3

Is it

¿Qué clases estas tomando?

or is it

¿Cuáles clases estas tomando?

2 Answers 2

2

Both are ok

Same as in English you can say:

What classes are you taking?

or

Which classes are you taking?

Don't forget to use cuáles and qué with acute accent when those words are used in questions and also remember to add the ¿ opening question mark.

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  • Qué + sust. is definitely more panhispanic though, as Cuál + sust. tends to be regional (iirc, Caribbean, I know the Nueva Gramática discusses it, but I forgot — I just know I don't ever use it ^_^ ) Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 16:21
  • @user0721090601 Both "qué" and "cuáles" can be used, but while "qué" is an open question (the asker has no idea whatsoever what lessons the other person is taking), "cuáles" is used when the choice is limited, for example: ¿Cuáles clases estás tomando, química o física? (although "qué" can also be used in this case)
    – Gustavson
    Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 18:09
  • In Colombia we used either interchangeably.
    – DGaleano
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 2:03
  • @Gustavson both "qué" and "cuáles" are correct, but it is true that in Spain we usually do not use "cuáles" as an adjective, so we tend to say "qué clases" and not "cuáles clases". This is also mentioned in the DLE: in the entry for cuál, the first definition (interrogative adjective) includes "U. m. en algunos lugares de Am." (used more in some areas of America).
    – wimi
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 12:00
  • @wimi It is true that with "cuáles" we will tend to use the interrogative pronoun rather than the interrogative determiner: ¿Cuáles de estas (dos/tres/etc.) clases está tomando/haciendo?
    – Gustavson
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 15:11
1

I don't agree with DGaleano, his sentences are not incorrect but they would sound a bit odd, at least in Spain. The verb "tomar" is not frequent in this context in Spain.

My university years are long past but I think that if you want to know which courses (being class a slightly more informal term for 'course') are been taken by a fellow student this semester, you can ask

¿A qué clases vas a apuntarte?

or

¿En qué clases te vas a matricular?

or

¿Qué clases vas a coger?

You can replace "clases" by "asignaturas". I used the second term when I was a student but they are interchangeable. The last sentence is closer to yours, in translation terms (coger = take). You can also use "cuáles" instead of "qué" but I prefer the last one.

Notice that the verb coger may sound rude or out of context in some Spanish speaking countries like Argentina, meaning "making sex". I'm not sure if they use it in this context as just an equivalent of "take", but be aware. The other two options are perfectly fine in all places.

The verb tense used depends on the time when you're asking in relation with the inscription in the classes.

Before the inscription (future):

  • ¿A qué clases vas a apuntarte?

During the inscription, when you're signing the forms:

  • ¿A qué clases te estás apuntando?

After the inscription:

  • ¿A qué clases te has apuntado?

As pointed by wimi you can use the future any time at the beginning of the scholar year. If the inscription has been made or not, it's not relevant:

  • ¿A qué clases/asignaturas vas a ir este semestre/año?
  • ¿Qué clases/asignaturas vas a coger este semestre/año?
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  • are you taking is present, now. You are using a future.
    – Lambie
    Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 16:20
  • @Lambie it's not idiomatic "estas cogiendo" if your fellow student is not filling a form right at that moment.
    – RubioRic
    Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 17:53
  • 2
    "What courses are you taking?" in English can have either a present or a future meaning. "What courses are you taking this semester" vs "What courses are you taking next semester". The OP does not clarify which one they want to translate
    – wimi
    Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 18:12
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    @Gustavson "¿Qué curso estás cogiendo?" no es idiomático en España. Wimi coincide conmigo en que en inglés la frase puede interpretarse como un futuro. De todas formas edito el texto para indicar distintos tiempos verbales
    – RubioRic
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 5:30
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    I agree with @wimi about this. By chance I read this just as young people in my country were starting the new academic year and I could here them asking "What modules are you doing?" which is clearly future as they have not yet started them. No doubt in December I might think differently.
    – mdewey
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 11:26

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