Qu’est-ce que c’est – The Most Important French Question Explained

Have you ever been to a French “boulangerie” (bakery)? The French take their bread very seriously. A French “boulangerie” is nothing less than a vast cornucopia of different baked goods. From pain au chocolate to baguettes there will probably be more than one unknown item on display. The phrase qu'est-ce que c'est , which means “what is it?” in French will serve you well in situations like this.

In this post we’ll break down the expression “qu’est-ce que c’est?”, teach you about the grammar behind it, and touch on the many situations in which you can use this phrase.

Qu’est-ce que c’est Meaning

Many French learners have trouble remembering and pronouncing qu'est-ce que c'est at first or confuse it with the many other French questions that there are. Understanding which components go into the expression can be helpful at this stage.

The literal translation of “qu’est ce que c’est” turns out to be “What is it that it is?”. Are you more or less confused now than you were five minutes ago? No worries, if those mental gymnastics are too much for you simply remember, qu'est-ce que c'est altogether just means “what is it”?

Read next: How To Say “What” in French — The 6 Ways to Express It

Why Qu’est-ce que c’est and not Qu’est-ce?

Now that you understand what components “qu’est-ce que c’est” consists of, you might wonder why not simply use “qu’est-ce”?

If you break down “qu’est-ce” it would be translated to “What is it?” right? While this is technically true, it is hardly ever used in spoken or written language. The best way to look at it is understanding that all questions in French use “est-ce que” (or est-ce qui) in between their question word (que, qui, ou, quand, comment) and their verb and object. Let’s look at some examples:

Looking at these examples we understand that est-ce que (or est-ce qui) is more of a placeholder than a literal translation of “what is it?”. Therefore to say “what is it?” always opt for “qu’est-ce que c’est?”.

Qu’est ce que vs Est-ce que

In your French studies you might also have come across questions which start with“est-ce que” such as the following:

We observe that these questions don’t have a question word such as que, qui, ou, quand, comment at the beginning of the sentence. “Est-ce que” in fact initiates a question to which you can only answer yes or no. In English these kinds of questions are initiated by the verbs “to do” or “to be”. These examples also illustrate the point that we have made in the previous paragraph – “est-ce que” isn’t a stand-alone translation for “what is it?” but rather a vehicle for a question to launch.

Learn more about how to differentiate Qu’est ce que vs Est-ce que.

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C’est quoi ça? vs Qu’est-ce que c’est?

Now we know how to say “what is it?” But what about when you want to ask for one specific thing? “What is THAT?” can be directly translated to C’est quoi ça? You might have already recognized that the question omits the “est-ce que” that usually goes into a question between the question word and verb. While we need this structure for correct written and spoken language, many French speakers use abbreviated forms such as “c’est quoi ça?” in an informal setting.. Let’s look at a few examples:

When you might use Qu’est-ce que c’est?

You can use “qu’est ce que c’est” in a variety of situations. You can ask for an unknown object, add emphasis to your question, express your disbelief or even show that you’re upset. Let’s look at a few examples below/

Ask for an unknown object

If you are in a shop and don´t recognize an item or don’t know what it is you can use “qu’est ce que c’est” to ask for it. If you are in a “boulangerie” and want to know what the fluffy white dough is you can point to it and say:

Add emphasis to a question

To add emphasis to a question, or expression, similar to verbally adding emphasis to “is” in the English “what IS it?” you can use “qu’ est-ce que c’est?”:

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Expressing doubts

If you are stunned by your new French friends’ eating habits you can express your doubts and disbelief with a well placed “qu’est-ce que c’est?”. Check out the following examples:

Expressing indignation

You can also use “qu’est ce que c’est” in a situation where in English you would say “Excuse me?!” expressing your indignation. Look at this example:

Conclusion

Although “qu’est ce que c’est” doesn’t necessarily roll off the tongue easily, it’s an important and versatile expression which can open you a lot of doors with French speakers. It’s important to know the difference between the various types of French questions to avoid a painful faux-pas.  As a French learner you should definitely include them in your repertory early on. As always, practice the pronunciation by yourself, to become more comfortable with it.