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How to Say ‘Who's calling?’ in French

Qui est à l'appareil ?

kee eh ah l' a-pa-RAY

[kee eh ah l' a-pa-RAY]

💬 Usage Tip: L'appareil literally means "the device", so the question is really "who is on the phone?". You may also hear C'est de la part de qui ? "who's calling?".

Phrase Breakdown

Qui est

kee eh

Who is

Pronounced 'kee-è'. 'Qu' sounds like 'k'.

Example

Qui est là ?

Who is there?

Words in this phrase

Qui

[kee]

Who

Used to introduce a clause giving more information about a person.

Example

C'est le garçon qui habitait ici.

That's the boy who lived here.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

à l'appareil ?

ah l' a-pa-RAY

on the phone?

'L'appareil' means the device, here the telephone. Say 'la-pa-rèy', ending with a 'y' sound.

Example

Madame Roux à l'appareil.

Mrs. Roux speaking.

Words in this phrase

[ah]

A preposition indicating position or direction.

Example

À la maison.

At the house.

[l']

the

Used before singular when the item is known.

Example

L'homme est là.

The man is there.

appareil

[a-pa-RAY]

device / telephone

A masculine noun for a machine or device; 'à l'appareil' means 'on the phone'.

Example

Madame Dupont est à l'appareil.

Mrs. Dupont is on the phone.

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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