Breakdown of ¿Cuál es la montaña más alta del mundo?
ser
to be
alto
tall / high (amount, level)
cuál
which / what (implying a choice)
del
of the / from the / about the (topic)
la montaña
the mountain
más
more; else (anything else, nobody else)
el mundo
the world
Questions & Answers about ¿Cuál es la montaña más alta del mundo?
How do we form "the highest mountain" in Spanish?
To say "the highest" (a relative superlative), Spanish uses the pattern: definite article (la) + noun (montaña) + más + adjective (alta). It literally translates to "the mountain most high". Notice that la and alta both match the feminine singular noun montaña.
Can I change the word order and say "la más alta montaña"?
Why does it use del mundo instead of en el mundo for "in the world"?
When talking about "the most" or "the least" of a certain group or place, Spanish uses the preposition de (of) rather than en (in). It literally means "the highest mountain of the world". Also, remember that de + el must combine into the single word del.
Why does the question start with Cuál instead of Qué?
When asking to pick one specific thing out of a group (like one mountain out of all the mountains), you use Cuál es. If you used Qué es, it would sound like you are asking for a dictionary definition, such as "What is a mountain?".
Learn ¿Cuál es la montaña más alta del mundo and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free