Qual é a sua matéria favorita na escola?

to be

Breakdown of Qual é a sua matéria favorita na escola?

• na: at the
• sua: your
• a escola: the school

Questions & Answers about Qual é a sua matéria favorita na escola?

Why does the sentence use qual and not que for what?

In Portuguese, qual is often used when you are asking someone to choose or identify something from a set of possibilities, even if that set isn’t mentioned explicitly.

• Qual é a sua matéria favorita? = Which/what is your favorite subject? (you’re choosing one subject among many)
• Que is more like what kind / what sort of / what + noun:
  • Que matéria você estuda hoje? = What subject do you study today?

With é (from ser), the pattern Qual é…? is the most natural choice for this type of “Which/What is…?” question.

What is the literal, word‑for‑word translation and word order of this sentence?

Word by word:

• Qual = Which / What
• é = is
• a = the (feminine singular definite article)
• sua = your
• matéria = subject (school subject)
• favorita = favorite (feminine form)
• na = in the / at the (em + a)
• escola = school

So a literal translation would look like:
Which is the your subject favorite in‑the school?

Natural English reorders that to:
What is your favorite subject at school?

Why is it é and not está in this sentence?