Which one should you use?
There are several ways to phrase this question depending on the structure and the person you are addressing. The standard construction À quoi est-ce que tu ressembles ? uses the est-ce que formula. In casual spoken French, the question is often phrased with the prepositional phrase at the end: Tu ressembles à quoi ?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of formality changes which form you should choose. For formal situations, you can use Comment êtes-vous physiquement ? or À quoi ressemblez-vous ? For informal situations, you can use Comment tu es physiquement ? or Tu ressembles à quoi ?
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people, use à quoi ressemblez-vous ? instead of à quoi ressembles-tu ?
Did you know?
- In very casual French, you might hear T'as quelle tête ?, which literally means 'What head do you have?' It is a slangy way to ask someone's physical description.
- The word quoi is a cognate of the English words 'what' and 'which'. They both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root, though they diverged due to a phonetic shift called Grimm's law.
- The verb ressembler is a distant relative of the English word 'similar'. Both derive from the Latin root similis, meaning 'like' or 'resembling'.
Examples in context
- Dis-moi, à quoi ressembles-tu ?Tell me, what do you look like?
- Je ne te connais pas, à quoi ressembles-tu ?I don't know you, what do you look like?
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking on the phone before meeting for the first time.
- LucasOn se voit demain, mais à quoi ressembles-tu ?We are seeing each other tomorrow, but what do you look like?
- LéaJe suis assez petite avec les cheveux longs.I am quite short with long hair.
- LucasD'accord, je te reconnaîtrai facilement.Okay, I will recognize you easily.
- LéaEt toi, à quoi ressembles-tu ?And you, what do you look like?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quoi, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
