Cuál

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “cuál”.

It’s a pronoun that means “which”, but can also translate as “what” or “that” depending on the context.

The word “cuál” comes from Latin qualis meaning “of what kind?”. This is also the root of the English words “qualify” and “quality”.

Cuál vs. cual

The word “cuál” can be written with or without an accent on the a. When used in questions or to refer indirectly to questions, it is written with an accent (“cuál”). When used as a relative pronoun, it is written without an accent (“cual”).

Here are a few examples to make this clearer:

“Cuál” – Interrogative pronoun (questions):

• ¿Cuál es tu nombre? – What is your name?
• No sé cuál es el problema. – I don’t know what the problem is.
  • Note that even though this phrase isn’t a direct question, it refers indirectly to a question (“What is the problem?”).

“Cual” – Relative pronoun:

• El libro, el cual leí ayer, es fascinante. – The book, which I read yesterday, is fascinating.
• La razón por la cual llegué tarde fue el tráfico. – The reason why I arrived late was the traffic.

The version of “cual” without an accent is also used in some common expressions, including the following:

• Tal cual – Exactly as is
• Tal para cual – Perfect for each other / Peas in a pod

If you think about it, we also use the word “which” in English in quite different ways, even if it’s always spelled the same way. Sometimes we use it in questions, and sometimes we use it in a similar way to the word “that”.

Example sentences