de quoi s'agit-il ?
The English phrase "what is it about?" is translated into French as de quoi s'agit-il ?
This phrase is used to ask for the general subject or topic of something, such as a book, a movie, a conversation or a specific situation.
Which one should you use?
While de quoi s'agit-il ? is precise, you may encounter the informal version C'est à propos de quoi ? to mean the same thing. Additionally, in very casual conversation, people often use the colloquial C'est quoi ? to ask "What is it?" or "What is this about?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
de quoi s'agit-il ? is a formal way to pose the question. For informal situations, you can use C'est à propos de quoi ? or the even more colloquial C'est quoi ?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase de quoi s'agit-il ? uses inversion, which means the subject and the verb are switched, to form a formal question.
Did you know?
- The expression s'agir de is often used by French speakers to describe a necessity or a priority. For example, saying il s'agit de gagner means 'the main thing is to win'.
- The word quoi is a distant relative of the English word 'what'. Both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷid and diverged as the languages evolved over thousands of years.
- The verb in s'agit-il comes from the reflexive verb s'agir de, which is a peculiar French construction that cannot be used with a standard subject like 'I' or 'you'.
Examples in context
- De quoi s'agit-il dans ce rapport ?What is it about in this report?
- C'est à propos de quoi, ce bouquin ?What is this book about?
- C'est à propos de quoi, ce film ?What is this movie about?
- Il parle de quoi, ton ami ?What is your friend talking about?
- Il parle de quoi, cette émission ?What is this show about?
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are discussing a mysterious email.
- ManonNathan, j'ai reçu un mail étrange.Nathan, I received a strange email.
- NathanAh bon ? De quoi s'agit-il ?Oh really? What is it about?
- ManonC'est une invitation pour une réunion.It is an invitation for a meeting.
- NathanJe ne comprends pas pourquoi tu t'inquiètes.I don't understand why you are worried.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, quoi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
