to you and that it has helped you to improve your Spanish level. Remember that the important thing is to practice. The best way to learn is through experience. Keep exploring, keep practicing, and soon you’ll find yourself effortlessly traversing the Spanish language. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)

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