Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Estás cansado? ¡Qué va!

In Spanish, we use the verb estar (to be) for temporary states, conditions, or feelings. Since being tired is a temporary physical state rather than a permanent characteristic, we use estás.

If I am asking a woman if she is tired, does the sentence change?

Yes! Because cansado (tired) is an adjective describing a person, it has to match their gender. If you are asking a woman, you would change the ending and ask, ¿Estás cansada?.

What does ¡Qué va! literally mean?

Literally, it translates to something like "What goes!" but you shouldn't translate it word-for-word. It is a very common everyday expression in Spain used to playfully or strongly deny something. It translates best to "Not at all!", "No way!", or "Nonsense!".

Why does Qué have an accent mark in the exclamation?

Words like qué (what), cómo (how), and dónde (where) always take an accent mark when they are used in exclamations, just like they do in questions.