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
1
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?"
2
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 notesIn 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
Common pairings
qué pasó anoche
pero qué pasó
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Fill the gap
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He came in with a torn shirt and everyone said, _____?
Etymology
Spanish qué 'what' plus pasó, the preterite of pasar 'to happen'.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
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.
What is the meaning of qué pasó?
"qué pasó" (phrase) means a Spanish question meaning 'what happened?', asking about something that has already taken place.
What is another word for qué pasó?
Other words for "qué pasó" include what happened, what went on, what's up, qué pasa, qué onda.
