How to Say ‘What’ in French
Qu'est-ce
k ay suh
[k ay suh]
💬 Usage Tip: [Qu'est-ce que ... ?] is a very common way to ask [what ... ?]. You can reuse the pattern: [Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?] = [What do you want?]
Phrase Breakdown
Qu'
[k]
what
Qu' is the shortened form of que, meaning what here.
Qu' est-ce qui se passe avec la douche ?
What is happening with the shower?
est
[ay]
is
Form of être meaning is.
Qu'est-ce ? Ici, est veut dire is.
What is it? Here, est means is.
-ce
[suh]
this / it
Part of the fixed expression qu'est-ce, used in questions.
Dans Qu'est-ce, -ce fait partie d'une expression interrogative.
In Qu'est-ce, -ce is part of a question expression.
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