qu'est-ce que tu fais
informal
The English phrase 'what are you doing' can be translated into French as qu'est-ce que tu fais. Wiktionary also lists qu’est-ce que vous faites and que faites-vous.
Meaning: what are you doing (phrase)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| qu'est-ce que tu fais | informal |
| qu’est-ce que vous faites | formal |
| que faites-vous | |
| que fais-tu |
Which one should you use?
que fais-tu and que faites-vous use inversion, where the verb and subject are swapped, which is often considered more formal or standard.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use the informal qu'est-ce que tu fais for friends, family or peers. For strangers, superiors or when addressing a group of people, use the formal qu'est-ce que vous faites or que faites-vous.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form que faites-vous uses inversion, a grammatical structure where the subject and verb are reversed to form a question.
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone, qu'est-ce que tu fais can be used as a reprimand meaning 'what are you up to' or 'what are you doing' when someone is behaving badly.
- The phrase qu'est-ce que literally translates to 'what is it that', making the sentence 'what is it that you are doing'.
- While que faites-vous is grammatically correct, using this inverted form in a casual setting can sound like a line from a 19th-century novel or a period film.
Examples in context
- Que fais-tu ici ?What are you doing here?This sentence is useful for asking what someone is doing in a specific location using que fais-tu.Tatoeba #958458 by sacredceltic, translation #61908 by CK
- Que fais-tu samedi ?What are you doing on Saturday?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's plans for a specific day using que fais-tu.Tatoeba #7777024 by felix63, translation #13807990 by tieguy
- Que faites-vous ici ?What are you doing down here?This sentence is useful for asking what a person is doing in a specific location using que faites-vous.Tatoeba #1820453 by sacredceltic, translation #2915272 by Hybrid
- Excusez-moi, que faites-vous actuellement ?Excuse me, what are you doing currently?
- Pourriez-vous me dire, qu'est-ce que vous faites en ce moment ?Could you tell me, what are you doing at the moment?
- Salut Julie, qu'est-ce que tu fais aujourd'hui ?Hi Julie, what are you doing today?
- Alors, tu fais quoi ce soir ?So, what are you doing tonight?
- 99 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon calls Hugo on the phone to see what he is up to.
- ManonSalut Hugo, qu'est-ce que tu fais ?Hi Hugo, what are you doing?
- HugoJe regarde un film, et toi ?I am watching a movie, and you?
- ManonRien de spécial, je m'ennuie un peu.Nothing special, I am a little bored.
- HugoTu veux venir chez moi ?Do you want to come to my place?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what are you doing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
