qué
what
What — used in questions and exclamations
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
repetition
question
what / asking
Qué means what and sounds like the start of question0 — fitting, since "what" is the most basic question word. The accent mark signals stress and emphasis, just like questions and exclamations — think "WHAT?!"
qué
what, which (interrogative)
Used to ask about something.
- ¿Qué estás haciendo? = What are you doing?
- ¿Qué color prefieres, azul o rojo? = Which color do you prefer, blue or red?
what, how (exclamatory)
Used to express strong feeling.
- ¡Qué sorpresa verte aquí! = What a surprise to see you here!
- ¡Qué rápido corre ese niño! = How fast that kid runs!