que fais-tu ici ?
The English phrase "what are you doing here?" is translated into French as que fais-tu ici ?
This phrase is used to ask someone why they are in a particular place or what their purpose is for being there.
Which one should you use?
The default form que fais-tu ici ? uses inversion (verb-subject), which is more formal and literary than the standard spoken structure qu'est-ce que tu fais ici ? Qu'est-ce que tu fais là ? is a very common, more colloquial way to ask the same question in spoken French.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the level of formality. Que faites-vous ici? is a formal way to ask 'What are you doing here?', while Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici? is an informal way to ask 'What are you doing here?' For a colloquial way to ask 'What are you doing here?', you can use Tu fais quoi ici?
How does it change in a sentence?
Use que faites-vous ici ? when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people.
Did you know?
- The word ici comes from the Late Latin phrase ecce hīc, which literally means 'behold here'.
- In many French dialects, the word ici is sometimes replaced by the word là in casual speech, even though là literally means 'there'.
- If you use the word quoi at the end of a sentence, such as in Tu fais quoi ici?, you are using a structure that is common in speech but technically considered a grammatical error in formal written French.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi, monsieur, que faites-vous ici?Excuse me, sir, what are you doing here?
- Eh bien, qu'est-ce que tu fais ici?Well, what are you doing here?
- Salut Martin, tu fais quoi ici?Hey Martin, what are you doing here?
- Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici à cette heure-ci ?What are you doing here at this hour?
Example conversation
Nathan bumps into Emma at a local library.
- NathanEmma, que fais-tu ici ?Emma, what are you doing here?
- EmmaJe cherche un livre pour mon cours.I am looking for a book for my class.
- NathanAh, d'accord. Moi, je travaille.Ah, okay. I am working.
- EmmaBon courage avec ton travail !Good luck with your work!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ici, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
