Using que to introduce a warning or threat in Spanish

Learn about using que for a threat or a warning in Spanish

One way to introduce a warning or threat in Spanish is by starting a sentence with que.

Have a look and listen to the following examples expressing a warning:

¡Que llegas tarde!You will arrive late!

¡Que no se casan!They will not get married!

¡Que pierdes tu apuesta!You will lose your bet!

Have a look and listen to the following examples expressing a threat:

¡Que te robo todo el dinero!I will steal all your money!

¡Que te agredo!I will attack you!

¡Que nos comemos todo!We will eat everything!

Notice how this que does not have a written accent despite being at the beginning of the sentence. It is not a question word, but a conjunction!

Look at the following example to understand how the word que works in this sort of sentence, expressing a warning or threat about something that could happen in the (near) future:

¡Que te dejo solo!  
I'll leave you alone!

We could easily have said the same using a future tense:

¡Te dejaré / Te voy a dejar solo!
I'll leave you / I am going to leave you alone!

Note that the preposition a can go in front of the conjunction que in order to reinforce the warning or threat:

¡A que me voy! 
I really will leave!

See also Conjunción.

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Examples and resources

¡Que llegas tarde!You will arrive late!
¡Que no se casan!They will not get married!
¡Que pierdes tu apuesta!You will lose your bet!
¡Que nos comemos todo!We will eat everything!
¡Que te robo todo el dinero!I will steal all your money!
¡Que te agredo!I will attack you!
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