How To Say What In French

Learning how to say “what” in French can be very helpful when having conversations. French is a beautiful language spoken by millions of people around the world. Knowing how to ask questions makes it easier to communicate and understand others.

In this article, you will learn how to say “what” in French in different ways. We will also explore phrases like “What is this?” and “What are you doing?” Understanding these expressions will make your conversations in French more natural and fun. Let’s get started!

Ways to Say “What” in French

Here are different ways to say “what” in French, including pronunciation and meanings.

1. Quoi (kwah)

Meaning: What (informal, standalone)
In a Sentence:

Quoi? (What?)
Tu as dit quoi? (What did you say?)

2. Que (kuh)

Meaning: What (used at the beginning of a sentence)
In a Sentence:

Que veux-tu? (What do you want?)
Que fais-tu? (What are you doing?)

3. Qu’est-ce que (kes-kuh)

Meaning: What (used in questions)
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que c’est? (What is this?)
Qu’est-ce que tu fais? (What are you doing?)

4. Quel (kehl)

Meaning: Which/What (masculine, singular)
In a Sentence:

Quel jour est-il? (What day is it?)
Quel est ton nom? (What is your name?)

5. Quelle (kehl)

Meaning: Which/What (feminine, singular)
In a Sentence:

Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
Quelle est ta couleur préférée? (What is your favorite color?)

6. Quels (kehl)

Meaning: Which/What (masculine, plural)
In a Sentence:

Quels livres as-tu lus? (What books have you read?)
Quels sont tes projets? (What are your plans?)

7. Quelles (kehl)

Meaning: Which/What (feminine, plural)
In a Sentence:

Quelles fleurs préfères-tu? (What flowers do you prefer?)
Quelles sont vos idées? (What are your ideas?)

8. Comment (koh-mahn)

Meaning: What/How (in some contexts)
In a Sentence:

Comment ça va? (How are you?)
Comment s’appelle-t-il? (What’s his name?)

9. Quoi de neuf? (kwah duh nuhf)

Meaning: What’s new? (informal)
In a Sentence:

Quoi de neuf? (What’s new?)
Hé! Quoi de neuf depuis la dernière fois? (Hey! What’s new since last time?)

10. C’est quoi ça? (say kwah sah)

Meaning: What is that? (informal)
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi ça? (What is that?)
C’est quoi ça sur la table? (What is that on the table?)

11. À quoi (ah kwah)

Meaning: What for/To what
In a Sentence:

À quoi penses-tu? (What are you thinking about?)
À quoi sert ce bouton? (What is this button for?)

12. Pourquoi (poor-kwah)

Meaning: Why (related to “what” in context)
In a Sentence:

Pourquoi pleures-tu? (Why are you crying?)
Pourquoi est-il en retard? (Why is he late?)

13. Pour quoi faire? (poor kwah fehr)

Meaning: For what purpose?
In a Sentence:

Pour quoi faire? (For what purpose?)
Tu veux ça? Pour quoi faire? (You want that? For what purpose?)

14. De quoi (duh kwah)

Meaning: About what
In a Sentence:

De quoi s’agit-il? (What is it about?)
De quoi parlez-vous? (What are you talking about?)

15. À quelle heure (ah kehl euhr)

Meaning: At what time
In a Sentence:

À quelle heure part le train? (At what time does the train leave?)
À quelle heure est le film? (At what time is the movie?)

16. C’est quoi le problème? (say kwah luh proh-blehm)

Meaning: What’s the problem? (informal)
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi le problème? (What’s the problem?)
C’est quoi le problème avec la voiture? (What’s the problem with the car?)

17. Comment ça? (koh-mahn sah)

Meaning: What do you mean?/How so?
In a Sentence:

Comment ça? (What do you mean?)
Comment ça marche? (How does it work?)

18. C’est quoi ton avis? (say kwah ton ah-vee)

Meaning: What’s your opinion?
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi ton avis? (What’s your opinion?)
C’est quoi ton avis sur ce film? (What’s your opinion on this movie?)

19. Que veux-tu dire? (kuh vuh-tyoo deer)

Meaning: What do you mean?
In a Sentence:

Que veux-tu dire? (What do you mean?)
Que veux-tu dire par là? (What do you mean by that?)

20. Qu’est-ce qui se passe? (kes kee suh pahs)

Meaning: What’s happening?
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce qui se passe? (What’s happening?)
Qu’est-ce qui se passe ici? (What’s happening here?)

21. C’est quoi ton problème? (say kwah ton proh-blehm)

Meaning: What’s your problem? (informal)
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi ton problème? (What’s your problem?)
Pourquoi es-tu en colère? C’est quoi ton problème? (Why are you angry? What’s your problem?)

22. Qu’est-ce que tu dis? (kes kuh tyoo dee)

Meaning: What are you saying?
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que tu dis? (What are you saying?)
Je n’ai pas entendu. Qu’est-ce que tu dis? (I didn’t hear. What are you saying?)

23. Quoi encore? (kwah ahn-kohr)

Meaning: What now?
In a Sentence:

Quoi encore? (What now?)
Quoi encore? Je suis déjà occupé! (What now? I’m already busy!)

24. Qu’est-ce que tu veux? (kes kuh tyoo vuh)

Meaning: What do you want?
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que tu veux? (What do you want?)
Qu’est-ce que tu veux manger? (What do you want to eat?)

25. C’est quoi ça là-bas? (say kwah sah lah-bah)

Meaning: What is that over there?
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi ça là-bas? (What is that over there?)
Regarde! C’est quoi ça là-bas? (Look! What is that over there?)

26. Qu’est-ce que tu fais? (kes kuh tyoo feh)

Meaning: What are you doing?
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que tu fais? (What are you doing?)
Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce week-end? (What are you doing this weekend?)

27. Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça? (kes kuh say kuh sah)

Meaning: What is that? (expressing surprise)
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça? (What is that?)
Qu’est-ce que c’est que ça dans la boîte? (What is that in the box?)

28. C’est quoi ton truc? (say kwah ton trok)

Meaning: What’s your thing? (What are you into?)
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi ton truc? (What’s your thing?)
C’est quoi ton truc en musique? (What’s your thing in music?)

29. Tu veux quoi? (tyoo vuh kwah)

Meaning: What do you want? (informal)
In a Sentence:

Tu veux quoi? (What do you want?)
Tu veux quoi pour dîner? (What do you want for dinner?)

30. Quoi donc? (kwah donk)

Meaning: What then?/What now? (curious or surprised)
In a Sentence:

Quoi donc? (What then?)
Quoi donc? Tu pars déjà? (What then? You’re leaving already?)

31. C’est quoi le plan? (say kwah luh plahn)

Meaning: What’s the plan?
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi le plan? (What’s the plan?)
C’est quoi le plan pour ce soir? (What’s the plan for tonight?)

32. Tu fais quoi? (tyoo feh kwah)

Meaning: What are you doing? (informal)
In a Sentence:

Tu fais quoi? (What are you doing?)
Tu fais quoi après l’école? (What are you doing after school?)

33. C’est quoi le menu? (say kwah luh muh-nyoo)

Meaning: What’s the menu?
In a Sentence:

C’est quoi le menu? (What’s the menu?)
C’est quoi le menu du dîner? (What’s the dinner menu?)

34. Qu’est-ce que tu veux dire par là? (kes kuh tyoo vuh deer pahr lah)

Meaning: What do you mean by that?
In a Sentence:

Qu’est-ce que tu veux dire par là? (What do you mean by that?)
Je ne comprends pas. Qu’est-ce que tu veux dire par là? (I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?)

35. Ça veut dire quoi? (sah vuh deer kwah)

Meaning: What does that mean?
In a Sentence:

Ça veut dire quoi? (What does that mean?)
Cette phrase en français, ça veut dire quoi? (That phrase in French, what does it mean?)

Other Ways to Say “What” in French

Here’s a table listing alternative ways to say “what” in French, with pronunciation, meanings, and example sentences.

Other Ways to Say	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentences
Qu’est-ce que tu penses?	kes-kuh tyoo pahns	What do you think?	Qu’est-ce que tu penses de ce film? (What do you think about this movie?)
Comment tu t’appelles?	koh-mahn tyoo tah-pehl	What’s your name?	Comment tu t’appelles? (What’s your name?)
C’est quoi ton idée?	say kwah ton ee-day	What’s your idea?	C’est quoi ton idée pour le projet? (What’s your idea for the project?)
Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?	kes kuh sah vuh deer	What does that mean?	Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire en anglais? (What does that mean in English?)
Tu veux savoir quoi?	tyoo vuh sah-vwahr kwah	What do you want to know?	Tu veux savoir quoi sur la ville? (What do you want to know about the city?)
Qu’est-ce qui arrive?	kes kee ah-reev	What’s happening?	Qu’est-ce qui arrive là-bas? (What’s happening over there?)
Quelle est la réponse?	kehl eh lah ray-pons	What’s the answer?	Quelle est la réponse à cette question? (What’s the answer to this question?)
De quoi as-tu besoin?	duh kwah ah-tyoo buh-zwahn	What do you need?	De quoi as-tu besoin pour le voyage? (What do you need for the trip?)
Que se passe-t-il?	kuh suh pahs-teel	What’s going on?	Que se passe-t-il ici? (What’s going on here?)
C’est quoi cette histoire?	say kwah set ees-twahr	What’s this story?	C’est quoi cette histoire de vacances? (What’s this vacation story?)

Responses to “What” in French

Here are additional common responses you can use in everyday conversations.

1. C’est rien. (say ryang)

Meaning: It’s nothing.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce que tu fais?

Person 2: C’est rien. (What are you doing? It’s nothing.)

2. Je ne sais pas. (zhuh nuh say pah)

Meaning: I don’t know.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce qui se passe?

Person 2: Je ne sais pas. (What’s happening? I don’t know.)

3. Rien de spécial. (ryang duh spay-syal)

Meaning: Nothing special.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Quoi de neuf?

Person 2: Rien de spécial. (What’s new? Nothing special.)

4. Ça dépend. (sah day-pahn)

Meaning: It depends.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu fais quoi ce week-end?

Person 2: Ça dépend. (What are you doing this weekend? It depends.)

5. Pas grand-chose. (pah grahn shohz)

Meaning: Not much.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce que tu fais aujourd’hui?

Person 2: Pas grand-chose. (What are you doing today? Not much.)

6. Pourquoi tu demandes? (poor-kwah tyoo duh-mahnd)

Meaning: Why are you asking?
In a Sentence:
Person 1: C’est quoi ça? Person 2: Pourquoi tu demandes? (What’s that? Why are you asking?)

7. Ça ne te regarde pas. (sah nuh tuh ruh-gard pah)

Meaning: That’s none of your business.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu fais quoi ici?

Person 2: Ça ne te regarde pas. (What are you doing here? That’s none of your business.)

8. Bien sûr! (byang soor)

Meaning: Of course!
In a Sentence:
Person 1: C’est vrai ce que tu dis?

Person 2: Bien sûr! (Is what you’re saying true? Of course!)

9. Je t’écoute. (zhuh tay-koot)

Meaning: I’m listening.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu veux savoir quoi?

Person 2: Je t’écoute. (What do you want to know? I’m listening.)

10. Aucune idée. (oh-kewn ee-day)

Meaning: No idea.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Où est mon sac?

Person 2: Aucune idée. (Where’s my bag? No idea.)

11. Peu importe. (puh ehm-port)

Meaning: It doesn’t matter.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce qu’on mange ce soir?

Person 2: Peu importe. (What are we eating tonight? It doesn’t matter.)

12. C’est compliqué. (say kom-plee-kay)

Meaning: It’s complicated.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Que se passe-t-il entre vous?

Person 2: C’est compliqué. (What’s going on between you two? It’s complicated.)

13. Je m’en fiche. (zhuh mahn feesh)

Meaning: I don’t care.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce qu’ils disent?

Person 2: Je m’en fiche. (What are they saying? I don’t care.)

14. Laisse tomber. (less tom-bay)

Meaning: Forget it.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu voulais me dire quoi?

Person 2: Laisse tomber. (What did you want to tell me? Forget it.)

15. Rien du tout. (ryang dew too)

Meaning: Nothing at all.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce que tu regardes?

Person 2: Rien du tout. (What are you looking at? Nothing at all.)

16. On verra. (ohn veh-rah)

Meaning: We’ll see.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce qu’on va faire demain?

Person 2: On verra. (What are we going to do tomorrow? We’ll see.)

17. Comme d’habitude. (kohm dah-bee-tewd)

Meaning: As usual.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce matin?

Person 2: Comme d’habitude. (What are you doing this morning? As usual.)

18. Pas encore. (pah ahn-kohr)

Meaning: Not yet.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu as fini ton travail?

Person 2: Pas encore. (Have you finished your work? Not yet.)

19. Peut-être. (puh-teht)

Meaning: Maybe.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: On va au cinéma ce soir?

Person 2: Peut-être. (Are we going to the movies tonight? Maybe.)

20. C’est clair. (say klair)

Meaning: It’s clear.
In a Sentence:
Person 1: Tu comprends la leçon?

Person 2: C’est clair. (Do you understand the lesson? It’s clear.)

Exercise to Practice Saying “What” in French

Complete the sentences below using the correct French phrase for “what” from the list provided earlier. Each sentence relates to real-life situations. After completing the exercise, check your answers and meanings.

Fill-in-the-Blanks:

________ tu fais ce week-end? (What are you doing this weekend?)
________ dans la boîte? (What is in the box?)
À ________ heure est le film? (At what time is the movie?)
________ se passe ici? (What’s happening here?)
________ tu veux manger ce soir? (What do you want to eat tonight?)
________ ton avis sur ce livre? (What’s your opinion on this book?)
________ ça veut dire? (What does that mean?)
________ as-tu besoin pour le voyage? (What do you need for the trip?)
________ ton idée pour la fête? (What’s your idea for the party?)
________ ça là-bas? (What’s that over there?)
________ tu penses de ce film? (What do you think of this movie?)
________ le problème? (What’s the problem?)

Answers and Meanings:

Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce week-end? (What are you doing this weekend?)
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans la boîte? (What is in the box?)
À quelle heure est le film? (At what time is the movie?)
Qu’est-ce qui se passe ici? (What’s happening here?)
Qu’est-ce que tu veux manger ce soir? (What do you want to eat tonight?)
C’est quoi ton avis sur ce livre? (What’s your opinion on this book?)
Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? (What does that mean?)
De quoi as-tu besoin pour le voyage? (What do you need for the trip?)
C’est quoi ton idée pour la fête? (What’s your idea for the party?)
C’est quoi ça là-bas? (What’s that over there?)
Qu’est-ce que tu penses de ce film? (What do you think of this movie?)
C’est quoi le problème? (What’s the problem?)

Conclusion

Learning how to say “what” in French helps you ask questions and understand conversations better. Whether you’re talking with friends, asking for directions, or expressing curiosity, these phrases will make your communication easier and more natural.

Keep practicing these expressions in real-life situations. The more you use them, the more comfortable you’ll become when speaking French. Asking “what” is just the beginning of discovering a whole new way of connecting with others!