Cuál vs. qué??

[laepelba]

I know that "cuál" is roughly "which" and that "qué" is roughly "what". Correct? I also wonder if we Americans overuse "what" in sentences where other question words would be more appropriate....... Hmmm.....

Anyway - I was doing some exercises on question words where I was asked to choose the correct word. The two I got wrong I chose "qué" instead of "cuál", and I'm not sure why "cuál" is better than "qué".

Example #1:
¿Cuál/Qué regalo prefieres, el cuadro o la fotografía?

Example #2:
¿Qué/Cuál es la fecha para terminar el trabajo?

In both sentences, I chose "qué" and the answer key said "cuál". Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

[Rusty]

The first sentence is asking which of two things is preferred, so cuál is used. Anytime you're asking about a choice of items, use which (even in English).
Which do you prefer, the ... or the ...?

As a general rule, cuál appears before ser in a question. This is a rule that needs to be committed to memory. And 'which' is usually not a good translation of the word when it is used this way.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Rusty

The first sentence is asking which of two things is preferred, so cuál is used. Anytime you're asking about a choice of items, use which (even in English).
Which do you prefer, the ... or the ...?

As a general rule, cuál appears before ser in a question. This is a rule that needs to be committed to memory. And 'which' is usually not a good translation of the word when it is used this way.

Thanks, Rusty. Upon further thought, it seems more correct to use "which" in English for the first one ... but you know that common usage is "what".....

And that rule about "cuál" before "ser" in a question is great! Thanks!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Rusty

The first sentence is asking which of two things is preferred, so cuál is used. Anytime you're asking about a choice of items, use which (even in English).
Which do you prefer, the ... or the ...?

As a general rule, cuál appears before ser in a question. This is a rule that needs to be committed to memory. And 'which' is usually not a good translation of the word when it is used this way.

Excellent! Now, "which" means "lo/a que" rather than just "que"

I am cheering not approving. ok?

Originally Posted by laepelba

Thanks, Rusty. Upon further thought, it seems more correct to use "which" in English for the first one ... but you know that common usage is "what".....

Correct, but I guess if Rusty had used:

Which of the two do you prefer, the...or the...

Would be better?

[tacuba]

Reminds of the time I was in a restaurant in Mazatlán and the menu said "Pescado Asado" and I wanted to know what type of fish it was that day so I asked "¿Qué es el pescado?" and the waiter replied "Es una cosa que nada en el mar". Me dio mucha risa.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by tacuba

Reminds of the time I was in a restaurant in Mazatlán and the menu said "Pescado Asado" and I wanted to know what type of fish it was that day so I asked "¿Qué es el pescado?" and the waiter replied "Es una cosa que nada en el mar". Me dio mucha risa.

Good example ... and I am impressed that I actually GET what's funny! Could you tell me what would have been the better question? Thanks!

[tacuba]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Good example ... and I am impressed that I actually GET what's funny! Could you tell me what would have been the better question? Thanks!

These days I would usually ask "y el pescado hoy, ¿qué tipo es? I don't know if it's grammatically correct, and if I should be using "cuál", but it gets the job done without the waiters teasing me.

In English, we could phrase it both ways - "What type of fish" or "Which type of fish", but I'm not sure if you can in Spanish. One of the grammar rules I faintly remember is "cuál" before "ser" and "qué" before nouns. Usually. But I'm too lazy to get up and look right now, so I'll let somebody else do the dirty work.

[laepelba]

Could it be: ¿Cuál es el pescado hoy?

[Rusty]

What is the soup of the day?
¿Cuál es la sopa del día?

What is the fish of the day?
¿Cuál es el pescado del día?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by tacuba

Reminds of the time I was in a restaurant in Mazatlán and the menu said "Pescado Asado" and I wanted to know what type of fish it was that day so I asked "¿Qué es el pescado?" and the waiter replied "Es una cosa que nada en el mar". Me dio mucha risa.

While at the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, I got into a little liquor store to buy cigarettes, and I notice some candy that looked it had liquor inside, so i asked the guy what kind of candy it was. He had an Italian face, and says very slowly "it's a vodka...sucker", NY accent and all.

I couldn't hold my laughter, and he also had to laugh...