Meaning
An informal greeting asking what's new or what someone is doing.
Cultural Background
In Spain, '¿Qué te cuentas?' is often followed by 'tío' or 'tía' (literally uncle/aunt, but used as 'dude/girl'). It's the bread and butter of social life in Madrid and Barcelona. While understood, Mexicans are much more likely to use '¿Qué onda?' or '¿Qué hubo?'. Using '¿Qué te cuentas?' might make you sound slightly more Peninsular (from Spain). In Argentina, the voseo changes the conjugation to '¿Qué te contás?'. It's very common in Buenos Aires. Colombians love '¿Qué más?'. It's used as a direct synonym for '¿Qué te cuentas?' and is heard dozens of times a day.
The 'Nothing' Response
If you have no news, the standard reply is 'Pues nada, aquí estamos' (Well, nothing, here we are).
Watch the 'S'
Don't forget the 's' at the end of 'cuentas' when talking to a friend, or it becomes formal/third person.
Meaning
An informal greeting asking what's new or what someone is doing.
The 'Nothing' Response
If you have no news, the standard reply is 'Pues nada, aquí estamos' (Well, nothing, here we are).
Watch the 'S'
Don't forget the 's' at the end of 'cuentas' when talking to a friend, or it becomes formal/third person.
Spain vs LatAm
In Spain, use '¿Qué os contáis?' for a group. In LatAm, use '¿Qué se cuentan?'.
Be ready to talk
Asking this isn't just a 'hello'; be prepared to actually listen to a story!
Test Yourself
Complete the informal greeting with the correct pronoun.
¡Hola, Juan! ¿Qué ___ cuentas?
The standard idiomatic phrase uses 'te' (to you/yourself).
In which situation is it appropriate to use '¿Qué te cuentas?'
Choose the best context:
This is an informal greeting for friends and family.
Choose the most natural response to '¿Qué te cuentas?'
Persona A: ¡Hola! ¿Qué te cuentas? Persona B: _________
This is a standard informal way to respond, sharing a bit of news.
Match the Spanish greeting with its English equivalent.
Match the pairs:
These are all correct matches for different levels of formality.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Formal vs Informal Greetings
Practice Bank
4 exercises¡Hola, Juan! ¿Qué ___ cuentas?
The standard idiomatic phrase uses 'te' (to you/yourself).
Choose the best context:
This is an informal greeting for friends and family.
Persona A: ¡Hola! ¿Qué te cuentas? Persona B: _________
This is a standard informal way to respond, sharing a bit of news.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are all correct matches for different levels of formality.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsBoth are correct! 'Te cuentas' is 'What do you tell yourself/the world?', while 'Me cuentas' is 'What do you tell me?'. They are used interchangeably as greetings.
Generally, no. It's too informal. Use '¿Cómo está?' or '¿Qué tal le va?' instead.
It means 'to recount' or 'to tell a story', not 'to count numbers'.
Say 'Nada nuevo' or 'Lo de siempre' (the usual).
Yes, but '¿Qué onda?' is much more common there.
Yes, it's a pronominal use of the verb 'contar' that makes the action more personal.
Only if you are in a very casual environment, like a backpacker hostel or a youth party.
Yes! '¿Qué os contáis?' (Spain) or '¿Qué se cuentan?' (Latin America).
Not at all. It's very modern and widely used by all ages.
Only in a very casual email to a close friend.
Related Phrases
¿Qué me cuentas?
synonymWhat are you telling me?
¿Qué tal?
similarHow's it going?
Cuéntame algo
builds onTell me something.
No me cuentes cuentos
contrastDon't tell me stories/lies.
