What is your major
A very common alternative, literally meaning 'What is your major/degree program?'. Use this with peers.
The formal version of the main phrase. Use 'usted' when speaking to someone older or to show respect.
The formal version of '¿Cuál es tu carrera?'. Also used for showing respect.
—Hi, my name is Carlos. What do you study? —Hi, Carlos. I study architecture.
—Nice to meet you. What is your major? —My major is engineering. And yours?
My sister is going to the university next year. —That's great! What is she going to study?
Excuse me, what do you study? (formal) —I study law.
The phrases '¿Qué estudias?' and '¿Cuál es tu carrera?' are standard across Latin America. 'Carrera' is the universal word for a university major or degree program.
It is common to use 'vos' instead of 'tú'. The question becomes '¿Qué estudiás?' The pronunciation of the verb changes slightly to stress the last syllable.
The phrases are the same, but the word 'carrera' is used exclusively. To ask a group of people, they use 'vosotros': '¿Qué estudiáis?'
In very informal, spoken Chilean Spanish among young people, you might hear '¿Qué estudiái?', which is the local 'vos' conjugation. However, '¿Qué estudias?' is also perfectly common and understood by everyone.
Using the English word 'major'. — English speakers often translate directly and say '¿Cuál es tu mayor?'. This is incorrect. The correct word for a university major is 'carrera'. Always use '¿Cuál es tu carrera?' or '¿Qué estudias?'.
Confusing 'estudiar' and 'aprender'. — 'Estudiar' means to study a subject or major. 'Aprender' means to learn a skill or piece of information. Asking '¿Qué aprendes?' means 'What are you learning?', which is a different question. To ask about a major, use 'estudiar'.
Using 'cómo' instead of 'qué' or 'cuál'. — Asking '¿Cómo es tu carrera?' means 'What is your major like?'. To ask what it *is*, you must use '¿Qué estudias?' (What do you study?) or '¿Cuál es tu carrera?' (What is your major?).
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