Easy methods to Say What in French [with Audio]
How do you say “what” in French?
Freshmen will certainly know quoi and que imply “what” in French whereas extra superior learners can even be conversant in ce que and ce qui. Sure, there may be multiple approach of claiming “what” in French!
It’d sound a bit sophisticated however when you perceive the logic behind them, it does get simpler.
After I was studying French, it took me some time to tell apart between ce que and ce qui, and generally quoi and que. As a substitute of lengthy grammar explanations, I discovered it simpler to take a look at instance sentences or hearken to French songs the place I might 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 apply 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 to be sophisticated, however I guarantee you, its pronunciation isn’t! Remember the fact that French pronunciation isn’t phonetic — take a look at quel, quelle, quels, and quelles within the desk. Though they’re written otherwise, 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? …ebook is that? | 5. Quel 6. Quelle 7. Quels 8. Quelles | /kɛl/ /kɛl/ /kɛl/ /kɛl/ | |
| “What…” (hyperlink phrase) Instance: Right here’s what meaning. | 9. Ce qui 10. Ce que | /sə ki//sə kə/ |
Easy methods to Say What in French
Beneath, you’ll discover when to make use of every phrase. Make sure that to test the instance sentences as they can 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 much like the English “what?” you say while you’re expressing disbelief or shock. Check out this instance dialogue between two buddies:
- 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 article of the query in on a regular basis French, or with prepositions in additional formal French. Listed here 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 excited about?” (Penser is a verb that wants the preposition à, so we now have to say à quoi as a substitute of simply quoi right here.)
2. Qu’est-ce que/qui: The “What” in “What Is This?”
You would possibly acknowledge the phrase qu’est-ce que from the tune 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 a substitute 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 going on?”
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 types: 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 depart?”
- 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 as well use quel/quelle/quels/quelles to precise shock in a approach that it means “what” however isn’t a query. Fortunately, there’s an actual translation in English: “What a…”
- Quel dommage! “What a disgrace!”
- Quelle belle shock! “What a pleasant shock!”
- Quel beau paysage! “What a lovely panorama!”
- Quelle déception! “What a disappointment!”
5. Ce qui/ce que: The “What” Used to Hyperlink Clauses Collectively
Ce qui and ce que should not the “what” we use in questions. Consider them because the “what” in “right here’s what meaning.” Some examples will make it clearer:
- Voici ce que cela signifie. “Right here’s what meaning.”
- 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, contemplate trying out books, podcasts, and programs to see these phrases in context. The extra you expose your self to French, the extra naturally the appropriate phrases come. Bonne probability!
