que + Noun: Which/What Kind of X
You met que inside Que horas são? — now set it free. Put que directly before ANY noun to ask what/which X:
| Which dress do you prefer? | Que vestido preferes? |
| Which country do you prefer? | Que país preferes? |
How it differs from its neighbours: o que stands ALONE (O que é isto?), qual asks for a choice and stands alone too (Qual preferes?), but que always carries its noun with it.
é que: The Question Glue
European Portuguese loves to reinforce a question word with é que — literally is that — before the rest of the sentence. It adds NO meaning, and it lets the sentence keep its plain subject-verb order:
| Where do you live? | Onde é que moras? |
| Who buys the bread? | Quem é que compra o pão? |
| When does the class begin? | Quando é que a aula começa? |
| What is your name? | Como é que te chamas? |
You have been asking these questions without é que all along, and that stays correct — but in spoken Portugal é que is everywhere, and you need to understand it instantly.
The Two Together
Since é que follows any question phrase, it follows que + noun too:
| Which days do you work? | Que dias é que trabalhas? |
| At what time does the flight leave? | A que horas é que o voo parte? |
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