What does this mean?
A common, slightly more conversational way to ask for a clarification, literally 'What does that want to say?'
Use this to ask 'What is this?' when you want to identify an object, not necessarily its meaning.
A simple statement meaning 'I don't understand,' which usually prompts the other person to explain.
The teacher writes a new word. The student asks: 'What does this mean?'
You see a strange fruit at the market and ask: 'Excuse me, what is this?'
Your friend says a phrase you don't know. You say to him: 'What does that mean? I don't understand.'
—The word is 'carro'. —What does 'carro' mean?
The phrases '¿Qué significa esto?' and '¿Qué quiere decir eso?' are universally understood across the entire Spanish-speaking world.
In Mexico, '¡Qué...!' is a very common exclamation to express surprise or intensity, like 'How...!' or 'So...!'. For example, '¡Qué padre!' (How cool!) or '¡Qué rico!' (So delicious!).
The usage is identical to Latin America for asking for meaning. As an exclamation, you might hear '¡Qué guay!' (How cool!).
Similar to Mexico, '¡Qué...!' is used as an intensifier in exclamations. For instance, '¡Qué chévere!' means 'How cool!'.
The phrase is the same, but the intonation is very characteristic. You might hear 'che' added: 'Che, ¿qué significa esto?'
Forgetting the accent mark on 'qué'. 'Qué' (with an accent) is a question word ('what'). 'Que' (no accent) is a connector word ('that'). Always use the accent for questions: '¿Qué significa?' is correct; '¿Que significa?' is not.
Confusing 'qué' and 'cuál'. Use 'qué' to ask for a definition or explanation. Use 'cuál' to ask someone to choose from a group of options. For example, '¿Qué significa?' (What does it mean?) is correct, but '¿Cuál significa?' is wrong.
Overcomplicating the phrase. English speakers might try to literally translate 'What is the meaning of...?' into '¿Cuál es el significado de...?'. While not grammatically wrong, it's clunky. Native speakers almost always use the verb 'significar' and say '¿Qué significa?'.
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