Dialogue
Tu as acheté quoi ? Ask and clarify in everyday French
Practise a conversation with quoi, où, quand and avec qui. Learn when a final question word asks for a detail, repetition or a surprised confirmation.
- B1
- 14 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
In conversation, keep the usual subject–verb order and put the question word where the missing detail belongs: Tu as acheté quoi ? It can ask for new information, repeat something you missed or check a surprising detail. Add pardon or exactement when you need to clarify.
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Léa and Samir are arranging a film evening. At first, Samir needs information. Later, music drowns out a word, so he asks Léa to repeat it. In practice mode, say Samir’s questions from the English cues, then reveal the French.
- Léa
J’ai acheté quelque chose pour notre soirée cinéma.
English
I bought something for our film evening.
- Samir
Tu as acheté quoi ?
Ask what she bought.
English
What did you buy?
- Léa
Un projecteur. On pourra regarder le film en grand.
English
A projector. We’ll be able to watch the film on a big screen.
- Samir
Tu l’as trouvé où ?
Ask where she found it.
English
Where did you find it?
- Léa
Dans une boutique d’occasion, près de chez moi.
English
In a second-hand shop near my home.
- Samir
On invite qui ?
Ask who to invite.
English
Who shall we invite?
- Léa
Nora et Malik. Je prépare la soirée avec eux.
English
Nora and Malik. I’m preparing the evening with them.
- Samir
Tu prépares la soirée avec qui, déjà ?
Ask her to repeat who is helping.
English
Who are you preparing the evening with again?
- Léa
Avec Nora et Malik. Malik apporte une affiche.
English
With Nora and Malik. Malik is bringing a poster.
- Samir
Pardon, il apporte quoi ? La musique est trop forte.
Say sorry and ask what he is bringing; the music is too loud.
English
Sorry, what is he bringing? The music is too loud.
- Léa
Une affiche du film. Et Nora apporte une lampe.
English
A poster of the film. And Nora is bringing a lamp.
- Samir
On commence à quelle heure ?
Ask for the starting time.
English
What time do we start?
- Léa
À vingt heures. Tu peux noter tout ça dans ton carnet ?
English
At eight. Can you note all that in your notebook?
- Samir
Oui. Et on parle du film après ?
Agree, then ask whether you will discuss the film afterwards.
English
Yes. And shall we talk about the film afterwards?
How do you ask tu as acheté quoi in French?
- Léa
J’ai acheté un projecteur pour chaque pièce.
I bought a projector for every room.
- Samir
Tu as acheté quoi ? Un projecteur pour chaque pièce ?
You bought what? A projector for every room?
Here Samir repeats the surprising purchase to check it. In the earlier exchange, loud music explains his request for repetition. The same final quoi can serve either purpose; the surrounding exchange tells you which.
Where does the preposition go in a French echo question?
| Known situation | Ask for the detail | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Tu parles de ce film. | Tu parles de quoi ? | topic |
| Tu viens avec Nora. | Tu viens avec qui ? | companion |
| Tu penses à la soirée. | Tu penses à quoi ? | thought |
| Tu arrives à vingt heures. | Tu arrives à quelle heure ? | time |
For a thing as a direct object, final position uses quoi: Tu regardes quoi ? A fronted alternative is Qu’est-ce que tu regardes ? With a preposition, keep the whole phrase together: de quoi, avec qui, à quelle heure. A bare Quoi ? can sound abrupt; Pardon, tu peux répéter ? makes your request clearer.
Four things for the film evening
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