Feb
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Qué vs. Cuál — Which one should I use?
This is a matchup for the ages. Both qué and cuál can mean “what” and “which”, but they are not interchangeable. It can be confusing trying to sort out when to use each one but once you know the grammatical rule, it’s a snap.
Qué asks for an identification or a definition.
¿Qué es esto? What is this?
¿Qué es un cóctel Molotov? What’s a Molotov cocktail?
Qué followed by a noun asks “which one?”
¿Qué vestido te gusta más? Which dress do you like best?
¿Qué manzana vas a comer? Which apple are you going to eat?
Cuál followed by a form of the verb ser asks “what” (which one of all the possibilities).
¿Cuál es tu nombre? What is your name?
If someone were to ask “¿Qué es un nombre?” They are asking for a literal definition of what a name is. The answer: A name is a way of identifying a person.
¿Cuál es la fecha? What is today’s date?
If someone were to ask ¿Qué es la fecha? they would be asking literally for a definition of the word “date”.
“¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?“ I will respond, maybe 
, by giving you a phone number. What’s your phone number? (Answer: 555-1234)
“¿Qué es un número de teléfono? Answer: A phone number is a series of digits that connects to a communication device and enables one person in one location to speak to another person in another location.
Cuál + de + a plural noun asks “which” of two or more alternatives.
¿Cuál de los libros prefieres? Which book do you prefer?
¿Qué es un cóctel Molotov? What’s a Molotov cocktail?
An explosive example Eleena
jejeje.
Thanks! Very useful as per usual. Perhaps you should expand this kind of material into a document or something. I usually have so many questions about Spanish like the ones you write about! Thanks
Hi Andrew,
Good idea! It’s something that I’m currently working on. Once I’ve got something ready for public consumption, you’ll be among the first to know! Thanks for posting.
Hi. I came across your blog recently and I really like it and find it useful, including the El Mate podcast which I downloaded yesterday.
I have a couple of questions about que vs cual:-
1. Would it be correct to say ‘ ¿Qué fecha es hoy?’
2. Am I to understand that ‘cual’ is not used before nouns?
3. I found the following sentences on a website. Could you please explain why ‘cual’ is used and not ‘que’ :-
a) “En español, ‘Carnaval’ aparece ya en el diccionario de Nebrija,1495, en el cual se define…”
b) ‘…en el carnaval de Río de Janeiro, donde no es raro ver un empresario o un diplomatico empujando un carro alegórico, desde lo alto del cual un favelado saluda…’
c) ‘…despues de Carnaval los católicos inician el período de Cuaresma, 40 días durante los cuales no se come carne.’
Sorry about the long question.
Hi Petrichor!
1: Yes, that is grammatically correct. Another way to ask the same question is: “¿A qué día estamos?” ["What's today's date?"]
2. Cuál with the little accent mark over the letter a is an interrogative pronoun. In Spain, it is almost never used before a noun. But in Latin America, there are some speakers who will use it that way. I found the following example in a Chilean text: “No sé a cuáles asuntos se refiere.” (The same sentence in Spain would be “No sé a qué asuntos se refiere.”) Although it can be used in that way, I would stick with the original rule because that is the standard.
When asking a question:
¿Qué + noun?
¿Cuál + de + plural noun?
3. The “cual” that you refer to here is not the same interrogative pronoun “cuál.” This “cual” is actually the relative pronoun “el cual,” and it is used after prepositions. That’s why you can’t use “que.” Under Spanish grammar rules, you can’t use “que” as a pronoun after a preposition. You have to use one of the following: el cual, la cual, el que, la que, or quien. If you notice, there are prepositions [en, de, and durante] in all of your examples which trigger the use of “el cual.”
You’ve asked some very good questions and I hope I have answered them to your satisfaction.
Thanks for writing!
Hi Eleena, thanks a lot for the detailed answer. With reference to your answer to my 3rd question, are ‘el cual’ and ‘el que’ interchangeable?
Petrichor,
Yes, “el cual” and “el que” are interchangeable.