quoi ?
casual
In casual French "what?" is quoi ? Another relaxed reaction is hein ?, and polite options are comment ? and pardon ?
Meaning: casual question word (phrase)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| quoi ? | casual |
| hein ? | casual |
| comment ? | polite |
| pardon ? | polite |
A short Quoi ? when you did not hear someone is natural between friends. Hein ? shows surprise or asks for repetition.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In polite speech Pardon ? or Comment ? is better. A flat Quoi ? to a teacher or a stranger can sound abrupt.
How does it change in a sentence?
In everyday French quoi also ends a sentence, as in Il fait froid, quoi.
Did you know?
- French speakers often end a sentence with quoi as a filler, like "you know" in English.
Examples in context
- Quoi ? Tu as dit quoi ?What? What did you say?
- Hein ? Je n'ai pas compris.Huh? I did not understand.
- Pardon ? Vous pouvez répéter ?Pardon? Can you repeat that?
Example conversation
Lucie and her friend Tom talk in a noisy bar.
- TomOn va chez Paul demain.We are going to Paul's tomorrow.
- LucieQuoi ? Je n'entends rien !What? I cannot hear anything!
- TomChez Paul, demain !To Paul's, tomorrow!
