Palabras interrogativas en español con ejemplos fáciles

What is the difference between “qué” and “cuál” in Spanish?

Beginners often reach for qué (“what”), but Spanish frequently wants cuál. The clip asks ¿Cuál es tu color favorito? — in English “what is your favorite color?”, but Spanish uses cuál because you are picking one from many. The rule: use qué to ask for a definition (¿Qué es esto? = “what is this?”), and use cuál to choose from options (¿Cuál prefieres? = “which one do you prefer?”). The English word “what” hides this split.

More examples from the clip: ¿Qué quieres hacer hoy? (“what do you want to do today?”) uses qué for an open answer. But for names, numbers, and favorites, Spanish picks cuál: ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (“what is your name?”). Try cuál whenever you are choosing.