Que/quoi
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Joakim R.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Que/quoi
This lesson tells us to use Que at the beginning, or Quoi at the end of a question. So what about the phrase "Quoi de neuf ?"
This question relates to:French lesson "Asking questions in French with "qui/que/quoi/quand/où/comment/pourquoi/combien" (French Question Words)"
Asked 8 years ago
Bonjour Joakim!
That's a great question, but I think I've got an explanation :)
When asking simply "What?" with no verb or clause afterwards, you will use the word "Quoi ?" rather than "Que ?" (or "Comment ?" which is considered a more elegant term). Anyway, so when you ask "Quoi de neuf ?", there is no clause, as you're literally asking "What new?", hence the use of "quoi" and not "que".
[You could use "que" if the question was "What is new?" = "Qu'est-ce qui est nouveau ?" or the rule would apply with "what [is there] new?" = "Qu'y a-t-il de nouveau ?" vs "Il y a quoi de nouveau ?".
I hope that's helpful!
That's a great question, but I think I've got an explanation :)
When asking simply "What?" with no verb or clause afterwards, you will use the word "Quoi ?" rather than "Que ?" (or "Comment ?" which is considered a more elegant term). Anyway, so when you ask "Quoi de neuf ?", there is no clause, as you're literally asking "What new?", hence the use of "quoi" and not "que".
[You could use "que" if the question was "What is new?" = "Qu'est-ce qui est nouveau ?" or the rule would apply with "what [is there] new?" = "Qu'y a-t-il de nouveau ?" vs "Il y a quoi de nouveau ?".
I hope that's helpful!
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