Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Qué hago? Corte la carne ahora.

¿Qué hago? Corte la carne ahora.

What do I do? Cut the meat now.

Breakdown of ¿Qué hago? Corte la carne ahora.

Questions & Answers about ¿Qué hago? Corte la carne ahora.

Why is the command corte instead of corta?

Corte is the formal usted command for cortar (to cut). For -ar verbs, the formal command ends in -e. If you were talking to a friend (using the informal tú), you would use the normal -a ending and say corta la carne.

How do I know who the speaker is talking to in the second sentence?

Because the speaker uses the formal command corte, we know they are addressing someone using usted. This might be a chef instructing a new employee in a restaurant kitchen, or a situation where the speaker wants to maintain professional distance.

Why does it say hago instead of "what should I do"?

In Spanish, the simple present tense is often used to ask for instructions or volunteer for a task. While English speakers usually say "What should I do?" or "What do you want me to do?", Spanish speakers simply ask ¿Qué hago? (literally "What do I do?").

Is hago an irregular verb?