Part 5: What vs Which : English In A Minute

Tom here for BBC Learning English

Today, I'm going to explain the difference between what and which in questions

'What' is used to ask a question which has a lot of possible answers

Consider the question: What do you want to eat for lunch

Here, there are no choices to limit your reply

You could choose anything you want

We use 'which' when we have options to choose from

So, here we have two choices – a sandwich and a melon

So I can say: Which do you want to eat

The sandwich or the melon

Now, next time you need to ask a question, you'll know which word to use

'What' for anything and 'which' when you have a choice