Why a whole article just on this one little phrase?
Well, you’d be amazed by the number of variations there are! Just ask your Spanish speaking friend / neighbor / lover / etc.
Not only that, but this innocent looking question is super common (well, duh!), and it’s surprisingly easy to get stuck in a “I’ll just use one and pretty much ignore all the others” rut (even when you’ve passed the beginner phase)!
So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
1. ¿Qué piensas?
This is the literal translation of ‘What do you think?‘ and it’s also a pretty safe bet if you’re unfamiliar with the other phrases on this list!
Despite being the closest translation, it may not be the phrase that you hear most in everyday spoken Spanish (depending on who you´re talking to!).
‘¿Qué piensas?‘ is also extremely flexible in the sense that it can be used in both formal and informal settings.
Here’s an example –
Jefe – Creo que voy a pedir al técnico que lleve a cabo unos cambios al sistema para que sea más rápido. ¿Qué piensas, Jaime?
Jaime – Sí, está muy lento. ¡Hay que hacer algo al respeto!
Boss – I think I¿m going to get the technician to make some changes to the system so that it runs faster. What do you think, Jaime?
Jaime – Yes, it’s very slow. We definitely need to do something about it!
2. ¿Que te parece?
This is another great phrase and its one that you’re sure to hear A LOT!
It literally means ‘How does it seem?‘ and it’s a super useful alternative to have up your Spanish-speaking sleeve. You’ll be surprised by just how much you hear it!
It’s a tad more casual than ‘Qué piensas?‘, but only by a smidge!
Gaby – ¿Que te parece si vamos a Acapulco este fin?
Paola – ¡Me parece súper!
Gaby – Are you up for going to Acapulco this weekend?
Paola – What a good idea!
José – Oye, wey, esa chava Sophia me cae súper bien. Creo que le voy a invitar a echar unas cheves. ¿Qué te parece?
Pablo – Sí, hazlo, wey. Es bien buena onda la chava.
José – Dude, I really like that girl, Sophia. I think I’m going to ask her to go for a few beers. What do you reckon?
Pablo – Yeah, do it, man! She’s a really cool girl!
3. ¿Cuál es tú opinión? | more formal
Literally translating to ‘What´s your opinion?’, this is the one of the most formal ways to say ‘What do you think?’ in Spanish.
I can’t imagine it being used much (if at all) between close friends, but it’s a safe bet in the boardroom or at any other more formal event.
Entrevistador – ¿Y cuál es tu opinión de la nueva ley?
María – Honestamente, me parece una farsa.
Interviewer – What’s your opinion on the new law?
María – Honestly, I think it’s farcical!
Erika’s top tip – this expression always uses ‘cuál‘ instead of ‘qué‘, which may seem counter-intuitive as, more often than not, ‘cuál‘ translates to ‘which‘.
‘Cuál‘ vs. ‘qué‘ is a bit of a rabbit-hole but, generally, if more than one answer to a question is possible, ‘cuál‘ should be your go-to.
If the question has a definitive answer (for example, ‘Qué es el capital de México?‘), ‘qué‘ is used instead.
4. ¿(tú) qué opinas? (al respeto / del asunto) | more formal
Here¿s another one for all you lovers of a more formal style of Spanish.
The great thing about this one is that you can alter the phrase to make it more or less formal by adding ‘al respeto‘ to the end!
Más formal – Y tú, Alfredo, ¿qué opinas al respeto?
Menos formal – ¿Tú qué opinas, amigo?
More formal – And you, Alfredo, what’s your opinion on the issue?
Less formal – What do you think, man?
5. ¿Sí o no? | less formal
This is one of my absolute faves, and a phrase that I’ve heard all over México (from coastal Oaxaca to Guadalajara). Literally, it translates to ‘Yes or no?‘, but it’s often used to mean ‘What do you think?‘.
This is the most informal expression on the list and should be used exclusively with close friends / family!
I really do hear this one quite a lot, but not everyone uses it (I’ve never heard Erika or any of her sisters say this, for example), so tread carefully!
Eduardo – ¡Está muy bonito el día! ¿Sí o no?
Ruperto – Sí, wey, está a toda madre.
Eduardo – It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?
Ruperto – Yeah, couldn’t get much better!
6. ¿Cómo (lo) ves? | less formal
Translating literally as ‘How do you see (it)?‘, this little gem is a must-learn if you want to sound like a local (or if you’re still stuck in a “I’ll just use one and pretty much ignore all the others” rut).
You can pretty much append ‘Cómo ves?‘ to the end of any sentence to ask someone what they think about something.
It’s not super slangy like ‘Sí o no?‘, but it´s definitely more informal than others on the list.
The English equivalent would be something like ‘What do you reckon?‘.
If you want to find out more, definitely check out our piece on the various meanings of ‘cómo ves?‘.
Mesero 1 – Creo que va a ser un día medio pesado. ¿Cómo ves?
Mesero 2 – Sí, totalmente.
Waiter 1 – I think today’s going to be a bit of a slog! What do you reckon?
Waiter 2 – Yeah, for sure.
7. ¿(Tú) que dices? (literally, ‘what do you say‘ in Spanish)
This one’s used in a very similar fashion to the phrase ‘What do you say?‘ in English.
Like its English equivalent it’s also on the casual side!
Tú que dices, ¿nos llevamos este refri o el otro?
What do you think, should we buy this fridge or that one?
¡Siento que he subido mucho de peso! ¿Tú que dices?
I feel like I’ve gained a lot of weight! What do you think?
8. ¿Tú que crees?
This is another great way of asking someone¿s opinion!
It’s a little more emphatic than a simple ´Cómo ves?´ and is often used when the speaker holds strong beliefs on a particular subject and wants to know the opinion of those around him.
Comensal 1 – No cabe dudas que existe el calentamiento global. Nada más ven los cambios climáticos que hemos visto aquí en el distrito. ¿Tú como ves, Ramon?
Comensal 2 – Si, pues, algo anda raro.
Diner 1 – There’s no doubt that global warming exists. Just look at the changes in the weather here in Mexico City! What do you think, Ramon?
Diner 2 – Yeah, there’s something strange going on.
9. ¿Qué me aconsejas?
This one’s more similar in meaning to ‘What advice can you give me?‘, but it can also be used as a synonym of ‘What do you think?’.
Ángel – Ay, amigo, es muy complicado, no sé qué hacer. ¿Qué me aconsejas?
Guillermo – Yo digo que sigas tú corazón, amigo.
Ángel – It’s such a complicated situation, I don’t know what to do. What do you think?
Guillermo – I think you should follow your heart, my friend.
10. ¿Qué tal? | less formal
Before you all jump down my throat, yes, ‘Que tal?‘ does indeed mean ‘How are you?’! It can, however, also be used as a synonym of ‘What do you think?‘.
This use depends on both the context and the word stress (i.e., which part of the word is emphasized).
It’s an extremely useful phrase as although it’s kind of informal, ‘qué tal‘ can actually be used both in formal and informal situations!
Let’s look at a couple of examples –
Firstly, we have the phrase ‘Qué tal si …‘ which can be used at the beginning of a sentence.
It roughly translates as ‘What about if …’ and the structure is ‘Qué tal si + verb‘ –
Alonso – ¿Qué tal si pedimos un raite?
Fernanda – ¡Órale!
Alonso – What about if we hitchhike?
Fernanda – Great idea!
Similarly, ‘Qué tal + noun‘ can be used to ask what someone thinks about something specific –
¿Qué tal el plan? = Do you like the plan?
¿Qué tal la idea? = Do you think it’s a good idea?
¿Qué tal la película? = How’s the movie?
´¿Qué tal?´ can also be affixed to the end of a sentence to mean ´What do you think?´ –
Pues, yo digo que vamos a un bar y luego nos colamos la fiesta. ¿Qué tal?
Well, I reckon we go to a bar and then we crash the party. What do you reckon?
‘So, what do you think?‘ in Spanish
The conjunctions ‘entonces‘ and ‘pues‘ can both be used with almost all the expressions on this list if you wish to say ‘So, what do you think?‘..
As in English, the use of ‘So, what do you think?‘ is slightly different to that of ‘What do you think?‘.
The most common use of this expression would be when there’s been a delay in response (maybe the conversation has gone off on an unrelated tangent) and you want to bring the focus back to the question at hand.
Ernesto – Oye, ¿qué vamos a hacer más tarde?
Juan – ¡No sé, wey!
Gaby – Jaja, siempre dices lo mismo, wey.
Juan – ¿Neta? ¡Ni me había dado cuenta!
Gaby – Sí, eres bien indeciso.
Ernesto – Jaja! ¿Entonces, qué les parece?
Ernesto – What are we going to do later?
Juan – I don’t know, man!
Gaby – Haha, you always say the same thing, dude!
Juan – Really? I hadn’t realized!
Gaby – Yeah, you’re really indecisive.
Ernesto – Haha! So, what do you think?
Final thoughts
So, there you have it, 10 different ways to say ¿what do you think‘ in Spanish.
Some formal, some less so, and some clearly creeping into colloquial territory!
Anyway, we’re sure you’ll now be able to find the perfect phrase for almost every situation AND sound more like a native in the process!
Definitely head over to our article on all the different ways to say ‘rain‘ in Spanish if you fancy levelling up your Spanish vocab even more!
¡Hasta pronto!