What does est ce que mean in french? (2023)

What is the meaning of the French word est-ce que?

Updated on January 31, 2019. Est-ce que (pronounced "es keu") is a French expression that is useful for asking a question. Literally translated, this phrase means "is it that...," although in conversation it rarely is interpreted that way.

It's literal translation is, “is this that”. A loose translation for est-ce que is, is, are, do and does for questions. You put it directly in front of any statement to make a question. In this short lesson you'll learn how to ask a question with est-ce que and find lots of useful examples. Keep reading!

The phrase est-ce que is used to ask a question. Word order stays just the same as it would in an ordinary sentence. Est-ce que comes before the subject, and the verb comes after the subject. So to turn the sentence Tu connais Marie (meaning You know Marie) into a question, all you need to do is to add est-ce que.

Though est-ce que is widespread in spoken French, it's much less common in writing because it's slightly informal. Remember that if you're in a formal situation, you should avoid it in favor of inversion. Tu es prêt.

A second way to ask a “Yes / No” question is to use EST-CE QUE (pronounced 'ESS-kuh') before the statement. EST-CE QUE has no translation – it just acts like a question mark. We also use rising intonation at the end of the question when using EST-CE QUE.

Translation of "Est-ce que tu vas bien" in English. are you okay are you all right.

Ce que (vs ce qui) = what, which (relative pronouns)

Que and its longer form qu'est-ce que are interrogative pronouns and are used as direct objects in a sentence. They are used to ask questions about things. Que is followed by the inversion of subject and verb, whereas qu'est-ce que is followed by normal subject-verb word order.

Using quoi at the end of a sentence is a colloquial French filler word. It doesn't translate well, but it's used to mean “I don't care. / In short / And that's all. / It's simple, let's not dive into it too much, it's as simple as that…”

Why do the French always say no?

Barlow and Nadeau suggest that the no used by many French people comes from an obsession with not getting blamed for being wrong. And while this is true in all walks of life, the fonctionnaires (bureaucrats) of France have turned it into a complex system that seems archaic and inefficient.

The French term dès que is a conjunction that means "as soon as." Dès que does not take the subjunctive.

French people tend not to visit unannounced or uninvited. To do so is considered rude. When invited to a dinner, it is common for guests to ask their hosts if they are required to bring something on the day. Guests may also bring a bottle of wine or dessert.

In English, if you didn't hear someone, simply saying “What?” would be considered informal or even rude, and the same goes for quoi.

Bonjour — Hello, Good day

This phrase is probably the most common greeting you will hear and can be used in formal and informal situations (although it's more common in formal situations).

Respond with a simple Je vais bien, et vous? (I'm doing well, and you?). You can also just say Bien, et vous? (Well, and you?). The key is the et vous (and you), which prompts a similar answer.

The standard answer is probably "Bien" ("Fine") or "Muy bien" ("Very good"). Of course, both of those responses are often expanded: "Muy bien, gracias.

Some proper ways to respond to ça va? include, “Très bien, et vous ?” or in a more casual setting, “Ça va bien, et toi ?” But you can also respond with a simple “ça va,” which means you're doing fine.

Est-ce que

To make the question negative, place ne … pas around the conjugated verb: Est‐ce que tu ne veux pas sortir? (Don't you want to go out?) Est‐ce que tu n'es pas sorti? (Didn't you go out?)

N'est-ce pas is just like the English "isn't it" or "don't you" or similar. It requests a yes/no reply to the question. In the positive, the response is oui/non and in the negative it is si/non.

What does oui tres bien mean?

oui tres bien. yes very good. oui tres bien. oui tres bien. oui tres bien.

pas tres bien – Dictionary and online translation between English and over 90 other languages. French. English. pas tres bien. not very good.

Translation of "Oui et toi" in English. Oui. yes right. et toi. and you you and.

Ce que is used as the direct object in a relative clause, for example: « Je ne comprends pas ce que tu veux. » Ce dont is used as the object for the predisposition "de", for example: « Je ne comprends pas ce dont tu parles. » It's easier to identify whether it's ce qui or ce dont when these expressions are at the ...

Qui means who but there is a longer form in which qui appears twice: qui est-ce qui ...? (literally: who is it who...).

For example, you can say “Je sais pas“. In spoken French, the “ne” in the ne…pas negation is often completely dropped. Again, this is an informal pronunciation and should not be used in formal settings. “Je sais pas” can also be written “J'sais pas“.

Oh là là is arguably the most iconic and quintessentially French expression there is. As cliché as it may sound in English, it's actually used regularly in everyday French. This is one of the very few French stereotypes that is actually based in reality.

Chouette in French literally means owl. That means the cool kids on the streets are running around saying “Dude, that's so owl!” We do it in English too—when I say something is cool, I mean that it's interesting, not that its temperature is somewhere between warm and chilly!

In French, there is no version of what we know as 70. Instead, the French use their number for sixty and ten, soixante and dix, to represent the number 70 as soixante-dix. After that, you get sixty-eleven, sixty-twelve, and so on until you reach 80.

The expression originates from the 19th century, and was used literally. When English people used French expressions in conversation, they would often apologise for it, presumably because many of their listeners were not familiar with the language! Example: "Excuse my French, but that guys needs a kick in the ass!"

Do the French say oui oui?

It's common in French to repeat the yes twice: “oui, oui…” Of course this cracks up our English friends, but it's common to double the yes to answer in a casual way in French. It doesn't have a specific meaning: it's just a way to speak and it's not like we say “oui, oui” all the time either.

Oui is the standard way to say yes in French. It's simple and straightforward, and you can use it in all instances where you wish to express a positive answer. Example: « Tu peux venir ici s'il te plait ? » (“Can you come here please?” )

In French, je suis (pronounced ʒə sɥi or juh-swee) means “I am”. For example, “Je suis desolé (I'm sorry) and “Je suis fatigué (I'm tired).

Since the French view Americans as overly proud and conservative people, self-reflection is applauded. Aside from encounters with Americans, only a few reference points remain. American TV Shows or fast-food chains are often used to define and understand American culture.

In most cases, we use oui (yes) and non (no) in French the same way as in English. However, if someone asks you a negative question or makes a negative statement and you want to disagree with it (i.e. answer in the positive) then use si instead of oui.

A simple “Oui” is the most standard, basic, and neutral affirmative reply in French.

French for 'I don't know what': a pleasing quality that cannot be exactly named or described: Although he's not conventionally attractive, he has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes him popular with the ladies. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.

In the French language, douceur means "sweet," "nice," or "cute." It can be used to describe people, places, things, or experiences.

What is a typical French greeting?

The most common greeting in French is the very useful “bonjour”, and “bonsoir”. The first can be used throughout the day, and the second in the evening. “Salut” is also widely used in a more informal setting. These are the most basic greetings that will commonly be learned in lessons for French for kids.

Answer and Explanation: The expression 'oh no' in French is, ah non.

Que and its longer form qu'est-ce que are interrogative pronouns and are used as direct objects in a sentence. They are used to ask questions about things. Que is followed by the inversion of subject and verb, whereas qu'est-ce que is followed by normal subject-verb word order.

you start a question with "qu'est-ce que"; in order words, "qu'est-ce que" only appears at the start of a question. However, you end a question with "quoi"; in order words, "quoi" only appears at appears at the end of a question. Qu'est-ce que tu fais?

Qui means who but there is a longer form in which qui appears twice: qui est-ce qui ...? (literally: who is it who...).

***When à quoi is at the beginning of a clause or follows c'est, the word ce is placed in front of it (ce à quoi). Team, ThoughtCo. "French Indefinite Relative Pronouns Have No Antecedent." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/french-indefinite-relative-pronouns-1368864.

In English, if you didn't hear someone, simply saying “What?” would be considered informal or even rude, and the same goes for quoi.

Qu'est-ce que c'est is slightly more formal when compared with c'est quoi, ça. You'll normally hear it in formal conversations between people who don't know each other well.

qui vive • \kee-VEEV\ • noun. : alert, lookout — used in the phrase on the qui vive. Examples: "All right.

The expression 'c'est la vie' is mostly used to downplay your sense of disappointment. Its use suggests that you will be able to deal with the disappointment that has come your way. *I can't go to the exhibition with you tomorrow because my mother-in-law is arriving in the morning. C'est la vie.