quand es-tu ?
The phrase "when are you?" in French is expressed as quand es-tu ?
This phrase is used to ask someone about their availability or the time they will arrive.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form quand es-tu ? uses the informal second-person singular pronoun tu.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to translate "When are you coming?" literally as quand es-tu ? In French, it is more natural to include a verb of movement, such as quand arrives-tu ? (when do you arrive?) or quand viens-tu ? (when are you coming?).
Did you know?
- If you ask quand es-tu ? to a French speaker, they might think you are asking about their very existence or state of being rather than their arrival.
- In modern spoken French, the inversion used in quand es-tu ? is rare. Most people would say tu es quand ? or use est-ce que to avoid sounding overly formal or poetic.
- The word quand shares a common ancestor with the English word 'when', both stemming from the Latin 'quandō'.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi, quand êtes-vous disponible pour la réunion ?Excuse me, when are you available for the meeting?
- Salut, quand es-tu libre pour aller au cinéma ?Hi, when are you free to go to the movies?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quand, CC BY-SA 4.0.
