🥤❓

How to Say ‘What you're drinking’ in French

Ce que vous buvez

suh kuh voo bew-VAY

[suh kuh voo bew-VAY]

💬 Usage Tip: Ce que means "what" in the middle of a sentence, not in a direct question. Swap the verb: ce que vous mangez "what you're eating".

Phrase Breakdown

Ce que

suh kuh

What

'Ce que' means 'what' in indirect questions. It is said quickly, like 'skuh'.

Example

Je sais ce que tu veux.

I know what you want.

Words in this phrase

[suh]

what / that which

Ce often means what or that which when followed by que.

Example

Explique Ce que tu ne comprends pas au professeur.

Explain what you do not understand to the teacher.

que

[kuh]

that / what

Links ce to the rest of the clause; together ce que often means what.

Example

Montre Ce que tu ne comprends pas sur la feuille.

Show what you do not understand on the worksheet.

vous buvez

voo bew-VAY

you're drinking

This comes from 'boire' (to drink). 'Bu' uses the French 'u' with rounded lips: 'bu-vay'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que vous buvez ?

What are you drinking?

Words in this phrase

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

buvez

[bew-VAY]

drink / are drinking

Polite or plural 'you' form of the verb boire, to drink.

Example

Qu'est-ce que vous buvez ce soir ?

What are you drinking tonight?

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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