Colombia

¿Qué más?

How's it going? — Colombia's standard hello, not a question about additional items.

Related lesson: Colombian Spanish — A Survival Guide.

Hear it in context

  • ¿Qué más pues? ¿Cómo va todo?

    How's it going? How's everything?

  • ¿Qué más, parce? Tiempo sin verte.

    What's up, man? Long time no see.

  • —¿Qué más? —Bien o ¿qué? Todo bien.

    'How's it going?' 'All good, you? All good.'

What It Actually Means

¿Qué más? looks like “what else?” but in Colombia it’s simply hello — the everyday “how’s it going?” between people who know each other, often stacked with other greetings: “¿Qué más? ¿Bien o qué? ¿Cómo vamos?”

Where It Comes From

It’s a worn-down version of longer formulas like ¿qué más ha habido? (“what else has been happening?”). The question part eroded away; the warmth stayed.

How Natives Use It

As the opener of almost any informal encounter — in person, on the phone, on WhatsApp (¿q más?). It expects no news in reply: answer with “bien, ¿y vos?”, “todo bien” or just another “¿qué más?” fired back.

Common Pitfall

Answering it literally. If someone says ¿qué más? and you start listing additional items — or say “nothing more” — you’ve missed the greeting entirely. It’s a hello, not an inventory request.

#colombia#slang#basics#greetings
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