quê

See also: Appendix:Variations of "que"

Macanese

Etymology

From Portuguese que and quê.

Pronoun

quê

1. (interrogative, sentence-final) what (which thing)

   Tão cedo para quê? Qui afogoso!

   So early for what? So anxious!

Determiner

quê

1. (rare) Alternative form of qui: which

   Quê cuza pôde fazê?

   What can be done?

   (literally, “Which thing can be done?”)

References

• https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈke/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈke/

• Rhymes: -e
• Hyphenation: quê

Etymology 1

From Latin quem (“what”).

Pronoun

quê

1. (interrogative, sentence-final) what (which thing)

   Pensas no quê?

   You are thinking about what?

   Quê?

   What?

Derived terms

• não há de quê
• por quê
• porquê

Noun

quê m (plural quês)

1. a characteristic (distinguishable feature of a person or thing)

Etymology 2

Noun

quê m (plural quês)

1. cue (name of the letter Q, q)

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *k-veːr (“village”); cognate with Muong quêl (“village”) and Chut [Rục] kəveːl¹. Compare also Proto-Katuic *wiil ~ *weel (whence Pacoh veil).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kwe˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kwej˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wej˧˧]

Noun

quê • (圭, 𬫀)

1. the countryside
2. a hometown (place of birth or residence)

   Synonym: nơi sinh

   Tết này có về quê không?

   Will you go back to your hometown this New Year?

3. your parent's, especially your father's, birthplace

   Synonym: quê quán

   Quê mày ở đâu ?
   Đắk Lắk ạ.
   Không phải ở đây. Ý tao là quê bố mày.

   Hometown?
   Dak Lak.
   I'm not asking 'bout your birthplace which is here. I'm asking 'bout your father's.

Usage notes

Your parent's birthplace may be used on an identity card (giấy chứng minh nhân dân or căn cước công dân), especially if they moved from their own birthplace.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• dân quê
• đồng quê
• làng quê
• nhà quê
• quê hương
• quê kệch
• quê mùa
• quê nhà
• quê quán
• thôn quê

 

Adjective

quê • (圭, 𬫀)

1. Short for quê mùa (“typical of countrymen; rural, lame and tacky”).
2. (Southern Vietnam, by extension) very embarrassing; mortifying

   Mẹ ở nhà đi. Con lớn rồi có mẹ đi cùng thì quê lắm.

   Just stay home. I'm a grown-up and it's embarrassing to be chaperoned by you.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• quê độ
• quê xệ