que / quoi

What with Que and Quoi

Level 1

French uses two different words for 'what' depending on where they sit in a sentence. Que is used at the beginning, while quoi is used after prepositions (like 'with' or 'about') or in casual speech at the end.

How It Works

To ask 'what' in French, you must choose the correct form based on these rules:

1. Que (or Qu'): Used at the beginning of formal or standard questions. It elides to qu' before a vowel.
Example: Que fais-tu ? (What are you doing?)

2. Qu'est-ce que: This is the most common way to say 'what' in neutral daily French. It uses que at the start but avoids the need for inversion. Note that the final que elides to qu' before a vowel sound (e.g., Qu'est-ce qu'il mange ?).

3. Quoi: Used in three specific scenarios:

  • After a preposition: Always use quoi after words like à, de, or avec. (e.g., À quoi penses-tu ?)
  • At the end of a sentence: Common in informal speech. (e.g., Tu fais quoi ?)
  • Standing alone: If you just want to say 'What?' because you didn't hear someone, you say Quoi ? (though Pardon ? is more polite).

4. With Infinitives: To ask 'what to [verb]', use que in formal speech (Que faire ?) and quoi in casual speech (Quoi faire ?).

5. Subject Position: If 'what' is the subject of the sentence, usually use qu'est-ce qui (e.g., Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?). In formal French, que can act as a logical subject only with specific impersonal verbs (like se passer or arriver). In this case, you must use the impersonal il and inversion (e.g., Que se passe-t-il ?).

Examples (6)

  1. Que voulez-vous ?

    What do you want? (Formal)

    Word by Word: What want you?

    In formal French, 'que' is used at the beginning with subject-verb inversion.

  2. Qu'est-ce qu'il mange ?

    What is he eating? (Standard)

    Word by Word: What is it that he eats?

    The final 'que' in 'qu'est-ce que' elides to 'qu'' before a vowel sound.

  3. Tu regardes quoi ?

    What are you watching? (Informal)

    Word by Word: You watch what?

    In casual speech, 'quoi' is placed at the end of the sentence.

  4. À quoi penses-tu ?

    What are you thinking about?

    Word by Word: To what think you?

    'Quoi' must be used after the preposition 'à'.

  5. Que faire ?

    What to do? (Formal)

    Word by Word: What to do?

    When followed by an infinitive, 'que' is used in formal contexts, while 'quoi' is used informally.

  6. Que se passe-t-il ?

    What is happening? (Formal)

    Word by Word: What itself passes it?

    In formal French, 'que' can act as a subject with specific verbs like 'se passer'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'que' after a preposition.

    À que penses-tu ?
    À quoi penses-tu ?

    'Que' is an atonic form and cannot follow a preposition. You must use the stressed form 'quoi'.

  • Starting a simple question with 'quoi' without a preposition.

    Quoi tu fais ?
    Que fais-tu ? / Tu fais quoi ?

    In a standard question with a verb, 'quoi' does not come first (apart from set phrases such as 'Quoi de neuf ?'). It follows a preposition or comes at the end: use 'que' at the start or 'quoi' at the end.

  • Using 'que' as a subject without the impersonal 'il'.

    Que se passe ?
    Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? / Que se passe-t-il ?

    While 'que' usually functions as an object, it can act as a logical subject in formal French only with impersonal verbs. In these cases, it requires the grammatical subject 'il' and inversion.

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que / quoiLevel 1What with Que and Quoi

Learn This First

To use 'que' and 'quoi' correctly, you need to understand how French questions are structured through inversion and how 'que' changes its form before vowels. You also need to understand basic sentence structure to know when to use 'que' as a direct object versus 'quoi' after a preposition.

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quoi