cuál

See also: cual, cuâl, and cúal

Spanish

Alternative forms

• qual (pre-1815)
• cuálo (dialectal, nonstandard)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-

Proto-Indo-European *kʷísder.

Latin quālis

Spanish cuál

Inherited from Old Spanish qual, from Latin quālis (“which”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwal/ [ˈkwal]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: cuál

Pronoun

cuál m or f (masculine and feminine plural cuáles)

1. what (in terms of a very specific item); which, which one

   ¿Cuál es tu dirección?

   What is your address?

Determiner

cuál m or f (masculine and feminine plural cuáles)

1. (chiefly 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. As a general rule, when using a form of the verb ser, then unless asking the definition or meaning of something, use cuál even when the English phrase uses "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 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025