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tal

/tˈal/

such, such a; so; (in set phrases) "as such," "in such a way"

Definitions

  1. 1

    such, such a — used before a noun to indicate a quality or degree already mentioned or implied

    “Nunca había visto tal desorden en la cocina antes.”

    I had never seen such a mess in the kitchen before.

  2. 2

    so, in such a way — used as an adverb to describe manner or degree

    “El niño habló de tal manera que todos lo entendieron.”

    The child spoke in such a way that everyone understood him.

  3. 3

    a certain (one) — used as a pronoun or adjective to refer vaguely to an unspecified person or thing

    “Me llamó un tal señor García para preguntarme por el trabajo.”

    A certain Mr. García called me to ask about the job.

  4. 4

    ¿qué tal? — a fixed greeting meaning 'how are you?' or 'how is it going?'

    “Al llegar a la oficina, su compañero le preguntó: '¿Qué tal?'”

    Upon arriving at the office, his colleague asked him: 'How's it going?'

Word forms

Plural
tales
Usage
Invariable for gender (same form for masculine and feminine); plural is 'tales'.

The phrase "¿qué tal?" is extremely common in everyday spoken Spanish as an informal greeting, equivalent to 'How are you?' or 'How's it going?' The phrase "con tal (de) que" means 'as long as / provided that' and is a very useful connector in both spoken and written Spanish.