Spanish Phrase
¿Qué tienes en tu estuche?
Meaning
Literally, “What do you have in your case?” The speaker is asking about the contents of the listener’s small container, often a pencil case or a makeup bag.
When to use
Use this question when you’re curious about what someone carries in their case – for example, in a classroom, at a workshop, or while sharing a hobby that involves tools or cosmetics.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quétienesentuestuche
Qué (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask about an unknown object or thing. It always carries an accent in questions.
tienes (verb tener)
Second‑person singular present of "tener" (to have). Remember the -es ending for "tú".
en (preposition)
Means "in" or "inside" and is used to indicate location.
tu (possessive adjective)
Shows ownership and is written without an accent. "tú" with an accent is the subject pronoun.
estuche (noun, masculine)
Refers to a small container such as a pencil case, makeup case, or any small box.
🗨In Conversation
¿Qué tienes en tu estuche?
What do you have in your case?
Tengo lápices, una regla y mi bolígrafo favorito.
I have pencils, a ruler, and my favorite pen.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Qué tienes en tú estuche?
Use "tu" (no accent) for the possessive adjective. "tú" with an accent means the subject pronoun "you".
¿Que tienes en tu estuche?
In questions the interrogative pronoun must have an accent: "qué".
¿Qué tienes en tu estuches?
The noun is singular here because you refer to one case. Use "estuches" only when talking about multiple cases.
↔Alternatives
¿Qué hay dentro de tu estuche?
What is inside your case?
¿Qué guardas en tu estuche?
What do you keep in your case?
¿Qué contiene tu estuche?
What does your case contain?
Cultural Tip
In most Spanish‑speaking countries "estuche" usually means a school‑age pencil case. If you’re talking about cosmetics, you might say "estuche de maquillaje" to avoid confusion. The word is masculine, so you’ll hear "mi estuche" rather than "mi estucha".