What In French: 8 Ways To Say "What" Naturally

Learning French question words like qui, où, and quand is a great first step for any beginner, but there’s one tiny word that tends to cause more confusion than most: what. At first, you might think it’s as simple as memorizing quoi and calling it a day. But in reality, “what” in French shifts depending on the sentence, the tone, and even how polite you’re trying to be.

In this post, you’ll learn the eight most common ways to say what in French. We’ll break down when to use each one, how they sound in real conversation, and even a few slangy versions that’ll make you sound like a native. Ready? Let’s dive in.

Ways To Say What In French

English uses one little word—what—for a ton of different meanings. But French splits those meanings into several distinct words and expressions. Once you get the hang of which one fits where, you’ll sound a lot more natural (and way less like you’re translating in your head).

To make things easier, here’s a quick reference table before we dive into each expression:

Quoi - Informal question/at end

Think of quoi as your go-to “what” in French, especially when it stands alone at the end of a sentence. It’s informal, and you’ll hear it all the time in conversation. Just remember: it usually can’t start a question on its own (you’d use que or qu’est-ce que for that). It’s more like the French “huh?” or “what did you say?”

Examples:

• Tu fais quoi ? → “What are you doing?”
• Quoi ? Je ne t’ai pas entendu. → “What? I didn’t hear you.”

Que - Formal question/at start

Que is the more polished, grammatical version of “what.” You’ll mostly see it at the beginning of questions, often followed by a verb. It’s less common in spoken French unless you’re being very formal or writing.

Examples:

• Que veux-tu faire ce soir ? → “What do you want to do tonight?”
• Que dis-tu ? → “What are you saying?”

Qu’est-ce que - General "what" object in question

This phrase is one of the most useful for beginners. Qu’est-ce que literally means “what is it that,” but don’t overthink it—it’s just the natural way to ask questions starting with “what” in spoken French. You can use it in most situations, from casual chats to polite conversation.

Examples:

• Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? → “What are you doing?”
• Qu’est-ce que c’est ? → “What is that?”

Qu’est-ce qui - "What" as subject in question

While qu’est-ce que introduces the object of a question, qu’est-ce qui introduces the subject. In other words, use it when “what” is doing the action. It’s subtle but super important if you want to sound fluent.

Examples:

• Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? → “What’s happening?”
• Qu’est-ce qui te fait rire ? → “What makes you laugh?”

Quel/quelle/quels/quelles - Before a noun ("which/what")

This one’s all about describing or identifying things. Quel means “what” or “which” and changes to match the gender and number of the noun it describes:

• Quel (masculine singular)
• Quelle (feminine singular)
• Quels (masculine plural)
• Quelles (feminine plural)

It’s great for asking questions like “What movie?” or “Which dress?”

Examples:

• Quelle heure est-il ? → “What time is it?”
• Quels livres lis-tu ? → “Which books are you reading?”

Comment - Polite "excuse me?"

While comment literally means “how,” French people often use it to say “What?”—especially when they didn’t hear you clearly or want you to repeat something. It’s more polite and neutral than hein ? and fits in almost any situation.

Examples:

• Comment ? Je n’ai pas entendu. → “What? I didn’t hear you.”
• Comment ? Tu pars déjà ? → “What? You’re leaving already?”

Ce que / ce qui / ce dont - Relative/Dependent clause

These phrases show up in dependent or relative clauses, meaning they connect two parts of a sentence. The key difference is what role “what” plays:

• Ce que → used as a direct object (“what I like”)
• Ce qui → used as a subject (“what makes me happy”)
• Ce dont → used with verbs or expressions that take de (“what I need”)

These sound tricky at first, but they’re super common once you get the hang of them.

Examples:

• Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux. → “I don’t know what you want.”
• Ce qui me plaît, c’est la musique. → “What I like is music.”
• Je n’ai pas ce dont j’ai besoin. → “I don’t have what I need.”

Et si - With "if" (What if...)

Et si literally means “and if,” but in French, it’s used just like “what if…” in English. You’ll hear it in hypotheticals, suggestions, or daydreaming-type conversations.

Examples:

• Et si on partait demain ? → “What if we left tomorrow?”
• Et si tu essayais encore une fois ? → “What if you tried one more time?”

Learn More With Lingopie

The best way to really feel how each version of “what” is used in French isn’t by memorizing grammar charts...it’s by hearing them in real conversations. That’s where Lingopie can help!

With Lingopie, you can stream French shows, movies, and even documentaries with dual subtitles that let you click any word (like quoi, comment, or qu’est-ce que) to see its meaning instantly. The more you watch, the faster you’ll start recognizing patterns and tones—like when quoi sounds casual, when comment ça ? sounds shocked, or when quel sounds curious.

So technically, you’ll be learning French the same way you learned your first language: through context, rhythm, and real life.

Ready to see these in action? 👉 Start watching French shows on Lingopie and master “what” the natural way.