Quién (en. Who)

/kjen/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish
pronoun
A word used to ask about a person's identity.
Who is at the door?
¿Quién está en la puerta?
Used in indirect sentences to refer to people.
I don't know who came to visit me.
No sé quién vino a visitarme.
Used in phrases that imply a choice or identity.
I want to know who won the contest.
Quiero saber quién ganó el concurso.

Etymology

Comes from the Latin 'quī', which means 'who' or 'which'.

Common Phrases and Expressions

Who is it?
A question about the identity of a person.
¿Quién es?
Who would have thought?
An expression used to express surprise about something unexpected.
¿Quién lo diría?
Who cares?
A phrase that indicates something is not relevant to someone.
¿A quién le importa?

Related Words

whoever
Anyone who is the person.
quienquiera
those who
Plural form of who, used to ask about several people.
quienes

Slang Meanings

Used in some regions to express excessive curiosity.
Don't be such a who, relax a little.
No seas tan quién, relájate un poco.
In youth slang, it can refer to 'someone very important'.
That guy is a who at the party.
Ese tipo es un quién en la fiesta.