What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun que (what) and the infinitive faire (to do).
Which one should you use?
While que faire is used as an indirect question or as an object of a verb like savoir, the alternative quoi faire is used when the phrase follows a preposition or stands alone as a direct object in more colloquial speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Que faire is an elegant and formal construction. In more common spoken French, one might use ce qu'il faut faire. For other contexts, a formal way to seek suggestions is Auriez-vous des idées d'activités ? (Would you have any activity ideas?), while a colloquial way to ask what to do is Qu'est-ce qu'on fait ? (What are we doing?). Informal options include On pourrait faire quoi ? (What could we do?) and T'as des idées de trucs à faire ? (Do you have any ideas of things to do?).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, the phrase Qu'est-ce qu'on fait icitte ? is used to mean "What are we doing here?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase que faire, the verb faire remains in the infinitive form regardless of the subject of the main clause.
Did you know?
- When people are at a loss for que faire, they might use the idiomatic expression être dans le pétrin, which literally means 'to be in the kneading trough'.
- The French language uses faire to describe the weather, such as il fait beau for 'it is beautiful weather', treating the state of the atmosphere as something being 'done'.
- In formal literature, que faire often appears as a rhetorical question to signal a character's internal crisis or moral dilemma rather than a literal request for advice.
Examples in context
- Je ne sais que faire.I don't know what to do.This sentence is useful for expressing that you do not know what to do.Tatoeba #9655 by sacredceltic, translation #454490 by CM
- Il ne savait que faire.He was at a loss what to do.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone was at a loss what to do.Tatoeba #131689 by nimfeo, translation #294315 by CM
- Elle ne savait que faire.She didn't know what to do.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone did not know what to do.Tatoeba #1306568 by sacredceltic, translation #1304619 by CK
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are lost in a city without a map.
- GabrielOn est perdus, que faire ?We are lost, what to do?
- ChloéOn peut demander à quelqu'un.We can ask someone.
- GabrielC'est une bonne idée, Gabriel.That is a good idea, Gabriel.
- ChloéRegarde, il y a un policier là-bas.Look, there is a police officer over there.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
