How do you say “what” in French?
Novices will certainly know quoi and que imply “what” in French whereas extra superior learners may even be accustomed to ce que and ce qui. Sure, there may be multiple method of claiming “what” in French!
It would sound a bit difficult however when you perceive the logic behind them, it does get simpler.
Once I was studying French, it took me some time to differentiate between ce que and ce qui, and typically quoi and que. As a substitute of lengthy grammar explanations, I discovered it simpler to take a look at instance sentences or take heed to French songs the place I may hear the phrases in context.
So on this article, I outlined the alternative ways of claiming “what” in French with related instance sentences. I’ve additionally included audio so you may observe your pronunciation.
What in French (Chart with Audio)
Let’s begin with a fast abstract to familiarize ourselves with the pronunciation of “what” in French. Qu’est-ce que notably seems difficult, however I guarantee you, its pronunciation shouldn’t be! Understand that French pronunciation isn’t phonetic — have a look at quel, quelle, quels, and quelles within the desk. Though they’re written in a different way, they sound the identical.
| English | French | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| “What!” (in disbelief) | 1. Quoi | /kwa/ | |
| “What’s..?” | 2. Qu’est-ce que 3. Qu’est-ce qui |
/kɛs kə/ /kɛs ki/ |
|
| What..?” (typically extra formal) | 4. Que | /kə/ | |
| “What…” (adjective) Examples: What…time is it? …day is it? …e book is that? |
5. Quel 6. Quelle 7. Quels 8. Quelles |
/kɛl/ /kɛl/ /kɛl/ /kɛl/ |
|
| “What…” (hyperlink phrase) Instance: Right here’s what which means. |
9. Ce qui 10. Ce que |
/sə ki//sə kə/ |
The way to Say What in French
Under, you’ll discover when to make use of every phrase. Ensure that to test the instance sentences as they may even be helpful for daily-life vocabulary.
1. Quoi: The “What” Utilized in Disbelief, After Prepositions, and With Direct Objects
There are alternative ways of utilizing quoi in French. The primary one is just like the English “what?” you say if you’re expressing disbelief or shock. Check out this instance dialogue between two associates:
- Lucie: Je me marie le mois prochain: “I’m getting married subsequent month.”
- Manon: Quoi?! “What?” (Right here, Manon expressed her shock by saying quoi? as she didn’t know that Lucie was getting married.)
We additionally use quoi when “what” is the thing of the query in on a regular basis French, or with prepositions in additional formal French. Listed below are some examples:
- Tu veux quoi pour ton anniversaire? “What would you like to your birthday?” (Casual, informal)
- Tu penses à quoi? “What are you fascinated by?” (Penser is a verb that wants the preposition à, so we’ve got to say à quoi as an alternative of simply quoi right here.)
2. Qu’est-ce que/qui: The “What” in “What Is This?”
You may acknowledge the phrase qu’est-ce que from the track Psycho Killer — Psycho Killer, qu’est-ce que c’est?
Que in qu’est-ce que means what. Qu’est-ce que c’est, as a complete, means “what’s that.” You should use the phrase qu’est-ce que to ask about definitions, explanations, or clarifications. Generally, you may also see qu’est-ce qui as an alternative of qu’est-ce que — that’s when the “what” refers back to the topic of the sentence.
- Qu’est-ce que tu fais? “What are you doing?”
- Qu’est-ce que tu veux manger? “What do you wish to eat?”
- Qu’est-ce qui se passe? “What is occurring?”
3. Que: The “What” in Qu’est-ce que
When que is used alone, with out attaching to est-ce que, it typically results in a query that requires inversion. Take a look at the distinction between these sentences:
- Qu’est-ce que tu fais? “What are you doing?” (Extra simple)
- Que fais-tu? “What are you doing?” (Extra formal)
4. Quel/quelle/quels/quelles: The Adjective “What”
Quel has totally different varieties: quel (masculine singular), quelle (female singular), quels (masculine plural), and quelles (female plural). It’s because it acts as an adjective, agreeing with the noun that comes after it.
- Quelle heure est-il? “What time is it?”
- À quelle heure half le practice? “What time does the practice go away?”
- Quel jour on est? “What day is it?”
- Quelles couleurs aimes-tu? “What colours do you want?”
- Quels livres recommandez-vous? “What books do you advocate?”
You may also use quel/quelle/quels/quelles to specific shock in a method that it means “what” however shouldn’t be a query. Fortunately, there’s a precise translation in English: “What a…”
- Quel dommage! “What a disgrace!”
- Quelle belle shock! “What a pleasant shock!”
- Quel beau paysage! “What an attractive panorama!”
- Quelle déception! “What a disappointment!”
5. Ce qui/ce que: The “What” Used to Hyperlink Clauses Collectively
Ce qui and ce que are usually not the “what” we use in questions. Consider them because the “what” in “right here’s what which means.” Some examples will make it clearer:
- Voici ce que cela signifie. “Right here’s what which means.”
- Je ne sais pas ce que tu vas faire demain. “I don’t know what you’ll do tomorrow.”
- Montre-moi ce que tu as acheté. “Present me what you’ve purchased.”
- Ce qui compte vraiment, c’est la famille. “What actually issues is household.”
Put Your French in Context
Whereas instance sentences do assist, think about trying out books, podcasts, and programs to see these phrases in context. The extra you expose your self to French, the extra naturally the correct phrases come. Bonne likelihood!
