phrase

qué pasó

kay pah-SOH

Qué pasó (phrase) means a Spanish question meaning 'what happened?', asking about something that has already taken place. Example: “He came in with a torn shirt and everyone said, qué pasó?”

phrase

A Spanish question meaning 'what happened?', asking about something that has already taken place.

"He came in with a torn shirt and everyone said, qué pasó?"

"Qué pasó with the meeting — did they sign?"

informal Used loosely in casual speech, especially in Mexico and among Mexican-American speakers, as a greeting on the pattern of 'what's up?'.

"Qué pasó, güey, you coming out tonight?"

How to Use Qué pasó

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSpanish for 'what happened?'

When to use it

Informal. Written with accents on both words; English speakers often write it as que paso, which strictly means something else in Spanish.

Memory tip

Without the accent, paso is the noun 'step' or 'I pass', so the accent is doing real work here.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

qué pasa → qué paso (no accents) qué tal →

Common pairings

qué pasó anoche pero qué pasó

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “qué pasó” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

He came in with a torn shirt and everyone said, _____?

Etymology

Spanish qué 'what' plus pasó, the preterite of pasar 'to happen'.

Origin: Spanish

Synonyms

View more →

what happened what went on what's up qué pasa qué onda

Related Words

hello qué pasa wsg WTW qué tal

Frequently Asked Questions

Does qué pasó mean the same as qué pasa?

Not quite. Qué pasó asks what happened in the past, while qué pasa asks what is happening now and doubles as a greeting. In very casual Mexican speech qué pasó is also used as a hello, but the tense difference is the core distinction.

Why is it written que paso online?

Because English keyboards and search boxes drop the accents. In correct Spanish it is ¿qué pasó?, and the accents mark both the question word and the past tense.

People Also Searched

hello qué pasa wsg WTW qué tal