diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index b92dd80a..22f42946 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 # httr2 (development version)
 
+* `curl_translate()` now parses the query components of the url (@mgirlich, #259).
+
 * `curl_translate()` now works with multiline commands from the clipboard
-  (@mgirlich, #254).
 
 * New `resp_has_body()` returns a `TRUE` or `FALSE` depending on whether
   or not the response has a body (#205).
diff --git a/R/curl.R b/R/curl.R
index b11ab226..47643267 100644
--- a/R/curl.R
+++ b/R/curl.R
@@ -38,42 +38,37 @@ curl_translate <- function(cmd) {
   }
   data <- curl_normalize(cmd)
 
-  out <- glue('request("{data$url}")')
-  add_line <- function(x, y) {
-    paste0(x, ' %>% \n  ', gsub("\n", "\n  ", y))
-  }
+  url_pieces <- httr2::url_parse(data$url)
+  query <- url_pieces$query
+  url_pieces$query <- NULL
+  url <- url_build(url_pieces)
 
-  if (!is.null(data$method)) {
-    out <- add_line(out, glue('req_method("{data$method}")'))
-  }
+  steps <- glue('request("{url}")')
+  steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_method", main_args = data$method)
+
+  steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_url_query", dots = query)
 
   # Content type set with data
   type <- data$headers$`Content-Type`
   data$headers$`Content-Type` <- NULL
 
-  if (length(data$headers) > 0) {
-    names <- quote_name(names(data$headers))
-    values <- encodeString(unlist(data$headers), quote = '"')
-    args <- paste0("  ", names, " = ", values, ",\n", collapse = "")
-
-    out <- add_line(out, paste0("req_headers(\n", args, ")"))
-  }
+  steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_headers", dots = data$headers)
 
   if (!identical(data$data, "")) {
-    type <- encodeString(type %||% "application/x-www-form-urlencoded", quote = '"')
-    body <- encodeString(data$data, quote = '"')
-    out <- add_line(out, glue("req_body_raw({body}, {type})"))
+    type <- type %||% "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
+    body <- data$data
+    steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_body_raw", main_args = c(body, type))
   }
 
-  if (!is.null(data$auth)) {
-    out <- add_line(out, glue('req_auth_basic("{data$auth[[1]]}", "{data$auth[[2]]}")'))
-  }
+  steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_auth_basic", main_args = unname(data$auth))
 
+  perform_args <- list()
   if (data$verbose) {
-    out <- add_line(out, "req_perform(verbosity = 1)")
-  } else {
-    out <- add_line(out, "req_perform()")
+    perform_args$verbosity <- 1
   }
+  steps <- add_curl_step(steps, "req_perform", main_args = perform_args, keep_if_empty = TRUE)
+
+  out <- paste0(steps, collapse = " %>% \n  ")
   out <- paste0(out, "\n")
 
   if (clip) {
@@ -230,8 +225,42 @@ curl_args <- function(cmd) {
 # Helpers -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 is_syntactic <- function(x) {
-  x == make.names(x)
+  x == "" | x == make.names(x)
 }
 quote_name <- function(x) {
   ifelse(is_syntactic(x), x, encodeString(x, quote = "`"))
 }
+
+add_curl_step <- function(steps,
+                          f,
+                          ...,
+                          main_args = NULL,
+                          dots = NULL,
+                          keep_if_empty = FALSE) {
+  check_dots_empty0(...)
+  args <- c(main_args, dots)
+
+  if (is_empty(args) && !keep_if_empty) {
+    return(steps)
+  }
+
+  names <- quote_name(names2(args))
+  string <- vapply(args, is.character, logical(1L))
+  values <- unlist(args)
+  values <- ifelse(string, encodeString(values, quote = '"'), values)
+
+  args_named <- ifelse(
+    names == "",
+    paste0(values),
+    paste0(names, " = ", values)
+  )
+  if (is_empty(dots)) {
+    args_string <- paste0(args_named, collapse = ", ")
+    new_step <- paste0(f, "(", args_string, ")")
+  } else {
+    args_string <- paste0("    ", args_named, ",\n", collapse = "")
+    new_step <- paste0(f, "(\n", args_string, "  )")
+  }
+
+  c(steps, new_step)
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/_snaps/curl.md b/tests/testthat/_snaps/curl.md
index 980104dc..bd0139bc 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/_snaps/curl.md
+++ b/tests/testthat/_snaps/curl.md
@@ -47,6 +47,18 @@
       request("http://x.com") %>% 
         req_perform(verbosity = 1)
 
+# can translate query
+
+    Code
+      curl_translate("curl http://x.com?string=abcde&b=2")
+    Output
+      request("http://x.com") %>% 
+        req_url_query(
+          string = "abcde",
+          b = "2",
+        ) %>% 
+        req_perform()
+
 # can translate data
 
     Code
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-curl.R b/tests/testthat/test-curl.R
index 4d94c173..8789b842 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-curl.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-curl.R
@@ -96,6 +96,12 @@ test_that("can translate to httr calls", {
   })
 })
 
+test_that("can translate query", {
+  expect_snapshot({
+    curl_translate("curl http://x.com?string=abcde&b=2")
+  })
+})
+
 test_that("can translate data", {
   expect_snapshot({
     curl_translate("curl http://example.com --data abcdef")