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The Many Uses of the Spanish Word Que (With and Without an Accent)!

You may have learned that the Spanish word que without an accent most commonly means "that," while its accented version qué tends to function like the English word "what" within questions. However, since both versions of que in Spanish can be employed as different parts of speech and within different constructions, with varying English translations, today's lesson will lay out many of these with plenty of examples from the Yabla Spanish library. 

 

Uses of Que in Spanish Without an Accent

 

1. Que as a Pronoun Meaning "That" or "Who"

In this usage, que is used like "that" or "who" in English to introduce essential characteristics. Let's see some examples:

 

En esta aula tan solo había un chico que era español;

In this classroom, there was only one boy who was Spanish,

Caption 23, Aprendiendo con Silvia - Nacionalidades y adjetivos - Part 1

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Se lo comen todo, hasta un aceite que huele a orégano.

They eat everything, even an oil that smells like oregano.

Caption 43, Amaya Burras a dieta

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2. Que as a Pronoun to Introduce Additional Information 

Sometimes, que functions like the English words "who," "that," or "which" to introduce additional, or nonessential, information, in which case it is typically set off by commas as in the following caption:

 

Así que Poeska, que es demasiado buena, optaba por irse

So Poeska, who is too nice, would choose to leave

Caption 64, Fermín y los gatos Mi gata Bimba

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3. Que as a Conjunction Meaning "Because" or "Since"

This less formal use of the word que could be translated with the English words "because" or "since":

 

Ay, no te quejés tanto, que mañana me tenés que llevar a hacer unas vuelticas.

Oh, don't complain so much since tomorrow, you have to take me to run some errands.

Caption 4, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 2 - Part 8

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4. Que as a Conjunction Meaning "Than" 

Que is often used as the Spanish equivalent of "than" for making comparisons in Spanish

 

Eres más compleja que tu madre.

You're more complex than your mother.

Caption 60, Yago - 6 Mentiras - Part 5

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5. Que to Introduce a Subordinate Clause Expressing a Statement or Hypothesis 

In this case, the word que comes between a verb and a subsequent conjecture or statement. Let's take a look:

 

Recuerde que todo el país tiene los ojos en usted

Remember that the whole country has its eyes on you,

Caption 62, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 3 - Part 5

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Y bueno, yo creo que Lukas se nos ha quedado dormido.

And well, I think Lukas has fallen asleep on us.

Caption 57, Amaya Mi camper van

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Note that while, in the first example, the word que has been translated as "that," in the second example, it has not been translated at all. This is because, although the word que is necessary in such constructions in Spanish, its English equivalent is often optional (the word "that" could also be left out of the first example). Furthermore, remember that if what follows que is a wish or desire, the next verb must be conjugated in a subjunctive tense, as follows:

 

No queremos que nuestra ley parezca demasiado blanda.

We don't want our law to look too lenient.

Caption 25, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 2 - Part 14

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6. Que + Subjunctive to Say "Hopefully" or "May"

And speaking of the subjunctive, the word que can be used along with a subjunctive verb to give the idea that one "hopes" or desires something, or in the way that English speakers use "May..." 

 

Que descanses. -Gracias.

[I hope you] sleep well. -Thanks.

Caption 12, Yago 8 Descubrimiento - Part 3

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¡Que suenen las voces del himno nacional,

May the voices of the national anthem sound,

Caption 39, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 5 - Part 8

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Uses of Qué in Spanish With an Accent

There are two main uses of the word qué in Spanish with a tilde, or written accent. Let's find out what they are. 

 

1. For Direct and Indirect Questions

The word qué in Spanish with a written accent is the equivalent of "what" in English and appears in both direct and indirect questions, or statements that include unknown information. Let's see an example of each:

 

¿Y tú, Cleer, qué idiomas hablas?

And you, Cleer, what languages do you speak?

Caption 18, Cleer y Lida ¿Qué idiomas hablas?

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porque todavía no se sabe de qué rincón o de qué carta se está hablando.

because it's still not known what corner or what letter is being spoken about.

Captions 46-47, Carlos explica Los artículos en español - Part 3

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2. For Exclamations or Interjections

Qué with an accent can also mean "how" or "what" within exclamations or interjections like the following:

 

¡Ah, qué rico!

Oh, how tasty!

Caption 40, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2

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¡Pero qué chica más inteligente!

But what a smart girl!

Caption 27, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 5

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That's all for today. Although the many uses of the Spanish word que can feel a bit overwhelming, we hope that this lesson has clarified for you many of the major ones, and don't forget to write us with your questions or comments

Family Members in Spanish

Let's talk about family! Do you know how to say words like "father" or "cousin" in Spanish? Today, we will learn how to say the names of the most important family members in Spanish. In particular, we will see how to write and pronounce those names. Let's take a look.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

 

How do you say family in Spanish?

Familia is the Spanish word for family. It is important to say that this is a feminine collective noun. Collective nouns are words that we use for particular groups. However, these nouns are treated as singular words. Let's see how this works:

 

Mi familia es pequeña y cálida.

My family is small and warm.

Considerando que "familia" es un sustantivo colectivo femenino,

Considering that "familia" is a feminine collective noun,

conjugamos el verbo en tercera persona del singular

we conjugate the verb in third person singular

y utilizamos adjetivos femeninos, "pequeña" y "cálida",

and use feminine adjectives, "pequeña" [small] and "cálida" [warm],

para elaborar la concordancia de manera correcta.

to create agreement in the correct way.

Captions 16-20, Carlos explica - Sustantivos colectivos

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List of family members in Spanish

The following are the names of the most important family member in Spanish.

 

Madre (Mother)

 

Comes bastante verdura, tu madre que te quiere.

Eat enough vegetables, your mother who loves you.

Caption 38, Extr@: Extra en español - Ep. 1 - La llegada de Sam

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Very often, however, people refer to their mothers using the following terms:

 

Mamá, quería preguntarte algo.

Mom, I wanted to ask you something.

Caption 2, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos - Part 7

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OR

 

¿Haciendo la tarea con mami? -Sí.

Doing your homework with Mommy? -Yes.

Caption 24, Yago - 11 Prisión - Part 5

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Padre (Father)

 

"A mi padre siempre le toca trabajar mucho todos los viernes".

"My father always has to work a lot every Friday."

Caption 53, Carlos explica - Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”

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However, just like for the word "mother", there are some other terms people use when talking with or about their fathers:

 

Fue cuando me di cuenta no tenía ni idea de lo que hacía mi papá.

It was then that I realized I had no idea what my dad did.

Caption 30, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 3 - Part 3

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OR

 

Papi, cualquier hora es buena.

Daddy, any hour is good.

Caption 5, X6 1 - La banda

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Hijo (Son)

 

Quiero presentarles a mi hijo; Kevin, él es Felipe.

I want to introduce you to my son; Kevin, this is Felipe.

Caption 16, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 3 - Part 6

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Hija (Daughter)

 

Y muy feliz de tener a mi lado a mi hija.

And very happy to have my daughter by my side.

Caption 38, Yolimar Gimón - sobre el concurso Mrs. Venezuela

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Hermano (Brother)

 

Después aquí tengo a mi hermano, José.

Then here I have my brother, Jose.

Caption 11, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia

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Hermana (Sister)

 

...pero que estaba alejando a mi hermana de nosotros.

...but it was taking my sister away from us.

Caption 21, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4

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Abuelo (Grandfather)

 

¡Abuelo, abuelo!

Grandpa, Grandpa!

Caption 9, Guillermina y Candelario - Un regalo de Estrellas

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Abuela (Grandmother)

 

Abuela, podemos hablar dos minutos por favor.

Grandmother, can we talk for two minutes, please.

Caption 4, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta

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Nieto (Grandson)

 

Mi nieto no existe.

My grandson does not exist.

Caption 53, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido

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Nieta (Granddaughter)

 

La nieta de María.

Maria's granddaughter.

Caption 30, Zoraida en Coro - El pintor Yepez

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Tío (Uncle)

 

Y su tío Aldo cree que está muerto, su tío Lucio confía en que esté vivo.

And his Uncle Aldo believes that he's dead, his Uncle Lucio has faith that he's alive.

Caption 22, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento - Part 3

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Tía (Aunt)

 

Esa es mi tía Silvia.

That is my Aunt Silvia.

Caption 24, Español para principiantes - Demostrativos

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Sobrino (Nephew)

 

¿Hace cuánto tiempo que dejó de ver a su sobrino?

How long ago did you stop seeing your nephew?

Caption 69, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento - Part 1

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Sobrina (Niece)

 

Sobrina. Muy bien.

Niece. Very good.

Caption 43, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia

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Primo (Male cousin)

 

Sí, me gusta mucho mi primo Pedro.

Yes, I like my cousin Pedro very much.

Caption 40, El Aula Azul - Mis Primos

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Prima (Female cousin)

 

Esta mañana mi prima se ha roto la pierna jugando al fútbol.

This morning my cousin has broken her leg playing soccer.

Caption 15, Lecciones con Carolina - Participios - Ejemplos de uso

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Finally, keep in mind that when using the plural forms of these nouns, you should use the male form when the group is made of both male and female members:

 

Two cousins (both male):  Dos primos

Two cousins (both female): Dos primas 

Two cousing (one male and one female): Dos primos

 

That's it for today. We invite you to take a piece of paper and design your family tree with the names of the family members in Spanish. And don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.

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