quoi de neuf
/kwa d(ə) nœf/
The French phrase for "what's up" is quoi de neuf.
quoi de neuf is an informal way to ask what's going on.
Meaning: How are you? (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what of new".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
quoi de neuf is informal and should be avoided in professional or formal settings. Other informal alternatives include Ça va ? to mean "How's it going?" and Comment ça roule ?, which is an expression used among close friends.
How does it change in a sentence?
This is an elliptical expression, and it does not change its form based on the gender or number of the person you are addressing.
How do you pronounce it?
/kwa d(ə) nœf/
When do people say it?
When someone asks you quoi de neuf, a common response is Pas grand-chose, which means "Not much".
Did you know?
- In French, the word neuf is a homonym that can refer to both the number 'nine' and the concept of being 'new'.
- The word neuf comes from the Latin novus, making it a linguistic ancestor to the English word 'novel' in the sense of something original or new.
- Unlike the English greeting 'what's up', which is often used as a simple 'hello', quoi de neuf typically expects the listener to share a piece of recent news.
Examples in context
- Hé ! Quoi de neuf ?Hey, what's up?This example shows a casual greeting using quoi de neuf.Tatoeba #2269953 by sacredceltic, translation #2230278 by Hybrid
- Quoi de neuf, gros ?What's up, dawg?This example shows the phrase used with a very informal term for a friend.Tatoeba #982499 by U2FS, translation #518463 by FeuDRenais
- Hé ! Quoi de neuf Docteur ?Hey! What's up Doc?This example shows the phrase used in a playful greeting.Tatoeba #477439 by sacredceltic, translation #477438 by sacredceltic
- Salut! Ça va ?Hi! How's it going?
- Quoi de neuf ?What's new?
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel meets his friend Léa at a café.
- GabrielSalut Léa, quoi de neuf ?Hi Léa, what's up?
- LéaPas grand-chose, et toi ?Not much, and you?
- GabrielÇa va, je suis juste fatigué.I'm fine, I'm just tired.
- LéaTu devrais te reposer un peu.You should rest a little.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what's up” translations and entries quoi de neuf, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, neuf, quoi, quoi de neuf, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
