cal / cales
Which: Cal and Cales
Use cal to ask which one and cales to ask which ones. Cal prefires? (Which one do you prefer?) Cales son os teus? (Which ones are yours?)
How It Works
Singular and plural. Use cal for one thing and cales for more than one. The verb agrees too: Cal é o teu? (Which one is yours?) / Cales son os teus? (Which ones are yours?)
No gender change. Cal works for masculine and feminine words alike: Cal é o teu coche? (Which is your car?), Cal é a túa casa? (Which is your house?)
Choosing from a group. Add de to name the group: Cal dos dous queres? (Which of the two do you want?) Note that de + os contracts to dos. See contractions of de.
Cal with ser, like English "what". To ask for a specific piece of information, use cal + ser: Cal é o teu número de teléfono? (What is your phone number?), Cal é a capital de Galicia? (What is the capital of Galicia?)
Before a noun. When a noun follows straight away, the everyday choice is que: Que libro queres? (Which book do you want?) See question words.
Spelling. Cal has no accent and no u: not cuál. After cal, an object pronoun goes before the verb: Cales che gustan máis? (Which ones do you like best?)
Examples (6)
- Cal prefires?
Which one do you prefer?
Word by Word: Which you-prefer?
- Cales son os teus?
Which ones are yours?
Word by Word: Which-ones are the yours?
- Cal é a capital de Galicia?
What is the capital of Galicia?
With ser, cal often corresponds to English "what".
- Cal dos dous queres?
Which of the two do you want?
Word by Word: Which of-the two you-want?
- Cal é o teu número de teléfono?
What is your phone number?
- Cales che gustan máis?
Which ones do you like best?
Word by Word: Which-ones to-you please more?
After cales, the pronoun che goes before the verb.
Common Mistakes
Using singular cal for several things.
Cal son os teus?Cales son os teus?When you ask about more than one thing, use the plural cales, and the verb is plural too.
Using the Spanish spelling cuál.
Cuál prefires?Cal prefires?The Galician word is cal: no u and no accent.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Cal and cales ask someone to identify an item or items.
Related Patterns
- canto / canta / cantos / cantasHow Much and How Many
Another question word that agrees with what it asks about.
Level 1 - Plural of Words in -lPlural of Words Ending in -l
One-syllable words in -l add -es, which gives cal, cales.
Level 2 - de + o = doContractions of De with the Article
Explains dos in Cal dos dous queres?
Level 1 - Pronouns Before the Verb in Wh- Questions
Why che comes before the verb in Cales che gustan máis?
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice cal / cales in Bubblegum
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