conjunctionpronoundeterminerpronoun

que

that · what · to

Es una palabra que se usa para unir ideas o hacer preguntas sobre algo o alguien.

Definition & meaning

Que is one of the most frequent and versatile words in Spanish. Its meaning depends on its grammatical function.

Conjunction: “that”
It introduces a subordinate clause, often after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, or feeling.
- Creo que viene. — “I think that he/she is coming.”
- Dijo que estaba cansado. — “He said that he was tired.”
Relative pronoun: “that,” “which,” or “who”
It connects a noun with a clause that describes or identifies it.
- El libro que compré — “The book that I bought.”
- La persona que llamó — “The person who called.”
Part of comparisons: “than” or “as”
- Es más alto que yo. — “He is taller than me.”
- Trabaja igual que su hermano. — “He works just like his brother.”
Part of fixed expressions
It appears in many common structures, such as tener que (“to have to”) and hay que (“one must” or “it is necessary to”).

The accented form qué means “what” or “which” in questions and exclamations. The accent distinguishes it from the unaccented conjunction and relative pronoun.

¿Qué quieres? — “What do you want?”
¡Qué bonito! — “How beautiful!”

Grammar & Word origin

Que is generally an invariable word: it does not change according to gender or number.

Its main grammatical roles are:

Conjunction: Pienso que tiene razón. — “I think that he/she is right.”
Relative pronoun: El coche que vimos — “The car that we saw.”
Comparative particle: Más rápido que antes — “Faster than before.”

When referring to people after a preposition, quien or el que may sometimes be used instead of que, depending on the structure and level of formality.

The word comes from Latin forms such as quid and quod, which developed into the Spanish conjunction and relative pronoun que.

The accented form qué is the interrogative and exclamative form. It receives an accent when it has a questioning or exclamatory meaning, whether in a direct or indirect question.

Synonyms & antonyms

As a conjunction meaning “that,” que has no exact everyday synonym. In some formal contexts, a clause may be restructured with el hecho de que , meaning “the fact that,” but this is not a direct replacement in every sentence.

As a relative pronoun, possible alternatives include:

el cual , la cual , los cuales , las cuales — more formal alternatives to que meaning “which” or “who.”
quien — “who,” normally referring to people and often used after a preposition.

There is no direct antonym for que, because it is a grammatical connector rather than a word describing an independent concept.

Common phrases & collocations

tener que — “to have to”
Tengo que trabajar. — “I have to work.”
hay que — “one must,” “it is necessary to”
Hay que estudiar. — “One must study.”
antes de que — “before”
Salió antes de que llegáramos. — “He/she left before we arrived.”
para que — “so that”
Lo explico para que entiendas. — “I explain it so that you understand.”
aunque — “although,” “even though”
This word historically contains que, but it functions as a single conjunction in modern Spanish.
¿Qué tal? — “How are things?” or “How are you?”
¿Qué pasa? — “What is happening?” or “What’s wrong?”