¡Qué alegría!

Here qué is an exclamative word, used in expressions like What joy!, How wonderful!, or What a delight!

It has a written accent because qué with an accent is used in:

• questions: ¿Qué dices?
• exclamations: ¡Qué alegría!

Without the accent, que usually has other jobs, like that, which, or than:

• Creo que viene. = I think that he/she is coming.

So in ¡Qué alegría!, the accent marks it as exclamative.

Because this is a very common kind of exclamatory phrase in Spanish. It does not need a full sentence with a verb.

Spanish often uses short exclamations like:

• ¡Qué suerte! = How lucky! / What luck!
• ¡Qué pena! = What a shame!
• ¡Qué horror! = How awful!

So ¡Qué alegría! is perfectly complete as an emotional reaction, even without a verb.

Because after qué in this kind of exclamation, Spanish normally uses the noun without an article.

So you say:

• ¡Qué alegría!
• ¡Qué suerte!
• ¡Qué desastre!

Not:

• ¡Qué una alegría! ❌

This pattern is very common:

• qué + noun
• qué + adjective
• qué + adverb

Examples:

• ¡Qué bonito!
• ¡Qué bien!
• ¡Qué idea tan buena!

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• qué ≈ keh
• alegría ≈ ah-leh-GREE-ah

The stress falls on:

• qué
• -grí- in alegría

So overall: keh ah-leh-GREE-ah

A few pronunciation notes:

• qu before e sounds like a hard k
• the g in alegría is like the g in go
• the written accent in alegría shows where the stress goes

Because the stress falls on -grí-, and Spanish spelling marks that with an accent here: alegría.

Without getting too technical, the accent helps show that the word is pronounced:

• a-le-GRÍ-a

not:

• a-LE-gria
• a-le-gri-A

It also helps separate the final sounds into -rí-a, rather than blending them differently.

It is a noun.

Alegría means joy, happiness, or delight as a thing or feeling.

That is why ¡Qué alegría! literally works like:

• What joy!

Compare it with the adjective alegre = happy / cheerful:

• Está alegre. = He/She is happy.
• Es una persona alegre. = He/She is a cheerful person.

So:

• alegría = noun
• alegre = adjective

It is used as a reaction to good news, a pleasant surprise, or something emotionally positive.

For example:

• A friend says they can finally visit you.
• Someone recovers from an illness.
• You hear that an exam went well.
• Someone you missed has arrived.

It often means something like:

• How wonderful!
• That’s great!
• What a joy!

In natural English, the exact translation often depends on the situation more than on the literal words.

It is neutral and very natural. You can use it in both informal and fairly formal situations.

It sounds warm and expressive, but not rude or slangy. For example, it would fit in:

• conversation with friends
• family situations
• polite social situations
• messages or emails

If you want something less emotional, you might choose:

• Me alegro. = I’m glad.
• Qué bien. = That’s great.

But ¡Qué alegría! itself is completely normal and appropriate.

They are related, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

¡Qué alegría!

• is an exclamation
• focuses on the feeling or the situation
• sounds more emotional or spontaneous

Me alegro

• literally means I’m glad
• is a full sentence
• directly expresses your reaction

Compare:

• ¡Qué alegría verte! = How wonderful to see you!
• Me alegro de verte. = I’m glad to see you.

So ¡Qué alegría! is more like an emotional outburst, while Me alegro is a more straightforward personal statement.

Not with the same meaning.

¡Qué alegría! uses the noun alegría and means something like What joy! or How wonderful!

¡Qué alegre! uses the adjective alegre, so it means How cheerful! or How happy! Usually it describes a person, place, sound, colour, etc.

For example:

• ¡Qué alegría! = reaction to good news
• ¡Qué alegre esta canción! = This song is so cheerful!

So they are both correct Spanish, but they are used differently.

In standard written Spanish, yes. You should write both:

• ¡Qué alegría!

not just:

• Qué alegría! ❌

Spanish normally marks the beginning and end of an exclamation:

• ¡Hola!
• ¡Qué bien!
• ¡Qué alegría!

In very casual texting, native speakers sometimes leave out the opening mark, but learners should write it correctly.

Yes, very easily. It often appears by itself, but it can also introduce a longer idea.

Examples:

• ¡Qué alegría verte! = How wonderful to see you!
• ¡Qué alegría que hayas venido! = How wonderful that you came!
• ¡Qué alegría me da esta noticia! = This news makes me so happy!

So the short exclamation is very flexible and can be the base of longer, natural Spanish expressions.