cuál

See also: cual and cuâl

Spanish

Alternative forms

• quál (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Latin quālis (“which”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwal/ [ˈkwal]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: cuál

Pronoun

cuál (plural cuáles)

1. (interrogative pronoun, as part of a question) what (in terms of a very specific item); which, which one

   ¿Cuál es tu dirección?

   What is your address?

Determiner

cuál (interrogative)

1. (Latin America) what; which (interrogative only)

   Synonym: qué

   ¿Cuáles gatos adoptaste del refugio? ― Which cats did you adopt from the shelter?

   Tengo que ir al aeropuerto, y todavía no sé cuál camino escoger.

   I have to go to the airport, and I still don't know which way I should go.

Usage notes

• There are certain times where cuál would translate as "what" in English and qué would translate as "which". This can confuse English speakers.

Here's a guideline:

1. If one is using a form of the verb ser, then unless one is asking the definition or meaning of something, one would use cuál even if in English, one would translate it as "what".

   ¿Cuál es su nombre? ― What is your name?

   ¿Cuál es el problema aquí? ― What is the problem here?

Related terms

• cual

See also

• qué

Further reading

• “cuál”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10