Spanish grammar · interactive
Qué vs Cuál Practice
Both can mean “what” — which is why ‘¿Qué es tu nombre?’ sounds so wrong to natives. Drill the difference with instant feedback.
These qué vs cuál exercises train the question-word choice English speakers get wrong most: Spanish doesn’t split the two the way English splits “what” and “which.” Answer real questions and get the rule behind every choice.
The short version: use qué to ask for a definition or directly before a noun (¿qué libro?), and use cuál to ask for a specific value or a pick from a set (¿Cuál es tu nombre?). If ‘es’ follows and you’re not asking “what does this word mean,” it’s almost always cuál.
Try the qué vs cuál exercise
Choose the question word that fits. You’ll see why after each answer.
¿ es tu nombre?
What is your name?
How it works
- 1
Read the question
A real Spanish question appears with the question word blanked out.
- 2
Pick qué or cuál
Choose the one you think fits. Instant right/wrong feedback.
- 3
Learn the why
Every answer explains whether you asked for a definition, a value, or a pick.
What you’ll learn
- Why ‘what is your name?’ is ¿Cuál es tu nombre? — not qué
- The definition-vs-value test for qué es vs cuál es
- Why qué goes before nouns (¿qué libro?) even when English says “which”
- When cuál becomes cuáles
Stop translating “what” and “which”
The English mapping — what = qué, which = cuál — is exactly what produces errors like ‘¿Qué es tu dirección?’ The distinction Spanish actually cares about is different: qué asks about the nature of something (a definition or category), while cuál asks for a value or a selection — one answer out of a set of possibilities, whether or not that set is spoken aloud. Your name, your address, the capital of France: all values, all cuál.
A quick self-test before ‘es’: if the natural answer is a definition or explanation, use qué (‘¿Qué es un axolote?’ — ‘It’s a Mexican salamander’). If the natural answer is a specific item — a name, a date, a number, a title — use cuál (‘¿Cuál es la capital de Francia?’ — ‘París’). Run that test a few dozen times with feedback and the choice becomes reflex.
The noun rule and the regional wrinkle
There’s one place where English “which” does not become cuál: directly before a noun. Standard Spanish says ¿qué libro quieres?, ¿qué color prefieres?, ¿en qué ciudad vives? — qué acts as the adjective, and cuál stays a pronoun. When you want cuál near a noun, it takes ‘de’: ¿cuál de los libros?
You will hear ‘¿cuál libro?’ in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and it’s perfectly understood — but it’s regional and avoided in careful writing, so qué + noun is the form worth automating. Also remember cuál is the only one of the pair that pluralizes: ¿cuáles son tus planes?, ¿cuáles de estas fotos te gustan?
Quick reference
| You’re asking for… | Use |
|---|---|
| A definition or explanation | qué es (¿Qué es la filosofía?) |
| A value: name, number, date, address | cuál es (¿Cuál es tu nombre?) |
| Anything directly before a noun | qué + noun (¿Qué libro prefieres?) |
| A pick from an explicit set | cuál de / cuáles de (¿Cuál de estas camisas?) |
| Several values at once | cuáles (¿Cuáles son tus canciones favoritas?) |
Frequently asked questions
Why is it ¿Cuál es tu nombre? and not ¿Qué es tu nombre?
Because you’re asking for a value — one name out of all possible names — and value questions use cuál. ‘¿Qué es tu nombre?’ literally asks what a name is, as if requesting a definition.
Can I say ¿cuál libro? instead of ¿qué libro?
You’ll hear it in parts of Latin America, especially Mexico, but standard Spanish puts qué before nouns: ¿qué libro?, ¿qué color? If you want cuál, add de: ¿cuál de los libros?
When do I use cuáles?
Whenever the answer you expect is plural: ¿Cuáles son tus planes?, ¿Cuáles de estas fotos te gustan? Cuál agrees in number; qué never changes form.
What’s the quick rule for qué vs cuál before es?
If the answer would be a definition, use qué es; if the answer would be a specific value like a name, number, or title, use cuál es. That one test resolves nearly every ‘what is…?’ question.
Make qué vs cuál automatic
HablaCore drills qué vs cuál in real AI-generated sentences with instant feedback on every choice. The questions you fumble come back until the right word surfaces on its own.
Practice qué vs cuál in real sentences