Spanish · Greetings & Essentials
"What's up?" in Spanish: ¿qué tal?
¿qué tal?
Note: Mexico: ¿qué onda?
What's up? in Spanish is often ¿qué tal? It greets and asks how things are. In Mexico, ¿qué onda? is a very casual twin.
Morning hallway
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How to pronounce ¿qué tal?
Say it
keh tahl
/ke ˈtal/
keh tahl. Keep tal short. Rising tone for the question.
"What's up?" in Spanish: quick reference
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ¿qué tal? | how's it going? / what's up? Wide everyday greeting. | Wide everyday greeting. |
| ¿qué onda? | what's up? Very casual; common in Mexico. | Very casual; common in Mexico. |
| ¿qué tal estás? | how are you? Slightly fuller. | Slightly fuller. |
| ¿qué hay? | what's up? / what's new? Also heard casually. | Also heard casually. |
How to use ¿qué tal? in real life
- 1Morning hallway
Hola, ¿qué tal?
Hi, what's up?
Default casual hello.
- 2Text opener
¿Qué tal? ¿Salimos hoy?
What's up? Are we going out today?
Leads into plans.
- 3After class
¿Qué tal el examen?
How was the exam?
Qué tal + noun.
Mistakes English speakers make with ¿qué tal?
Incorrect: Que tal (no accent or marks).
Correct: ¿Qué tal?
Write ¿Qué tal? with accent on qué and both question marks.
Incorrect: ¿Qué tal? used only as English slang.
Correct: ¿Qué tal?
¿Qué tal? also means how's it going. Answer with bien.
Good to know
Good to know¿Qué tal? works almost everywhere. ¿Qué onda? is strongly Mexican and informal; save qué onda for friends, not formal emails.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Meeting a friend at a café
ChatPal
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
Hi! What's up?
You
¿Qué tal? Un poco cansado, pero bien.
What's up? A bit tired, but fine.
ChatPal
Pedimos café entonces.
Let's order coffee then.
You
Sí, un café con leche.
Yes, a coffee with milk.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"What's up?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "What's up?" in Spanish
How do you say what's up in Spanish?
¿Qué tal? is a safe default.
What is ¿qué onda?
Mexican casual "what's up?" for friends.
Do I need the accent on qué?
Yes—qué as a question word takes an accent.
Is ¿qué tal? formal?
Neutral-casual; fine with coworkers, not stiff.
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