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How to Say ‘What's the matter?’ in French

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?

k ay suh keel eel ee ah

[k ay suh keel eel ee ah]

💬 Usage Tip: [Il y a] means [there is/there are], so [Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?] is literally [What is there?] but really means [What's the matter?] or [What's going on?]

Phrase Breakdown

Qu'est-ce

k ay suh

what is it

Part of the fixed question phrase qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?

Example

Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?

What are you doing?

Words in this phrase

Qu'

[k]

what

Shortened form of que in a question.

Example

Qu' est-ce qu'il y a avec la chaudière ?

What is going on with the boiler?

est

[ay]

is

Form of être meaning is.

Example

Dans Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?, est aide à former la question.

In Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?, est helps form the question.

-ce

[suh]

this / it

Part of the fixed question form qu'est-ce.

Example

Dans Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ?, -ce appartient à l'expression interrogative.

In Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?, -ce belongs to the question expression.

Qu'il y a

keel eel ee ah

there is / there are

The phrase meaning “there is” in this question structure.

Example

Il y a un problème.

There is a problem.

Words in this phrase

qu'

[keel]

that

Short form of que before il; part of the phrase qu'il y a.

Example

Qu' il y a un problème, c'est clair.

That there is a problem is clear.

il

[eel]

he / it

Pronoun used in the expression il y a, meaning there is/are.

Example

Dans qu'il y a, il fait partie d'une expression fixe.

In qu'il y a, il is part of a fixed expression.

y

[ee]

there

Element in il y a that helps express there is.

Example

Y dans il y a indique l'idée de there.

Y in il y a indicates the idea of there.

a

[ah]

is / has

In il y a, a means there is or there are.

Example

A dans il y a sert à signaler qu'il y a un souci.

A in il y a is used to indicate that there is an issue.

Guides for French learners

The Best App to Learn French: An Honest ComparisonDuolingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, Busuu, italki and PrettyFluent compared for learning French: what each is best at, how you pay, and which fits your goal.French Conversation for Beginners: 5 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseFive short French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.

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