Spanish Words for Whoever, Wherever, and Whenever

Spanish Words for Whoever, Wherever, and Whenever Spanish has several words ending in -quiera that are the rough equivalent of English words ending in -ever, although they are often used in slightly different ways. Common Words Ending in -quiera dondequiera, sometimes shortened to doquiera (wherever)adondequiera (to wherever)comoquiera, often spelled as como quiera (in whatever way, however)cualquiera, sometimes used in the plural form cualesquiera (whichever, whatever, any)quienquiera, sometimes used in the plural form quienesquiera (whoever, whomever, anyone)cuandoquiera (whenever) The -quiera suffix is obviously derived from the verb querer. The -quiera words can be used as various parts of speech, depending on the context. When used as an adjective before a singular, masculine noun, through the process of apocopation, the ending becomes -quier, as in cualquier hombre, whichever man. Example Sentences Dondequiera que voy, reviso mi correo electrà ³nico. (Wherever I go, I check my e-mail.) Dondequiera que yo vaya, mi amigo va conmigo. (Wherever I go, my friend goes with me. As in this and the preceding example, dondequiera is frequently followed by the relative pronoun que. Although it is common to use the subjunctive mood with this sentence construction, it is not always mandatory.) Y salà ­a David adondequiera que Saà ºl le enviaba. (And David went away to wherever Saul sent him. Adondequiera is used when suggesting a destination. Adondequiera has the same relationship to dondequiera that adà ³nde has to dà ³nde.) Comoquiera que sea, gracias por tu amable comentario. (Whatever comes of it, thanks for your friendly comment.) Comoquiera que no estaba yo muy convencido, me fui. (Since I wasnt especially convinced, I left. When comoquiera que is followed by a verb in the indicative mood, it often means because or since.) Este programa puede convertir videos de cualquier formato a cualquier formato. (This program can convert videos from any format to any other format. Note that whatever could be informally substituted for any in the translation.) Existen cientos de carreras profesionales, y estudiar cualquiera de ellas tiene sus ventajas y desventajas. (There are hundreds of careers, and studying any of them has advantages and disadvantages.) Cualquiera que estudie este libro va a aprender cosas que le van a ser muy à ºtiles en su vida. (Anyone who studies this book will learn things that will be very useful in his or her life. Cualquiera que is typically followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.) En cualesquiera circunstancias, la mente siempre encontrar algo para que no seas feliz. (In any circumstance, the mind will always find something so you arent happy. The Spanish is an example of the plural form, although it is translated as singular in English.) Quienquiera que seas, no importa. (Whoever you are, it doesnt matter. Quienquiera que is typically followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.) Nuestro movimiento est abierto a quienquiera. (Our movement is open to anyone.) Cuandoquiera que dos o tres alcohà ³licos se reà ºnan en interà ©s de la sobriedad, podrn llamarse un grupo de A.A. (Whenever two or three alcoholics get together in the interest of sobriety, they will be able to call themselves an AA group. Cuandoquiera que is typically followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood, although sometimes the indicative mood is used when referring to an event that regularly occurs.) Puedes llamarme por celular cuandoquiera. (You can call me by cell phone at any time.) Translating to Spanish Be aware that while it usually works to translate Spanish -quiera words as English -ever words, the reverse isnt always true. In other words, the -ever words of English are more versatile than the -quiera words of Spanish. For example, whoever sometimes has basically the same meaning as who but is used mainly for emphasis. Thus Whoever is calling you? would better be translated simply as  ¿Quià ©n te llama? rather than using some form of quienquiera. Also, whatever also is used in numerous ways. Where whatever is the equivalent of any, it often can be translated using cualquiera. For example, You can be whatever type of woman you want to be could be translated as Puedes ser cualquier tipo de mujer que quieres ser. But when it is used to express indifference, you might translate it using something as no importa, which literally means it isnt important. Key Takeaways Common Spanish words ending in -quiera include dondequiera (wherever), comoquiera (however), cualquiera (whichever), quienquiera (whoever), and cuandoquiera (whenever).Sometimes the -quiera words are followed by que and a verb in the subjunctive mood.When used as an adjective before a singular, masculine noun, the -quiera ending changes to -quier.